Pracheen Kala Kendra organised its 188th Baithak Programme with Delhi-based dance exponents Anil Kumar and Mansi Saxena presenting solo dances as well as a jugalbandi. Kumar has given several remarkable performances in India and abroad,led by Kathak gurus such as Pandit Birju Maharaj. His inimitable Kathak style,combining emotions with graceful body movements,has received critical acclaim. Saxena is a disciple of Guru Rajendra Gangani and is currently working with Aditi Mangaldas in her Drishtikon group,International Dance Company. The programme began with Kumar paying obeisance to Lord Ganesha through a solo dance presentation titled Ganesh Stuti,with Saxena presenting a solo Kathak recital called Naachat Sudan. The programme concluded with an electrifying display of jugalbandi in teen tal and mishar jati by Kumar and Saxena,with synchronised dance movements. Kathak guru Dr Shobha Koser blessed the artistes. Flower Power THE lotus gets new colours,hues and treatments with Mukesh Kumars deep strokes. The Patna-based painter has exhibited a series of paintings in oils,all inspired by the beauty of the lotus flower and the unique conditions in which it grows. Kumars canvas is large and he uses thick paint and relief effect to create bold strokes,which make his images look out of the canvas. Kumars distinct use of single colours and layers of colours to create water,foliage,flowers and leaves in various forms and hues make his works intricate and real. Kumar uses various shades of green to create ripples in the green waters and to give form to the thick lotus leaves. In one of the works,in the middle of thick foliage,the artist creates a slender bud of white lotus emerging from the mass of green. Breaking the pattern is a landscape in shades of yellow,and blue,with the horizon distinct at a distance. The lotus takes a large form in the other paintings,as Kumar combines earthy shades of browns,reds and mustards with a solitary lotus,which beckons a second look. The paintings have a sheen which give the colours of a red and pink lotus a captivating look. Also on display is a completely yellow canvas,which if you look closely,has different shapes of lotus leaves in varied sizes. The exhibition is on at Art Portfolio,Sector 9-C,till June 20
