The Sanskrit word Mahatva carries more weight than a single translation can hold. It means greatness, yes — but also magnanimity: the generosity of spirit that belongs to the truly large-souled. And Margam, in the classical Bharatanatyam tradition, is not merely a programme of dances performed in sequence. It is a path — a structured journey that the dancer and the audience undertake together, moving from the first invocation of the body through increasingly inward and devotional terrain.
Put these two words together — Devi Mahatva Margam — and what emerges is not simply the title of a performance. It is a question, and an attempt at an answer: What is the path toward the magnanimity of the Goddess? This is the inquiry at the heart of Natyashala Academy of Fine Arts’ 17 years of dance excellence , to be presented on Saturday, 25th April 2026, at Natasamrat Nilu Phule Natyagruha, Sangvi, Pune.
It has always been a dream to produce a full musical. This is the best that we have produced so far. Come listen to it, watch it, feel the bhava rasa.” – Smt. Charanya Gurusathya, Founder & Artistic Director, Natyashala Academy of Fine Arts
For seventeen years, Natyashala has been one of Pune’s most quietly formidable presences in the world of classical dance — an institution built on the twin pillars of rigour and devotion. Under the artistic direction of Smt. Charanya Gurusathya, a guru with over three decades of experience in Bharatanatyam, the academy has guided students from their first adavus to their Arangetrams, and from Arangetrams to the stage of full independent artistry. Each Abhyasa Pradarshanam has been an occasion not merely to celebrate years, but to push deeper into the art — into new music, new themes, new dimensions of expression.
Devi Mahatva Margam is by Smt. Gurusathya’s own reckoning the most complete artistic statement the academy has yet offered. A full Margam traces the classical sequence of Bharatanatyam from the pure rhythm of Alarippu through the elaborate, emotionally intricate Varnam, and into the lyrical devotional items that form its contemplative close. When this arc is suffused with the Devi Mahatmya — the foundational text that celebrates the Goddess as the supreme, primordial reality underlying all of creation — the Margam transforms. Each section becomes a station on a pilgrimage. Each item, a step in the devotee’s deepening understanding of what it means to approach the limitless.
What elevates this production beyond the merely ceremonial is its commitment to live music — a full orchestra assembled to breathe with the dance, not merely accompany it. Experimenting and exploring different genres of music for dance has long been a defining feature of Natyashala’s live concerts, and this production is no exception. Smt. Charanya presides over the nattuvangam herself, anchoring an ensemble of distinguished musicians that spans both Carnatic and Hindustani traditions. The amalgamation of Carnatic & Hindustani vocals promises to be one of the evening’s most memorable dimensions, adding a new tonal richness to the devotional landscape of the Margam.
Seventeen years. A full Margam. A live orchestra spanning two classical traditions. An inquiry into the path of magnanimity. Natyashala’s Abhayasa Pradarshanam production is an evening of rare artistic ambition — and rarer still, the craft and devotion to carry it through.
The orchestra features Smt. Charanya Gurusathya on nattuvangam, Shri Rohan Pillai on vocal and veena, Shri Gurusathya Rajasekar on ghatam, morsing and kanjira, Shri Pancham Upadhyay on mridangam, Shri Sanjay Sasidharan on flute, Shri Madhu Raman Kutty on violin, and Ms. Pritha Bhattacharjee contributing Hindustani vocals.
Come listen to it. Watch it. Feel the bhava rasa.
