Naache Kshiraja
Veteran ad filmmaker duo Aarti and Kailash Surendranath’s daughter Kshiraja Surendranath makes her grand solo Manch Pravesh as Odissi dancer
The Royal Opera House was set for Manch Pravesh of Kshiraja Surendranath daughter of veteran ad filmmaker Kailash Surendranath and Aarti Surendranath. Juhi Chawla started the show by welcoming the audience and inviting Kshiraja on the stage.
Manch Pravesh — the first solo performance on stage — is a milestone in the life of any dancer. This marks the beginning of life as a solo performer on stage. “After this performance, I feel that I can do anything. I have been performing all my life and I will be learning all my life about the dance form,” says an excited Kshiraja about her first solo performance.
The 23-year-old took the entry on the stage by greeting the audience with Mangalacharan on the notes of Vakratunda Mahakaya to invoke Lord Ganesha’s blessing.
Ranging between fast and medium rhythm, Kshiraja’s nine-piece solo performance on
Vakratunda, Kamodi, Shritkamala, Nagendra, Aahe nil, Break, Aarbi, Nava Durga, and Moksha — each for 11 minutes — reflected on the spiritual connection between a devotee and deity.
From a pure dance piece with movements of lyrical grace, Kshiraja highlighted the beauty of storytelling with rhythm in riveting
Ek Pada Chari, Bhramaris, and gracefully accelerating Tribhanga. The highlight of the show was the concluding performance,
Ahenila Sahila, a composition depicting a devotee’s plea to the lord for liberation.
“Odissi in general was meant and performed in temples and for gods. It was supremely religious in nature. It has many stories from Indian epics and mythology. These pieces carry history and myths,” says Kshiraja and shares that performing two hours solo demands immense physical and mental strength. “These are very powerful pieces and each story has a different emotion,” Kshirajas says, who has been dancing from the age of four.
She started learning Kathak and shifted to Odissi when she was seven. Since then, Kshiraja says, “I have gone through all the phases. Starting from learning at home to a small studio and joining an academy. I went to Orissa and stayed in a temple to learn the dance form.”
Though it started as an extracurricular activity and as much as she wanted to focus on her studies and prioritise sports in her life, dancing pulled her back.
“It happened many times. I would take a break and focus on studies or games, but dance would always stay on my mind. These were the markers that I realised this is something I should be doing and no matter how much I prioritise different things I have to go back to dancing,” she says. “The respect and adulation that I have received from dancing is incredible. I wasn’t expecting it all. People came for my parents and stayed for me.” Often, the struggles of classical dance becoming mainstream and women classical dancers carving out a space for themselves are overlooked. Kshiraja says it is time we admire the labour that goes into these performances — physical, emotional, and financial. “I used to hide away and never used to tell people that I dance. But now I want to convey the message that everyone should learn classical dance. There’s a gap that needs to be bridged. The younger generation doesn’t know much. There should be more shows and audiences for this. Classical dance is not just a dance form but a form of exercise. The entire body is used,” she insists.
With dancing, comes a sense of responsibility and discipline. “I take charge of every kind of situation. Dance needs a lot of focus and discipline. I have learned patience and the fact that it's a long journey and you have to work on being perfect. It doesn't magically come to you,” muses the 23-year-old artiste, who is all set to venture into acting. “Storytelling becomes more powerful if you have two sets of arts,” Kshiraja signs off.