Making waves with music

The Bhratru Mandal Pune, a social organisation, organised a Bharatnayam recital by Sayali Zhambre - disciple of Anuradha Jog, director of...

The Bhratru Mandal Pune, a social organisation, organised a Bharatnayam recital by Sayali Zhambre 8211; disciple of Anuradha Jog, director of Antara Nritya Niketan 8211; on January 23 in Balgandharva Rangmandir. It was a charitable show to donate a fully-equipped ambulance to Bhratru Mandal.

The choreography was composed by the director herself, the theme being the life of Krishna and Gopis. The story unfolded itself with a lot of abhinaya. Mrinamayi Vaidya, as baby Krishna, truly stole the hearts of the viewers. Sayali Zhambre, a student of class IX, gave a high class Arangetram performance. The grandeur and the elegance of the show enthralled the audience.

Others who performed were Bhavana Sutaria, Janvhi Chittey, Ruchita Kulkarni, Aniya Joshi, Tanvi Kale, Ruhi Deshpande. Pushpanjali, Allarippu, Jatishwaram, Varanam, Ganesh Stuti, Ashtapati, Shiv Stuti, Mangalam were among the nine compositions. The highlight of the show was Tillana in Dhanashri raag. The backdrop of a glowing sun enhanced the beauty of the performance. The chief guests were Dr Ram Nimade, chairperson of Rajesh Study Circle and Dr Ram Kharche, chairperson of Bhratru Mandal.

The aim of Antara Nritya Niketan, founded 12 years back, is to promote a disciplined study of the noble art form of Bharatnatyam. Antara, which means waves in music, has since then been creating waves in Pune. 8220;I felt the need to polish the technical aspects in this form of dance and so Antara Nritya Niketan came into existence in 1987.8221; Through choreography, the institute bridges the gap between the traditional and the modern. 8220;I choreograph for my guru Dr Balmurlikrishnan8217;s musical compositions. I write the lyrics and set them on taal and raag,8221; says Jog. The institute has a video and audio library and organises workshops where the students have an interaction with the renowned dancers like Alarem Villei and Chitra Vishweshwaran.

Anuradha began learning the Pandanallur style, quite uncommon then, at the age of five under the able guidance of Sucheta Joshi, noted Bharatnatyam dancer. The urge to be different has permeated into the graceful performances of her students and stage setup. 8220;The stage is not all about flowers and decorations. I believe in Nepathya, the stage craft. The stage must create a rapport between the danseuse and the theme,8221; she asserts. She is a gold medalist and holds a degree of M Phil in Natyashastra, the science of drama. Anuradha is also the recipient of Venkata Reddy Memorial Award for classical dance.

8220;Learning is a dynamic evolution process,8221; says the director, after having 25 years of experience in this art form.