“Akhand Ghungroo Naad” was a festive offering from “Naad Bhed Dance Studio” at Lakshmi Narayana Temple in Secunderabad on Saturday. The ten-hour long nrutya seva was an uninterrupted offering of rhythmic dance to mark the tenth anniversary of the dance school founded by kathak Guru Archana Misra.

Inspired by her own Guru Dr.Nilima Tai Deshpande and infused with her own vision of Temple seva, Ghungroo Naad was a celebration of devotion, discipline and the timeless beauty of Indian Classical Dance. This sacred initiative was Archana’s idea of a humble step towards reviving the ancient tradition of Indian Temple rituals through dance and to share and preserve the essence of the classical art form rooted in its spiritual and cultural origins.

This temple is a hidden Gem approached from narrow streets situated in the interior lanes of Secunderabad. Exquisitely carved granite pillars hold up scalloped arches with colorfully painted walls in the raised corridor. A host of small but elegant Shrines are located in the courtyard surrounding the main Temple. A Temple Drum nestles in a niche immediately behing the huge main Doorway. The large Gopuram at the entrance is of a golden colour with the sculptured figures atop in myriad hues shining brightly.

The more than fifty students led by their Guru were all in brilliant red sashes on a white dress thus creating a vividly contrasting look standing out against the mellow light shades of the background. They seemed like coruscating floral bouquets presented to the Temple decorating the entire panoramic view as seen from afar!

The items chosen, all devotional compositions were in keeping with the ambience for the almost day long recital. The raised corridor served as a stage as the dancers first started performing there with the gracefully twirling hand gestures and pirouttes for which kathak is known. Later they continued in the courtyard circling around the sanctum in parikrama.

The items were interspersed with “tatkaar” the dance’s foundation where the dancers stamp out a tala (rhythmic cycle) with their feet to the accompaniment of the musical beat in various tempos. The keerthanas of Saint Composer Annamacharya fittingly echoed as the evening harathi ritual for the beautiful Marble Deities started and most of the pieces were from his oeuvre. Jagannath and Narayan bhajan wafted melodiously through the air as the students unremittingly performed their seva. Some guest artistes from other classical dance styles also participated in this marathon program. V Harshavardhan, former Director, Culture was present for the occasion.