First of all, we would like to thank every one who attended the program and made it a huge success. We had more than 520 people in the auditorium from the beginning to end. Thanks to all sponsors and donors who made this classical dance drama program possible.
Please see the highlights of the program here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYpg30g-8cc&feature=youtu.be
The program started with a small pushpanjali by Kumari Jwala Rejimon in Bharatanatyam and Ganesha stuthi, presented by Smt. Aparna Satheesan, in Kuchpudi. Pushpanjali is a traditional show opener where the dancer pays obeisance to God, the gurus, the musicians, and the audience, and asks for blessings that the dance might proceed without any obstacles. Sri Ganesha Charanam, the ganesha stuthi, is also an introductory piece in Kuchpudi where the dancer praises Lord Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles. Pushpanjali was in ragam charukesi, taalam sankeerna chapu, choreographed by Smt. Savithri Jagannatha Rao. Sri Ganesha Charanam, was in ragam Thilang, in Adi Taalam, choreographed by Smt. Aparna Satheesan.
Sri Rama Charitham, a presentation combining Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Yakshagana, and Kathak in an effort to present the epic of Ramayanam in a colorful and unique setting. Sri. Rajendra Kedlaya (as Ravana), the Yakshagana artist, Smt. Aparna Satheesan (as Rama), will be presenting Kuchipudi in this drama. The Bharatanatyam dance form will be presented by Smt. Savitha Venkatapathy (as Lakshmana) and Kumari Jwala Rejimon (as Seetha). Kumari Karnika Mehrotra (as Mareecha) will be presenting the art form of Kathak , Kumari Madhumitha Rajendra (as Hanuman). This collaborative presentation is aimed at preserving the essence of each dance form and portraying the unique styles in their purest classical form.
Vocalists : Smt. Geetha Navanithan and Sri.Sai Rathinasabapathy
Mridangam : Sri.Ganesan Gajendran
Violin : Sri.Jayaprakash Pakala
Flute : Sri.Nataraj Gunda
Tabla: Amudhan Venkateswaran
Nattuvanar: Smt. Savitha Venkatapathy
Narration: Smt. Anindita Sen
Produced by Nrityapriya Fine Arts
www.nrityapriya.org
Synopsys:
The story of Rama is from one of the greatest Hindu epics, Ramayana. Ayana means journey, thus Ramayana means the journey of Rama. Ramayana, sage Valmiki’s magnum opus, was an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry, Indian life and culture. The characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman and Ravana are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India.Analysis of Ramayana as a literary work shows a complex story that weaves a web of heroism, adventure, romance, familial ties and Dharma, which means righteousness. The various versions of Ramayana and the range of its influence in South and Southeast Asia over the past twenty‐five hundred years is astonishing. The story of Rama can be found in Balinese, Bengali, Cambodian, Chinese, Javanese, Khotanese, Laotian, Malaysian, Prakrit, Santali, Sinhalese, Thai, Tibetan, and the various Indian languages including sanskrit.
The battle of good versus evil is a major theme in the Ramayana portrayed in the conflict between Rama and Ravana. Sree Rama is not only a great warrior but also a virtuous presence that purifies wrongdoings and frees those who are being punished for sins. That is why he is called Purushottama- the Greatest among all Beings.
Ramayana is not a story in which good and evil are necessarily intrinsic: they are the result of choices. For example, Ravana, the evil rakshasa who plays the antagonist in this story, was such a holy person in his youth that the gods themselves granted him gifts of strength and near-invincibility. Ravana is charismatic, powerful, intelligent, and handsome; in other words, he possesses virtues similar to those that Rama has. However, Ravana decided to use his virtues in a very different way from Rama. Through rigorous penance, Ravana earned the blessings of Shiva and was granted a boon that he could only be vanquished by a human that is helped by a monkey. Drunk with arrogance and presuming himself to be immortal, Ravana let his demonic side manifest unhindered. He seized the Kingdom of Lanka from his half-brother Kubera, and his transgressions and cruelties echoed around the four corners of the world.
