Mysore/Mysuru: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB), Mysuru Chapter and Articulate Trust for Arts, jointly held 50th edition of ‘Articulate Festival’ on Mar. 2, at the Y.T. Thathachari auditorium in BVB premises here. 

The evening witnessed Bharatanatyam recitals and a Kathak duet.

Articulate Dance Studios presented Karnataka Kalashree Guru Mysore B. Nagaraj’s disciples — Poojashree and Vaidehi, who presented Kathak in         four segments.

The two dancers split their allotted time to present both the Hindu and the Islam patronage to the Kathak art. 

The Hindu part was represented by a Drupad composition on Goddess Kali and a choreographic work that strung Goswamy Tulasidas’ Shiva Stuthi, two select verses from Vedasra Shiva Sthava of Sri Adi Shankaracharya and an ode to Nataraja written by contemporary poet Balwantrai Bhatt.

The first was in Raag Adaana and Taal Teen Taal while the second was in Raag and Taal Malika. 

While the opening item was done in duet format, the second was a solo presentation. In their Islam period, a Geeth, based on the swaras that  make up the raga Madhuvanthi and the second was a nrutta composition delineating on the various jaathis of the teen taal compositions. 

The dancers executed their chosen repertoire with mercurial movement and energetic foot work drawing applause from the rasikas. 

What made the presentation more interesting was the costume, Banaras and Awadh,  that was befitting to the period that the dancers took the onlookers on a journey of dance history.

Poojitha Bhaskar, disciple of Shakuntala Prabath and now furthering under Parshwanath Upadhyaya, after commencing her act with a Ganesha kouthvam, presented the well-known Varnam Sri Krishna Kamalanatho with such élan and finesse. 

This item was juxtaposed with very crisp execution of the nrutta that was perfectly and precisely geometric as the style demanded. Poojitha concluded with a light classical performance to the poetry of Bharathiyar about the rains while breeze blew strongly outside the auditorium heralding the rains that was to come that late night.

The concluding segment was Nagalakshmi Nagarajan’s Bharatanatyam. Melaprapti and sthuthi on Vigneshwara in Hamsadhwani raga, set to Adi Tala was her invocatory number. A Krithi of Sri Annamacharya, in khanda chapu tala Hindola raga followed. Nagalakshmi also presented two episodes from Ramayana. It was wonderful to watch the enactment of these lesser know tales from the epic. 

The artiste concluded with a Haridasa krithi on Krishna. Sri Purandaradasa’s composition “Balakrishnane Baaro” was performed after a ugabhoga written by the same poet.

The packed hall emptied itself with memories of an evening so wonderfully enthralled and spent as curated by Mysore B. Nagaraj.