CHENNAI: On the eve of the 28th remembrance day of the legendary Bharatanatyam exponent, T Balasaraswathi, a dance homage, Natya Samaradhanam, was presented at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore. Well known dancers - Sailaja, Priyadarshini Govind, Brigha Brassel, Sreekala Bharath, Manjari Rajendra Kumar and Sushma Ranganathan, all from different disciplines, arrived at a common field to interact, exchange and blend in the artistic approach within the frame work of tradition. This production was conceived and choreographed by dancer Nandini Ramani, expert committee member of Sangeetha Nataka Academy and managing trustee of Dr V Raghavan Centre for performing artsEven though there are new trends coming up in this field, a handful of artists like dancer Nandini Ramani, daughter of Dr V Raghavan, are still keeping the traditional aspects of dance intact, maintaining the purity of traditional style.The graceful presentation of the lilting varnam by the group of dancers following the thought process in both nritta and abhinaya elements, nuanced with the aspects of their chosen tradition brought together all the six dancers under one roof. The blending of different styles, bringing the essence of unity in diversity in their presentation, was well choreographed by Nandini Ramani.The jathi and swara that the group wove for Samiyai Azaithu Vadi in raga Khamas, a composition of the Tanjore Quartet were masterly and the abhinayas were performed effectively. However, some of the jathi and swaras were the original choreography of Kandappa, mentor of Balasaraswathi and KG Ganesan, son of Kandappa.No doubt, all the dancers conveyed the lyrics with high professional finesse and it would be very difficult to describe the impact of their footwork to the jathis. It was evident that Sushma Ranganathan of Bala tradition, the youngest dancer, excelled in both nritta and abhinaya, presenting the performance with utmost involvement.At the event, the Samskrita Ranga, an organisation founded by Dr V Raghavan in 1958, for propagation of Sanskrit drama on stage released a book titled ‘Rabindranath Tagore and Sanskrith literature,’ on the eve of the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. The tireless efforts in staging Valmiki Prathiba of Tagore in Sanskrit by ‘Samskrita Ranga’, narrating the transformation of the crude hunter into the immortal pious ‘Adikavi Valmiki’, won the approbation.
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