By Dr Usha Rajaram
Kinkini Kuwait presents Bharatham and Anubhavam
Kinkini Kuwait held a spectacular presentation, at Global Indian School, Fahaheel Kuwait recently.
The whole being slowly emerging from the magical trance of divine experience of pure Bharatham — Bhavam, Raagam, Thaalam an exquisite performance by Shrimathi guru Rangashri Srinivas,and her accompanying artists, her students. The clarity and precision of the nattuvaangam, the footwork, the music with the melodious raagaas and the percussion all blended into an harmonious Poornathvam, a completness.
The stage was illuminated with vibrant yellow as the little children stepped on to the stage, little hands and feet offering the pushpaanjali.
The program started with the invocation to the highest Guru, Bhrama,Vishnu and Maheshwara. A depiction of divine trinity, tracing them as the manifestation
A photo from the event. of the absolute Brahman providing the comprehension of Guru as the basis of knowledge. A profound start indeed. This was followed by Ganesh vandanam and invocation seeking the protection of Sharadhe devi — as the little children performed it was as if the goddess, was present — mudras and postures arranged to form the lotus with the divinity in the centre .
A Grahapravesham was in order as this was the inaugural performance on this stage with the symbolic lighting of the lamp.
This was followed by the children who by their anubhavam in years, explaining to us through dance what Bharatham is — Bhavam, Raagam and Thaalam.
It is a blend of the omnipresence in this universe, its perception into our beings as subtle and gross. This finds expression, in the emotions as the navarasas of love, compassion, fear anger, dislike, humor and peace. The children flowed in and out of the stage expressing in such minute details all the navarasas, with a freedom of dynamic footwork and mudras, yet maintaining a symmetry of form in space. The group performance was followed by solo emphasis to fix the concept into the hearts of the audience. Bharatham includes colour and, costumes displayed a blend forming a harmonius spectrum of hues and brightness,the jewellery accentuating the direct and reflected light.
Guru Rangashree has aways been a pioneer in introducing, new concepts in teaching.
The unique concept of chanting the Natya Shastra slokas was indeed a learning experience for all of us. As the Guru said chanting Sanskrit together makes a sloka into a manthra which when repeated creates a seed, a nidus of positive energy that spirals outward encompassing and drenching the ambience in joy and peace. The children explained the postures, the mudras, the flora and fauna, birds and animals enumerating and expressing in the universe. The children excelled.
The graduation ceremony, the honouring of the artistes, the presentation speak of organization skills that aim at perfection. To have a solo performance in Kuwait is a rarity and the graduates were provided an opportunity to do so and of course each was a masterpiece.
The grand finale of the Thillana in Dhanashree, reached a peak as the new graduates together responded to the teachers call with musical display of the kinkini sound of the salankai.
To Guru Rangashree it was an Anubhavam of dedicated journey, exemplary years of experience in performance and teaching and training.
To the parents it was the anubhavam of witnessing the blossoming of the inner beauty of the child’s art.
To us the audience it was an Anubhavam of Sathyam, Shivam Sundaram — classical Bharatham in all its purity, an experience of ecstacy!!!