Manjistha Kala Kendra, Kolkata, presented the second edition of Manjistha Utsav under the title Laya Sutra: The Pulse of Tradition at Gyan Manch auditorium on June 26. The Bharatanatyam presentation brought together the institution’s junior and senior students, along with their mentors.
The repertoire featured traditional Bharatanatyam compositions as well as innovative presentations paying tribute to literary luminaries such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Rabindranath Tagore. It was an exciting and heart-warming experience for the children and their parents to watch the young and senior students perform with enthusiasm, devotion and an understandable touch of nervousness.
Manjistha Kala Kendra was established by accomplished Bharatanatyam exponent and mentor Raja Dutta. He has performed at several prestigious festivals across India and was featured at the Sanjukta Panigrahi Festival in Mumbai last year. His performances are marked by subtle expressions, fluid movements and complete involvement in the art form.
To mark the 150 years celebrations of “Vande Mataram” of celebrated poet Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, as a tribute to the motherland and to the countless defense personnel who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom. The presentation was performed by the students of Manjistha Kala Kendra.
This was followed by Pushpanjali, performed by Raja Dutta and Chaity Ghosh and based on the choreography of Padma Shri Geeta Chandran. The traditional repertoire continued with an Alarippu in Tisra Jathi and a Kalyani Jatiswaram, based on the choreography of Dr Rukmini Devi Arundale.
An excerpt from Nandikeshvara’s Abhinaya Darpana-Angikam Bhuvanam Yasya – was interpreted by the junior students, along with a demonstration of Tattu Adavu. The traditional Bharatanatyam segment concluded with a Vrindavani Thillana, composed by Dr M. Balamuralikrishna.
The highlight of the evening was “Anunaad: Resonance of Life”, a presentation exploring the rhythmic and melodic dimensions of instruments such as the damaru, flute, veena, manjira and nattuvangam. The work employed varied bodily movements inspired by intricate rhythmic patterns and the distinctive tonal qualities of the instruments.
Anunaad was choreographed and performed by Raja Dutta, with a script by Somnath Choudhary and narration by Arunima Sengupta and Subhodip Bandyopadhyay. The presentation made for an engaging and fitting finale to the evening.
Several distinguished guests attended the programme to encourage the young performers. They included choreographer and dancer Alaknanda Roy; Mohiniyattam artistes Mohana Iyer and Priyadarshini Ghosh; Odissi dancer and mentor Rajib Bhattacharya; Bharatanatyam exponents Rajib Saha and Mona Chatterjee; and Chandrani Ghosh, Principal of Vivekananda Mission School.
The evening was anchored by Aklanta Majumdar. Overall, Manjistha Utsav offered a delightful celebration of learning, tradition and artistic expression, while giving young dancers a valuable platform to experience the stage.
PC: Rellik Photography
