Inaugural Day of 9th Yr "Visesha Kala Poshakam Utsav" - 2015

Memorable Moments…

The “Mylapore Trio” of Sri Sumukhi Rajasekharan Memorial Foundation conducted its 9th Year Spectacular “Visesha Kala Poshakam Utsav” - International Art Festival for Dance in Mylapore. It was a 5-day Festival from 2^nd to 6^th February 2015, (Evenings) at Tag-P.S.Dakshinamurthi Auditorium, Mylapore, Chennai. The “Mylapore Trio” felt the need to expose the talents of many unsung heroes outside Tamilnadu and hence provided a FREE PLATFORM to them WITHOUT SPONSORS. Dancers across India and Abroad were invited, who gave dazzling Performances all through the week in Mylapore. The Natya Utsav was a confluence of various dance forms of India viz., Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam all under one roof – a posse of colourful flowers and bouquets.

Tmt. Thirumagal, Additional Commissioner, HR&CE, Govt. of Tamilnadu, was the Guest of Honour. She applauded the earnest efforts of the “Mylapore Trio” in promoting culture across India and Abroad not only through their world famous thematic Golus in temples but also through Fine arts and wished the Utsav a grand success. 

This Natya Utsav provided a golden opportunity for the artists for their Maiden performance in Chennai and opened up new avenues for them. There was totally Ten Gem - like performers from USA, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Odisha, Hyderabad, Kerala and all were honored with a Certificate of Appreciation by the Trio. Sri. Sugathan (Member Secretary) – a Multi-Talented Dancer himself and an Art critic, anchored this Natya Utsav gracefully and in an elegant fashion.

On the inaugural day, the first performance was by Indu Santhosh from Banglore who gave a dazzling & a bright Bharatanatyam performance with traditional songs. This was followed by an energetic Rekha Raju & Team from Banglore, was soothing with gentle movements. Both the Repertoires were with Fantastic Live Orchestration.

Second day of the Utsav started with an Odissi performance by Smita Panigrahi from Odisha, which was subtle, graceful & expressive, which showed her dedication towards the Art. Next was Students of Pallavi Academy of Arts from Hydrabad, presented a Group Kuchipudi performance, was energetic with a Tharangam piece too which won accolade.

Third day of the Festival triggered with a subtle Mohiniyattam performance by Soumya & Lathika of Kerala Kalamandalam from Kerala, was perfect with the dynamic swaying & delicate movements of the art form and was distinct. This was followed by a Kathak by Anjali Munjal from Delhi, whose performance was excellent with the exciting footwork and movements with a vivid Abhinaya piece in Tamizh was unusual in Kathak.

Fourth day of the Festival started with an Odissi performance by Mrinalini Biswas from Kolkata, neat & subtle performance. Next was a  Kuchipudi performance by Koushiki Saha & Superna Mukherjee from Kolkata, which was a new genre of Kuchipudi with Verses of Bangla Language was unique.

On the final day of the Festival, Barkha Patel from USA presented a vibrant and neat Kathak performance with Jugalbandhi of Instruments and also with traditional items . Next was a scintillating Bharatanatyam recital by Gowri Sagar from Banglore, which was sparkling & enthusiastic. Her selection of items was elite and received a great applause from the audience.

The weeklong festival was a spiritual journey visiting all the holy places, worshipping great Gods like Ganesha, Padmanabha, Jaganath, Rama, Krishna, Shiva and the Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswathi, through the Keerthanams, Javalis, Padams, Varnams, Thillanas by the Damsels. The Trio emphasized the importance of Spirituality & Bakthi through these Art Forms & at the same time stressed the need to promote Cultural History. All the foundation members presented themselves in a traditionally gorgeous manner in a variety of costumes to suit the occasion. Indeed the festival was a spectacular treat to the eyes, ears and soul of the Rasikas. Altogether it was a “Bhaarata Natya Utsav”. 

On this occasion 200 Children from kids to teens, who participated in 16 competitions based on the theme ‘Bhuloka Vaikundam’ under three categories viz., Performing Arts, Fine Arts, Academic Arts in the 13th Year “Marghazhi Bala Utsavam” received their Prizes, Medals, Certificates and Special Prizes from the seasoned Performers on all these 5 days. These children were motivated to be the young Rasikas to witness these spectacular dances, which was a feast to the entire young mind. A bunch of foreign Nationals from Italy and Germany were part of the audience on all the days.