| Report
Visesha
Kala Poshakam Utsav
December 24,
2006
Sri Sumukhi Rajasekharan
Memorial Foundation launched its First International Art Festival for Dance
and Music "Visesha Kala Poshakam Utsav," in Mylapore for artists from outside
Chennai and India during the prestigious festive season. The 5-day Festival
took place from 6th to 10th December 2006 at R K Swamy Auditorium, Chennai.
The Festival was inaugurated by Dr. Lalitha Rukmini, Principal of Kalakshetra
and Radhika Shurajit of Thrayee. Doyens in the field of dance and music
graced the occasion as chief guests every day. They include Kalakshetra
gurus Adyar K Lakshman, Savithri Jagannatha Rao, Jayalakshmi and also Nirmala
Ramachandran and Nalini Ramprasad, renowned sisters of dance and music.
Children and youth
from USA, Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and from various dance and
music schools from Chennai participated. The festival provided a platform
for the NRIs to perform and also recognized their talents. The performers
from outside Chennai were honored. Awards and the title "Nrithya Yuva Choodamani"
went to Aditi Chakraborty, "Nrithya Bala Sri" to Saradha Anantharaman,
Sindhu Achudan, Shraddha Nagaraj, Maheetha Bharadwaj and Srividvatha Sridhar
and "Naadha Bala Sri" to Maheetha Bharadwaj.
The specialty
of the award is that it is fashioned after the sacred and divine "Shadari"
with Vishnu Paadam on top (like those used in Vishnu temples). S
Surendranath feels that it is the most appropriate award (with the citation)
to be given during the sacred month of Margazhi. The Shadaris have been
designed with 4 kinds of metallic coatings representing 4 levels, 1st Level
– Copper finish, 2nd Level – Bronze finish, 3rd Level – Silver finish,
4th Level – Gold finish.
The talented
artists performed Kathak accompanied by Hindustani vocal music, sarangi
and tabla, Bharatanatyam, and Carnatic Music on the keyboard. Local children
performed group classical music and dance.
"Sathya Kala Poshaka
Sundaram" was the title conferred on 'The Mylapore Trio' by the Bharathanjali
Trust on 23rd November 2005 on Sri Sathya Sai Baba's 80th birthday, for
being the youngest promoters of art and culture. Their monthly Kala Poshakam
concert is dedicated to giving a platform for children, youth and elders
to exhibit their talents in classical dance, music, instruments and other
art forms.
The Mylapore
Trio (S Surendranath, S Amarnath, S Aparna) wish to promote and propagate
the cultural values inherited by them from their foster parents Sumukhi
and Rajasekharan, their grandmother Nagammal and also from their alma mater
Kalakshetra and its founder Rukmini Devi Arundale.
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