Sangeet Natak Academy's treat to Delhi-vaasis Part 1

The Sangeet Natak Academy awards for 2008 were given away last Tuesday, and over the last few days, the Akademi has strived to present the awardees' talents to the public. We enjoyed the rare treat, for treat it was! - at CCRT, one of the venues that was happily next door to us. These pictures convey only in a very small way the immense joy of watching talented performers who belie their age in the worship of their ageless art forms.
Saroja Vaidyanathan (73) Bharatanatyam
Ramani Ranjan Jena (68), Odissi
Ramhari Das (56) Music for dance, Odissi
Narasimhachariar (67) and Vasanthalakshmi (55), Kuchipudi
B Sasikumar, (60), violin and Mannargudi Easwaran (62), Mridangam
Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar (54), Hindustani vocal

Comments

  1. SandyCarlson25 July, 2009

    Thank you for introducing me to a completely other world.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown01 August, 2009

    Just amazing ! These artists prove age is just a number and if you have the dedication and the mettle, you can keep going. Very inspirational..

    Madhu Rao
    www.indimag.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Swarna04 August, 2009

    @ Sandy, Indi
    Thanks for visiting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN06 August, 2009

    Age is all in the mind, as you have shown, Swarna.
    Just look at these dedicated artistes!
    Suddenly I don't feel old at all.

    ReplyDelete
  5. kallu07 August, 2009

    Lucky you , Swarna to watch them perform live. And thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kamini07 August, 2009

    Oh, lovely, thanks so much for sharing this. These people are such legends, and we are so fortunate to have them with us in our lifetime.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

i appreciate that you have some thoughts to share, and are taking the effort to do so.

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of Vishnu Sahasranamam- Vani's rebirth

A real 'story' as told by a close friend: "Vani was in her early thirties when I first met her in a Mumbai local sometime in the late ‘70’s. She never talked much but her helping tendency was obvious. She boarded the train at the starting point and always found a seat. Instead of sitting through the hour-long journey, she would offer her seat – a luxury - to another lady. My acquaintance too began this way – a few pleasantries exchanged over the train’s din. After a couple of months, she was not at her usual seat. Everyone presumed that she was on leave. In the busy buzz of the Mumbai life, no one thought twice about her till she came back after nearly 4 months. None of us could recognize her. She had lost weight, her cheeks were sunken, eyes lifeless, and to top it all, she had an almost bald head. Out came the rude shock that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo radiation therapy. She hoped that she had won over the disease, but even before ...
Read more

"Did Hanuman return the mountain?"

Image
The query was popped while we were travelling in Srinagar by road, trying to have a fill of the valley's humbling views of the Himalayas all round. Here are a few glimpses of Gulmarg and Pahalgam My son's query caught us unawares, and also got us thinking about the doubt that we never raised during childhood sessions of the Ramayana epic , and I decided to call my mom, our free encyclopaedia for all things religious / spiritual / cultural. "Yes, Hanuman was disciplined, and he did return the Dronagiri mountain to its original locale". (was our spot answer) Pahalgam Back to the query - Anyone, any idea? There are several versions, all quite satisfactory, if you spare a thought. - Rumassala is one of several places identified by the Sri Lankan Tourism Department as being associated with Ramayana. Hanuman carried a part of the Dronagiri Mountain that was rich with medicinal herbs including Sanjeevani from the Himalayas to revive Lakshmana. 'When the chief physicia...
Read more

Seeing is believing - hot springs of Manali

Image
Hot water springs of Manali - - When I first heard about them, I thought - no, I can't believe it till I see it. In several spots in and around Manali in Himachal Pradesh, there are hot water springs notably at and near the temple for Sage Vasisht, and at Manikaran that is located about 70 km from Manali. These are actually sulphur springs that are the result of Himalayan plate tectonic activity. The sprouts near the temple for Sage Vasisht - nice hot water to wash clothes by hand - nil power consumption of the eco-unfriendly kind, and exellent exercise for the arms! (There are separated bathing areas within the temple premises, where cameras are forbidden) In Manikaran, the sprouts that supply public baths Views from inside the Shiva temple in Manikaran, and the public bath near the Manikaran Gurdwara After seeing them though - I am bemused. In my school history and geography lessons, I have been taught about the 'hot springs of New Zealand' and 'lumbering in Canada...
Read more