Ananditha Reddy

 The year 2013 ended on an auspicious note for Kum. Ananditha Reddy, disciple of Guru Dr. Raksha Karthik, who finished her Rangapravesha on 8th December. Having performed in many prestigious platforms has had a very positive effect on her, resulting in a very beautiful and enthralling performance.

 Ananditha began her recital with a traditional  Pushpanjali in Bhouli raaga and the Shadakshara Mantra. This was succeeded by a the popular song of Muthuswami Dikshitar, Vathapi Ganapathim (ವಾತಾಪಿ ಗಣಪತಿಂ), which gave a whole new interpretation to this well-known Krithi. The next was the central piece of the performance, the Varnam. This Varnam is a rare composition of Ranganayaki Jayaraman, Appan Avatharitha (ಅಪ್ಪನ್ ಅವಥರಿತ್ತ) about Lord Ayyappa, who was born out of the union of Lord Shiva and Mohini, the female form of Lord Vishnu, to kill the Asura Mahishi.

 The second half of the performance began with Purandara Dasa's famous kirthana, Venkatachala Nilayam (ವೆಂಕಟಾಚಲ ನಿಲಯಂ). This piece also featured the scene from the Ramayana where, upon being touched by Lord Rama's feet, Ahalya - who was a stone till then - turned back into a woman. The Abhinaya (facial expressions) used here looked very professional. The next item in the repertoire was one of the Saptharathna Krithis of Oothukkadu Venkatasubba Iyer which has nor been seen frequently in the world of Bharatanatyam. Jataadhara Shankara (ಜಟಾಧರ ಶಂಕರ) showed Shiva, the Lord with the matted locks which hold the river Ganga in them. It was a good depiction of the cosmic dance of Shiva.

 The next piece was Mysore Vasudevachar's famous song, Ra Ra Rajiva Lochana (ರಾ ರಾ ರಾಜೀವ ಲೋಚನ), in praise of the lotus-eyed Rama. it was followed by Raghavendra Swami's Indu enage Govinda (ಇಂದು ಎನಗೆ ಗೋವಿಂದ), showing the desperate plea of Swami for a single glimpse of Krishna. The performance ended with the popular Tillana of Balamurali Krishna in raaga Brindavani. The choreography of this Tillana was different from other versions, for it included peacock-like movements, and depicted Krishna's dance among the peacocks of Vrindavan. 

 It was evident, from this program, that Kum. Ananditha has put in a lot of dedication and effort to reach this level, which has paid off well. We can also see the immense skill and creativity possessed by Guru Dr. Raksha Karthik, who has presented to the world of dance, the first of her disciples from Natanam Foundation for the Arts