Young Bharatanatyam dancer marks artistic milestone with Arangetram

Akshara Aiyar, disciple of Bharatanatyam exponent Priya Venkataraman, presented her Arangetram at the Triveni Kala Sangam. The event celebrated the enduring Guru-Shishya tradition.The evening was graced by Chief Guest Dr. Y. Theba Devi and Guests of Honour Prof M Srinivas, Member, Niti Aayog and Prof. Shinjini Bhatnagar, whose presence and blessings added warmth and distinction to the occasion.Akshara, a Class XII student of DPS Gurgaon, has trained under Priya Venkataraman for the past ten years, balancing academic excellence with deep artistic commitment.Priya Venkataraman, a respected Bharatanatyam artiste with over three decades of performance and teaching experience, is the Founder-Director of Nrityadiksha. The performance commenced with a traditional Pushpanjali, followed by Ganesha Kauthuvam invoking Lord Ganesha’s blessings. The centrepiece of the recital was the evocative Swarajathi “Raave Himagiri Kumari” in praise of Goddess Kamakshi, choreographed by Smt. Priya Venkataraman. The second half featured the vibrant “Idadu Padam” in praise of Lord Shiva, the graceful “Aadinaye Kanna” depicting Krishna’s divine dance in Vrindavan, and concluded with an energetic Tillana in Kadanakuthuhalam ragam, followed by Mangalam.

The recital was accompanied by a distinguished live orchestra featuring Smt. Priya Venkataraman on nattuvangam, Shri Venkateshwaran Kuppuswamy on vocal, Manohar Balachandran on mridangam, G. Ragavendra Prasad on violin, Shyamala Bhaskar on veena, and Varun Rajashekaran on ghatam.