Post Arangetram Performance by Sharanya Baradwaj on July 5^th 2025 “Sharanam Thaaye -  Salutations Mother!!!”

Reviewed by Suman Adisesh- Creative Director of Spandha School of Dance and Creative arts

Arangetram is just a point of pause in the journey of a dancer, where she introspects and reevaluates her years of training. It is all about conquering the fear of facing the audience, presenting the compositions taught by her Aacharya, acclimatizing to live music, feeling the stage as a solo dancer and to experience the totality of the training so far.  It is more about the external world than the internal experience. Till now it is all about discipline, commitment, and to some extent catering to one’s ego, pride in accomplishment.. enjoying the moment when the world praises you, a feeling of confidence, all this is true and natural.

But to realize that dance is not just this but something more… one has to continue the pursuit, and this takes a lot more courage, determination, inspiration, and motivation. This must come from within. Kudos to those who take a step ahead and continue this journey. The most beautiful part of the journey begins now, because now one starts to travel inward. Now it is more about the self and the experience. This is what  Natyashastra is all about.. to move inwards.

I attended the arangetram of Sharanya's a few years ago and also was fortunate to see her post arangetram performance recently. Sharanya has been very strong in her emotive skills with a good training in Nritta. She has a good foundation from her Guru, Sunanda, who has spared no efforts in installing the Parampara (tradition) of the Vazhuvoor Bani, which Guru Sunanda herself has so beautifully pursued as imparted by her revered Guru Rhadha. I could see the lineage of the Vazhuvoor bani for three generations which is a rarity these days. With the social media influence, it is very hard to see authentic traditions being carried on, but sincere appreciation to Guru Sunanda for being so true to her tradition. This was also appreciated by Guru Tara Anand who was the esteemed chief guest for the performance. Guru Tara Anand  who is a prominent Carnatic Vocalist and a violinist in the New England area expressed how important it is to stick to the tradition and not get overly influenced by social media.

Not every student who has completed their Arangetram is passionate to pursue it further, but I’m thoroughly impressed that in spite of heavy pressure of High school,  Sharanya pursued it and chose to give a post arangetram performance instead of a graduation party. Kudos to her, her family and most importantly her Guru, Sunanda, who has inspired her and motivated her to continue. It is every Guru’s dream that the student they nurture takes the artform to the next level and when that dream comes true it is the most beautiful moment for the Guru.

Performance began with a signature composition of the Vazhvoor Bani- “Jaya Shuddha purivaasa”, which is in praise of the deities Gyanasabesha and Balankurambigal of the Village temple of Vazhuvoor in Tamilnadu.

This was followed by a composition of Guru Sumitra Nitin “Sakala Kala Vaniye” a Pushpanjali celebrating Goddess Saraswati who is the repository of all arts. Composed in Ragam Kedaram and Adi Talam, this was a good and auspicious beginning.

The highlight of the performance was the Varnam. I must say very proudly that Sharanya has taken her training to the next level especially when I saw her experience those moments when she was completely into the character she was portraying. Pursuit of dance does not come easy. Sharanya worked with Guru Sumitra Nitin, (Sunanda’s sister) on the Daru varnam “Sannuthangi” that was presented on Devi. A composition of the renowned Mysore poet Mutthaiah Bhagavathar, it depicted various facets of Devi starting from why she came to be called as Chamundeshwari, as much as she protects her devotees, she is equally ferocious in destroying evil. Evil here is the representation of Arrogance and Ego within us. Composition highlights how compassionate Devi is in bestowing health and prosperity to those who seek her.

It was beautifully choreographed by Guru Sumitra, using interesting movements and stories interweaved into the jathis. Particularly the story of Uma Parinaya was beautifully portrayed and Sharanya did complete justice both in Nritta and Abhinaya.

This was followed by a very interesting excerpt from the famous dance drama “Kutrala Kuravanji”. Sharanya performed “Pandadithanale”, a rare composition of Thirikooda Raasappa Kavirayar in Ragamalika. It was beautifully choreographed by Guru Rhadha. Sunanda, who was also the Emcee for the performance talked about how her Guru Rhadha worked with the famous musicologist and scholar Smt Sujatha Veeraraghavan, Sunanda’s mother, to compile the list of songs to present the Dance Drama of Kutrala Kuravanji several years ago. This was interesting, because such compositions are rarely presented, and our younger generations must be exposed to such creative works.

The next composition was the famous Bharatiyaar composition Chinnanjiru Kiliye, which was performed beautifully.

The most interesting part of the performance was a very rare Javali “Enthati Kuluke” in Ragam Kalyani set to Adi talam, a composition of Dharmapuri Subbaraaya Aiyyaar choreographed by Guru Sunanda. Javali, in my opinion, is the toughest composition in a Bharatanatyam repertoire, because one can add several shades to a character and it is very hard to convey these subtle nuances to the audience. A dancer must work very hard to internalize the emotions to portray them with authenticity. She must study the character in depth and try to experience the feeling so that she can convey them to the audience. I was extremely impressed to see Sharanya depict the character of a confident lover who has captured her hero’s heart. She was fully into the character and became one.

Following this was a Thillana in Ragam Nagaswaravali, Adi talam, a composition of Shri Veenai B Kannan, choreographed by Guru Smt Rhadha. A very energetic composition with precise footwork describing Mother Goddess as the giver of wealth and happiness.

Performance ended with a Mangalam, “Karmugil Vannanuku”, in ragam Madhyamavati, Khanda Chapu talam, Composition of Smt Ambujam Krishna and tuned to music by none other than Guru Sunanda’s grandmother, Smt Ananthalakshmi Sadagopan. This was a fitting finale to a wonderful performance offering tribute to Andal and to all women.

This performance on the whole was a display of Tradition, Guru Parampara, and a long line of great artists, their compositions, their choreographies and their dedication to art. I wish Sharanya continues this tradition and experiences dance even deeper and pursues her training to reach great heights.

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