Varna Arts Academy and Gurus Smitha Madhav and Bhargavi Parmeswaran student, Ananya Achanta, had a flawless performance at Shilparamam Madhapur recently. The evening’s performance began with the traditional Pushpanjali, an offering of flowers, set in Ragam Vandharadharini and Talam Adi, followed by a sloka in praise of Dakshinamurty, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Ananya, then presented Alaripu, another popular nritta piece usually performed at the beginning of a Bharatanatyam Margam. The Alarippu eulogizes the bird Garuda, the vahana of Mahavishnu, and the king of all birds.
The next piece presented by Ananya was an Annamacharya Krithi ‘Namo Narayana’ set in Ragam Kapi and Talam Adi in praise of Venkatachalapathy of Tirumala. In this Keertana, Annamayya requests Vishnu to forgive all his sins and protect him. The evening’s recital concluded with a popular Telugu composition of Annamacharya, ‘Itti Muddu’ describing the leelas of little Krishna. It was beautiful and mesmerising to watch Ananya depict the leelas of little Krishna
Kudos to Guru Smitha Madhav for the wonderful choreography of Pushpanjali and Alaripu. In the Alaripu, the Guru’s emphasis on the movement of Garuda was a treat to watch.