All poise and gaiety
DEDICATEDNamita did justice to the numbers she presented
Those charis, karanas, swaying movements rendered by the young Namitha B. Rao amply vouched for the authentic Bharathanrithya as propounded by the noted veteran danseuse Padma Subramanyam. Guru Sundari Santhanam, prominent disciple of Padma has trained Namitha. It is worth noting that Sundari has stuck to her guru's discipline and the same got reflected through Namitha's programme which was held at the Bangalore branch of Sri Edaneer Math situated in Koramangala.
Lean, petite Namitha was able to do full justice to the numbers that she presented. Dancing to recorded music she began with the traditional Poorvaranga with all gaiety and poise. Cool and calm, the dancer beautified the Vachaspathi jathiswara with her impeccable nritta. A Tamil composition was the medium for her to highlight the traits of Nataraja with admirable karanas, charis and sthanakas. An Ashtapadi ("Chandana charchitha") and a composition by Helavanakatti Giriyamma ("Eetha Ligadevaru") held mirror for her acting abilities.
* * *
Mala Mohan from Chennai is a seasoned singer. She has a good grounding in classical Carnatic music. Her recital for Sri Guruvayurappan Bhajan Trust under the Gokulashtami series of music concerts at Sri Odukkattur Math was a treat for the rasikas of music. It was to the credit of the artiste that she capitalised the unexpected opportunity to perform to the best of her advantage. In the absence of the scheduled vocalist of the evening she took the stage and regaled the audience with her talent and expertise. Melodious voice with a remarkable reach and range, scintillating scholarship and a refined concert craft accounted much for her success. Aided well by her daughter Shraddha Mohan (vocal support), Nalina Mohan (violin), Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma (mridanga) and M.A. Krishnamurthy (ghata), Mala began her recital with a demanding Todi varna followed by Vasudevacharya's attractive krithi "Lambodara" (Kambhoji). Her manodharmic forays into a detailed Begade ("Thyagarajaya namashte"), Kalyani ("Bhaja re chittha") and Bhairavi ("Tanayuni brova") were diligent and delightful. The ragas were marked by originality. There was never a dull moment in her kutcheri.
M. SURYA PRASAD
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
