Mysore: The Jagannatha Center for Art and Culture (JCAC) at Vijayanagar here came alive on September 10 evening as eminent Odissi dancer Guru Sindhu Kiran and her students cast a spell with their scintillating performances at ‘Kala Saptami’, a week-long cultural soiree organized by the JCAC.
As the expectations built up, Guru Sindhu Kiran and six senior students (Ojas Balluru, Dr. Tarana Chengappa, Pruthe Hawaldar, Satya Pramodiny, Kavya Uthaiah I and Unnati G. Khanolkar) of her institution Rudra Nrityayogashala made a dramatic entry, invoking the blessings of earth, guru and audience through Mangalacharan’, set to Raga ‘Ragamalika’ and Tala ‘Talamalika’.
Drawn from Mahakavi Kalidas’s ‘Saundarya Lahari’, its music was composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra, choreography was by Padma Vibhushan recipient legendary guru Kalucharan Mohapatra and re-choreographed by Guru Sindhu Kiran.
Setting the tone for the evening, Guru Sindhu Kiran and her disciples’ performance was marked by precision, grace and artistic brilliance.
The tempo shifted with a duet as Guru Sindhu Kiran and her daughter-disciple Ojas Balluru brought alive Kavi Banamali’s one of the immortal compositions ‘Kede Chhanda Jane Lo Sahi’ in an engrossing abhinaya, based on Raga ‘Mishra Pilu’ and Tala ‘Rupak’, written by Kavi Banamali, music composed by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra and choreography by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.
The duet recital portrayed the pranks as well as the charms of little Krishna. The duo depicted different stories like ‘Kaliyadaman’, ‘Putana Badh’ ‘Bakasur Badh’ and ‘Biswaroopdarshan’ with such clarity that the connoisseurs were left just glued to their seats.
To be particular, the portrayal of the ‘Biswaroopdarshan’ episode with Guru Sindhu Kiran and Ojas Balluru essaying the characters of Yoshada and Krishna respectively was so vivid that it lingered in memory of the audience long after the curtain fell.
Then, the art lovers were treated to a solo Odissi recital ‘Pallavi’ by Ojas Balluru, the senior most student of Guru Sindhu Kiran. In Odissi dance repertory, ‘Pallavi’ is a pure dance where a raga is elaborated with intricate and rhythmic footwork and lyrical body movements. It begins with slow, graceful & lyrical movements of the eyes, neck, torso & feet & slowly builds up to a crescendo to climax in a fast tempo at the end.
Ojas presented Shankarabharanam Pallavi, based on Raga Shankaravaranam and Tala Ektali. With her clarity of movements and expressions, she immediately captivated the audience.
The spotlight was then shifted to an abhinaya ‘Sitaharan’, presented by Guru Sindhu Kiran.
Set to Raga Ragamalika and Tala Talamalika, music by Pandit Bhubaneswar Mishra and choreography by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, here in the item taken from the Ramacharitamanas written by poet-saint Tulsidas, the entire episode starting from Maricha, a servant of ten-headed demon king Ravana, taking the form of a beautiful golden deer to the mighty bird king Jatayu’s valiant sacrifice was beautifully depicted. Guru Sindhu Kiran’s subtle of expression and the clarity of abhinaya skills made it a riveting watch.
The recital concluded with the rendition of ‘Moksha’, the last item of an Odissi repertoire, presented by Guru Sindhu Kiran, Ojas Balluru, Dr. Tarana Chengappa, Pruthe Hawaldar, Satya Pramodiny, Kavya Uthaiah I and Unnati G. Khanolkar. Set to Raga Bhairavi, Tala Ekatali, music composed by Pandit Bhubanedswar Mishra and choreographed by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the concluding item was based on a shloka in praise of goddess Narayani, where the dancers surrenders at the Goddess’ feet.
The item brought out the dancers’ artistic acumen and deep understanding of the dance form’s grammar and essence.
Guru Sindhu Kiran, who established Rudra Nrityayogashala in Mysuru in 2006, has carved a niche for herself. While she has performed at various prestigious festivals, she has also earned accolades for her artistry.
Adding to the cultural tapestry of the evening were enthralling Kathak presentations by the disciples of Guru Mysore Nagaraj from Bengaluru’s Articulate Dance Studio, which provided a delightful blend of two classical dance forms.
