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Agre Pashyami - A Spectacular Dance Presentation

Ranjani Saigal
10/04/2024

Spiritual story teller Dushyanth Sridhar, musician Rajkumar Bharati and dancer Anita Guha joined hands to produce a spectacular dance drama based on the Narayaneeyam. The production was a fundraiser to support Aim for Seva, an organization that is bringing education to underprivileged children in India. The program was presented at the Regis College on Sept 22.

Narayaneeyam, the divine scripture written by great spiritual master Narayana Bhattadhari is a fantastic narration of Srimad Bhagvatham, the tale talks about the different incarnations of Vishnu and the leelas or Divine dramas enacted by Vishnu to ensure the victory of good over evil.  The poet who is from Kerala, suffered from a serious case of arthritis and decided to go to the temple of Guruvayoor to pray. At the temple, he met Ezhuthachan, the famous author of the Adyatma Ramayanam in Malayalam who told Narayana Bhattadari - Meen Thottu Kutuha - which means start with the fish which indicated to Bhattadari that he should write the stories of the incarnation of Vishnu starting with the fish. He wrote the scripture and when he finished he had the grand vision of the divine which he wrote in the verses starting with Agre Pashyami - I see in front of me. After getting that vision Bhattadari was miraculously cured.  

This tale was brought to life by the dance team under the leadership of Anita Guha. Dushyanth Sridhar served as the narrator for the production. Anita Guha’s brilliant choreography was primarily Bharatanatayam. However she accentuated the production with a touch of other dances like Krishna Attam from Kerala to honor the fact that the scripture was from Kerala. Hinduism has influenced lives in several corners of the world. The churning of the ocean is beautifully depicted in a grand mural at the Ankgor Wat temple in Cambodia. They used a touch of Thai dance to bring forth this fact. 

The spectacular music and the  grand visuals on the backdrop helped bring the right emotions and context to the verses from the Narayaneeyam. They also used created props to depict Kurma Avatar, where God takes the form of a tortoise and provides the foundation to mount Meru during the churning of the ocean. Another brilliant depiction was of Narasimha, the half man half lion form bursting out of the pillar to bless Prahlada.

It was a riveting presentation that had everyone glued to their seat for the 2 hours. The program began with Saraswati Nochur, the Aim for Seva coordinator giving a brief introduction to Aim for Seva. The attendees donated to support the various programs run by Aim for Seva where they bring underprivileged children from rural areas and provide them with a high quality education. To learn more about Aim for Seva check out their website. 



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