Live
- Cabinet approves Rs 1,000 crore VC fund to propel space sector, boost employment
- Vadodara fee regulation committee approves 5 pc hike for 76 schools
- Nigerian President reshuffles Cabinet
- Centre Gives Nod For Construction of Amaravati Railway Line
- Sensex ends flat, Hindustan Unilever among top losers
- Adani Total Gas clocks 7 pc jump in net profit at Rs 186 crore in Q2, revenue up 12 pc
- 2nd Test: Washington picks career-best 7-59 as India bowl out NZ for 259
- Priyanka Gandhi bullish on PSU stocks, relies on govt companies for returns
- Israel strikes Hezbollah weapon facilities in Beirut's southern suburb: IDF
- SC declines to initiate contempt action against UP officials for defying freeze on demolitions
The Graceful Margam
Pramod Kumar Reddy’s sincere efforts recur every year in spite of all odds, including financial constraints. But what makes it happen is his strong belief in the motto, “Art for art’s sake” and the passion that drives him in putting it to practice. Ravindra Bharathi recently reverberated with the dancing bells of nine Bharatanatyam dancers coming from far and near. Sticking to the theme of the fes
Natya Pravaha is an annual dance festival curated by Pramod Kumar Reddy, a Bharatanatyam dancer
Pramod Kumar Reddy’s sincere efforts recur every year in spite of all odds, including financial constraints. But what makes it happen is his strong belief in the motto, “Art for art’s sake” and the passion that drives him in putting it to practice. Ravindra Bharathi recently reverberated with the dancing bells of nine Bharatanatyam dancers coming from far and near. Sticking to the theme of the festival, they all performed ‘Margam’.
Amidst a hectic schedule of arrangements, a cool Pramod Reddy with a disarming smile elaborates on Natya Pravaha, “The goal of the festival is to create an opportunity for youth and upcoming artistes from all over India to perform their style and be exposed to that of others and learn in the process.” This annual event is a single man’s mission, his humble tribute to Bharatanatyam, the dance form he was trained in. A Post-Graduate in Statistics, Pramod Reddy works for Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. Dancing for the last 18 years, he founded an academy “Abhinetri” in 2003, to foster art.
The three-day festival had an interesting feature: a brief dance appreciation talk every day, delivered by Jayachandran of Kalakshetra, a dancer and scholar whose workshops and lec-dems are much sought after. Elucidating on ‘margam’, Jayachandran spoke about the many presentational styles and the ‘code of dharma’, which is the essential thought behind ‘margam’.
He said that ‘margam’ can exist purely in mind without a body, in many cases the best of the ‘margam’ came from the non-dancer, the ‘naatyacharya’, because the best of the painter never paints, the best of the singer never sings, the best of the dancer never dances – he only makes the other bodies to dance. He also elaborated on the trail of emotions within a ‘patra’ (character) and the origin of ‘Natya’, drawing mainly from ‘Natyasastra’.
For the audience it was an aesthetic experience while for the dancers it was an apt platform to showcase their talent. Among the juniors, Subhasree Sasidharan and Harshita Khaja stood out. In the seniors’ group Vamsi Madhavi with her mature abhinaya and Revathi Srinivasaraghavan with her choreographic skills impressed all. The efforts and hard work that have gone into the festival are commendable.
Hope Natya Pravaha takes a different course and gives us a varied fare (instead of nine varnams!) next year.
