A night of classical dance, music, meditation and worshipping Shiva
This Maha Shivratri, artistes in the Capital offer a musical tribute to Lord Shiva and Parvati’s divine union
On the occasion of Maha Shivratri, today, it’s common for Delhiites to devote themselves to worshipping Lord Shiva. And there’s something for lovers of classical arts, too. Look forward to attend concerts of some of the choicest artistes. Believed to be the day of Shiva and Parvati’s wedding, this brings to the Capital the annual festival of music and dance by Raja Radha Reddy and Natya
Tarangini.
Keeping up with its tradition of highlighting Indian classical arts, this year’s event titled Maha Shivratri – A Night-Long Aradhana, will feature a concert by Padma Vibhushan Chhannulal Mishra. He says, “Lord Shiva and Parvati’s relationship is all about the perfect marriage... It has created an impact on the people who believe in them.”
Besides, there will also be performances by Manipuri dancer Poushali Chatterjee, Hindustani classical musician Pt Sanjeev Abhyankar, and students of Natya Tarangini, including Kuchipudi dancer Sindhu Ravuri.
Chatterjee, whose performance is inspired by Shiva’s damroo (pellet drum), says, “My Manipuri dance performance is with a group of artistes. It will showcase variations of Lord Shiva’s dance. The vibrations that emanate from the sound of damru have a classical touch, and a dancer can easily perform on it. The beats of damru can also be interpreted as the sound of Om.”
On the relevance of worshipping on the night of Maha Shivratri, Kuchipudi exponent Kaushalya Reddy, says, “On Maha Shivratri, some people go to the temple to worship whereas others celebrate by chanting the name of Lord Shiva. But, we, as dancers, represent Shiva and Parvati, and their marriage. Shiva consumed poison that came out of samudra manthan, and that is how he evolved into Neelkanth — the one with a blue throat. So, there are a lot of aspects to him. Dance and music is a way to represent him, and Maha Shivratri is a great night to introduce Delhiites to the concept of allnight concert.”