Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha, JLB Road, Mysuru, brings three cultural programmes to the art-lovers this November — on Nov. 17, 22 and 23.

On Nov. 17, Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy will present a dance ballet ‘Kittur Rani Chennamma’ at 6 pm.

Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy:  Dancer, choreographer, Guru and Founder of Vasundhara Performing Arts Centre (VPAC), Dr. Vasundhara has developed her own sub domain in Vasundhara style. In 1987, Vasundhara earned a Ph.D for her study on the correlation between Yoga and Bharatanatyam. Her ‘Ekavyakti’(single) productions like Ambe, Dakshayini, Ganga Lahari, Panchali and Kshhatra Draupadi have won acclaim. She has made it a mission to spotlight powerful women personalities from our mythology and history through her art. Dr. Vasundhara is a recipient of several awards and titles including Rajyotsava award, Shantala Natya Shri award, Chandana award by Doordarshan, Artiste of the Millennium award – USA and the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award for 2019.

In a performance that promises to be both stunning and emotionally resonant, Vasundhara will bring to life the story of Kittur Rani Chennamma, the fearless queen who defied the British Empire. It is a celebration of India’s rich cultural heritage and the enduring spirit of its women. Kittur Rani Chennmma is celebrated for her valiant revolt against the British Government’s Doctrine of Lapse’, a policy that sought to annex the territories of native rulers who had no biological heirs. Her defiance in 1824 remains a symbol of resistance and resilience, qualities that Dr. Vasundhara will embody in her performance. The performance will be an artistic tapestry of intricate Bharatanatyam movements and expressive storytelling, weaving the life and legacy of Rani Chennamma.

On Nov. 22 at 6 pm, Samudyata from Mattur will present a Gamaka Vachana ‘Meghadoota’ of Kalidasa with well-known Sanskrit scholar H.V. Nagaraja Rao’s Vyakhyana.

Samudyata Mattur: Samudyata began her initial music training from her mother and then trained under Vid. Mathur Gopala and also from Vidu. Rajeshwari Nagendra Prakash and later from Vidu. Kalavathy Avadhoot. Samudyata is learning Gamaka Vachana from Vid. Sanath Kumar, Mathur. She has completed Junior and Senior Music Exams with distinction and is now pursuing M.Music from Annamalai University. She is a recipient of Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy Scholarship awarded by the Karnataka Government. Recently, Samudyata was awarded ‘Yuva Kalameru’ by Kalameru organisation for diverse knowledge in Classical Music, Light Music and Gamaka Vachana.

She has rendered a number of concerts in several places including Purandara Mantapa, Bengaluru, Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru, Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha, Mysuru and Sankethi Sangeetha Sabha, Hosahalli. Samudyata has also performed in the Kannada reality show ‘Ede Tumbi Haaduvenu’ in 2006. Academically, Samudyata is a telecommunications engineer working                                                                         for the company Dassault Systèmes, Bengaluru.

Dr. H.V. Nagaraja Rao: Born in Somenahalli in Kolar district, Nagaraja Rao had his High School studies at Gudibande and later moved to Mysuru to pursue Sanskrit studies and joined the Maharaja Sanskrit college in 1958. He studied Vyakarana and Alankara Shastras and later went to the United States in 1971 and got the MA degree in Asian Languages from the University of Washington, Seattle. He then joined the Oriental Research Institute (ORI), Mysuru and edited Sanskrit works. In 2013, he got D.Litt from Tumkur University for his eminent research work. He was invited by the University of Chicago three times to teach Sanskrit. Presently he is the Honorary Editor of ‘Sudharma,’ the only Sanskrit Daily Newspaper in India since 44 years.

Nagaraja Rao was awarded Vyasa Maharshi Prashasti in 1996 for the best Sanskrit essay and ‘Kavya Shastra Vichakshana’ by the Seer of Swarnavalli and in 2006, he received the Central Sahitya Akademi Award for his Sanskrit translation of the Kannada novel ‘Sartha’ by Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa. Nagaraja Rao has published several books under Sudharma Prakashana — ‘Bhallata Shatakam’, ‘Varadaraja Sthava’, ‘Subhashita Kaustubha, ‘Shardula Vikreedita Shataka’ to name a few.

On Nov. 23 at 6 pm, Madurai N. Sivaganesh will present a vocal concert with Keshva Mohankumar on vioin, P.S. Sridhar on mridanga and V.S. Ramesh on morching.

Madurai N. Sivaganesh: Sivaganesh has had his music training from Sangeetha Kalanidhi T.N. Seshagopalan and from C.R. Vaidyanathan. He is an ‘A’ graded artiste of All India Radio. He is a recipient of many awards — ‘Yuva Kalakar Puraskar (2020) from Shanmukhananda Sabha, Mumbai, ‘Times Tyagaraja Award (2016) from The Times of India, ITC-SRA Award from ITC Trust held at NCPA, Mumbai,  to name a few.

He was one of the ‘Top Five Voices for the Future Award-2015’ and one among the Top Ten Contestants in Tanishq Swarna Sangeetham Season-2 hosted by Raj TV. He has performed for many prestigious Sabhas including The Madras Music Academy, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Suchindram Temple, Kanyakumari and ‘Nada Neerajanam’ Tirupati. He was also featured in the All India Radio National Programme of Music as part of G20 Presidency Fest for AIR, Mumbai.

—Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan