This year's Natyanjali Festival held during Mahashivaratri at the Subramania Temple, Chheda Nagar, lasted for 2 weeks, well beyond Mahashivaratri. Due to the unstinting efforts of Jayashree Nair and her family, the festival has become even more popular and there were many dancers, from different schools, who wished to participate, as also those who had made it from Chennai and other parts of India.
On 10th February, three disciples of Guru Rajee performed Charanadainden - a Varnam composed by Guru Rajee. The dancers were Ragini, Jenna, and Maya. The opening item was a solo padam on Nataraja by Ragini, which she performed with grace and finesse. The Varnam provided much scope for sanchari bhava-s and the dancers elaborated several episodes of Siva. Guru Rajee's choreography and the thorough practice that she gives her students before a programme helped them bring out their best, despite poor audio and stage lighting.
On Mahashivaratri, 16th February, several well-known dance guru-s of Mumbai performed at the same venue. The evening started with Guru Rajee, who performed Illai yenbaan yaarada, a beautiful padam on Nataraja. Despite ill-health, she performed the item with emotive grace. With even a flicker of an eyelid, she showed her command over Rasa-Bhava. Her face was a canvass of emotions, which she portrayed swiftly, majestically. At the end of her brief 'offering', as she called it, there was thundering applause. No dancer present that day could possibly forget her presentation and she continues to inspire all the dance teachers of Mumbai.
- Jaishree Rao
