CHENNAI: The auditorium in Jawahar Vidyalaya, KK Nagar, on Saturday evening was packed with parents, friends and well-wishers of the 95 performers, belonging to dance school Srivarnisa Kalalaya. On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, the event was based on the 18 puranas, a class of literary texts in Sanskrit, compiled by sage Veda Vyasa, and comprising of messages from the Vedas in the form of easily understandable stories.After a prayer invoking the goddess Saraswati and the traditional pushpanjali, the programme commenced with the varnam Mooladharane on Lord Vinayaka set to raga Kharaharapriya. Despite its length, the performers displayed their stamina, maintaining the same energy throughout the piece with good expressions and footwork.The dancers coordinated ably when telling the story of the birth of the much-loved lord Ganesha and how he received his famous head. Having several people on stage can be messy, but the well-rehearsed recital was a pleasure to watch. What was most admirable, however, was the confidence the youngsters radiated. An episode from what is considered the first purana, the Brahma Purana, which has details of holy places, was followed by an episode from the Padma Purana, telling the story of Shiva swallowing the poison in the Ksheerasagara, performed by the younger students. Episodes from the Shiva Purana, Lingapurana and Garuda Purana followed. The retelling of the Bhagavatha Purana’s Krishnaleela made use of the Pinnal Kolattam dance form, while the Agni Purana, which has several valuable architectural and other lessons, fittingly used the jothi dance form. Kavadi, Kummi and Karagam dance styles were also incorporated in the programme. Compiled and scripted by Gowri Rajagopal, the event, which also incorporated episodes from the Matsya, Koorma, Vamana, Brahma Vaivarta, Markandeya and Brahmanda Purana, was of a high standard. The theme was innovative, and the idea of showcasing snippets of the Puranas using the medium of dance could be a novel tool to teach youngsters the scriptures of Hinduism.The finale, a Rajkumar Bharati thillana in raga Sindhubhairavi was performed by all the dancers of the evening. It was a fitting ending to an evening marked by the heart-warming enthusiasm of the students, their teachers and the appreciative audience. The choreography by Samyuktha Varadarajan, founder of Srivarnisa Kalalaya, was creative, and neatly executed by her students. The programme was compered with passion and precision by Gowri Rajagopal. Ashok Nagar sisters, R Premalatha and Malini Kumar, provided vocal support, accompanied by Nagai S Narayanan on the mridangam and KR Suresh on the violin.
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