With a rendition of The Three Musketeers and classical choreographies, the annual Ananya Dance Festival promises to be as entertaining as ever
At the Chennai home of Kuchipudi nattuvanar Jai Kishore Mosalikanti, last-minute rehearsals are in full swing. The artist himself is away on a day-long workshop, but five of his disciples are undergoing rigorous practice sessions with his wife and fellow performer Vani Kishore. 8220;Since it will be our first group appearance in Delhi, we have decided to put up our most recent piece of choreography that is replete with traditional references to literature, drama and classical poetry. It showcases the best of our tradition with as much individualism as possible,8221; says Vani, in between practice sessions.
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The Kishores8217; performance will be part of the seventh annual Ananya Festival, organised by the city-based NGO Seher. With the five-day fest set to take off at the Purana Quila on October 11, a handful of the country8217;s leading classical dancers are headed towards the Capital. There will be Bharatnatyam by Kalakshetra, Chennai8217;s famed troupe and Odissi by Durga Charan Ranbir and his group, besides performances by relative newcomers like Kathak dancer Malti Shyam and Mohiniyattam artist Jayaprabha Menon. 8220;Performing at Ananya is a coveted offer since it8217;s a wonderful platform to connect with fellow artistes and an audience interested in your art. I have formulated my choreography in such a way that even people who are not clued into the technical aspects of dance can relate to the strong emotional content of the performance,8221; says Shyam, whose performance will close the festival. One of the highlights will be the dance-theatre rendition of Alexander Dumas8217; famous novel The Three Musketeers by Leela Samson and her troupe on the opening day of the festival.
Sanjeev Bhargava, festival director, plans to have an open symposium with the performers at the Alliance Francaise on October 13 and 14. 8220;With each passing year, the audience has become more sensitised to different kinds of performances, but the dynamics of a performance or the semantics of a choreography are still alien to them. So we thought we would keep a forum for people to come and listen to the choreographers,8221; says Bhargava. Entry to the festival is free, like every year.
Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends.
Professional Profile
With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life.
Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends.
Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary:
1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards
"2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace.
"Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year.
"Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance.
2. Gender & Workplace Policy
"Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions."
"Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game.
3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis
"The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children.
4. Author Interviews & Profiles
"Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.
"Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence.
Signature Beats
Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world.
Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More
