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Melody, rhythm and a cause

PHOTO: K.V. SRINIVASAN

SPLASH OF COLOUR: From ‘Sathvaro Radhe Shyamno.’

Here’s yet another story of silent and selfless service to society. The Sankara Nethralaya Women Auxiliary (SWAN) began when four women stepped into Sankara Nethralaya 25 years ago to assist the ophthalmic hospital in their own small way — dilating the patient’s eyes, maintaining patient records, offering translation services and providing food and free spectacles to poor patients. The driving force behind this public charitable trust is a group of four — Kousalya Appukutty, Surekha Mehta, Sudha Haridas and Dr. Vasanthi Badrinath — who have been taking forward ‘A Mission for Vision’ programme.

Today, SWAN boasts of over 40 members, men and women, from all walks of life, who have invested their time and money to pursue their endeavour. It is to salute SWAN’s achievements and look for more support from the public that a cultural event was organised at Narada Gana Sabha recently. Titled ‘Sathvaro Radhe Shyamno,’ the dance drama with live music retold the story of Krishna.

The evening began on a melodious note with the evergreen voice of veteran playback singer Vani Jairam reverberating across the almost full auditorium. The Meera bhajans were an apt start to herald the theme of the items to follow.

Conceptualised and directed by Mumbai-based industrialist, Hiren Parpani, the dance drama, which started its journey on the Gujarati stage and has presented over 400 shows, had several highlights. The most refreshing aspect of the show was that it did not bank heavily on the Bollywood song and dance routines which have become ubiquitous these days in any cultural event. The anchoring was done by Nikhil Sanghoi.

The dances, choreographed by Ashvin Pande, had a strong folk, especially the Gujarati garba, flavour. The movements were simple and graceful, and kept the theme alive. The live orchestra, with Nilesh Thakkar and Arpita Thakkar putting their heart and soul into their singing, was another highpoint of the evening. With a 50-strong team of dancers and musicians, ‘Sathvaro Radhe Shyamno’ brought live the different moments in Lord Krishna’s life, be it his arrival at Mathura, his stealing butter or his meeting with Radha on the banks of the Yamuna.

Maybe things seemed a bit over-the-top at times, what with bright and shining costumes and grand sets, and quite a few artists on stage at a given time, but it did not take away from the devotional aspect of the show. And more important, the audience seemed to be with the performers on the stage. The professional approach of the troupe needs to be lauded.

What’s more, the mood was in keeping with the evening’s real reason… creating awareness among the audience about a greater cause… serving the needy.

(Those interested in contributing to SWAN may do so by contacting 28271616/ 28311913 or email swan@snmail.org For more information, log on to www.sankaranethralaya.org)

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