Buds in blossom

How Shruthi Adelaide is nurturing young talent

BY LP AYER

At Shruthi Adelaide’s recent Young Talent Day (Yuva Kala Mela), it was a case of emerging talent meeting and engaging with established talent.

Local dancers and dance students got a chance to observe up close - and perform with - India’s well-known classical vocalists Anahita Ravindran and Apoorva Ravindran, and Canadian born Bharatanatyam dancer Bhavajan Kumar.

As an association dedicated to the promotion and preservation of South Indian art and culture in South Australia, Shruthi recognises well the importance of empowering community youth through native Indian classical music and dance. It strives to unite the youth under the values of art andculture, service and societal engagement.

Its Young Talent Day is a festival of Indian dance and music for youngsters, aimed at giving them an opportunity not only to showcase their talents to a discerning audience, but also to learn, interact and ultimately sustain and strengthen the classical Indian arts.

All performers, volunteers, MCs and coordinators for this festival are aged 26 years and below.

A thillana in Raga Begada, jointly presented by the local and international artists together, was a tender highlight, especially as there was no prior practice and it was all done impromptu.

Sisters Anahita and Apoorva, who learnt their craft under the able guidance of their gurus (their grandmother Smt. Shanthi Jayaraman, and Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri. Chitravina. N. Ravikiran), have performed in various major sabhas in India and abroad. They have won awards from prestigious institutions such as Shanmukhananda Fine

Arts Mumbai, and the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha Music Academy. On this occasion, they were accompanied by Gokul on the violin and Akshay on the Mridangam. Given that it was Adi Pooram on the day, the birth star day of Andal, the only female Alvar among the 12 Vaishnavaite Alvars, Anahita and Apoorva presented a Pasuram "Koodarai Vellum Seer Govinda" in the ragam Poorvi Kalyani.

Dancer Bhavajan Kumar’s recital was equally captivating. He also started with a dedication to the Goddess Andal, “Natchityaar Kauthuvam”.

Bhavajan has been performing Bharatanatyam since the tender age of five. Having trained under some of the artform’s best-known names including Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Padma Shri Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy and Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar, Bhavajan presented his arangetram in 2006. He has won many accolades since then such as Pandit Durgalal Endowment Award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and Yuva Kala Bharathi from Bharat Kalachar. Currently receiving advanced training from Leela Samson and Bragha Bessell at Kalakshetra, Bhavajan has performed and toured extensively in India, Canada, USA and Europe.

His bewitching Kalinga Narthana

Thillana was the grand finale of the eventelaborate on great foot work, and with brisk and graceful movements.

The local artists, nearly 80 in number, came from the following dance and music schools: Temple of Fine Arts Adelaide, Apsaras Arts Adelaide, Souparnika School of Dance, Rooh Punjab Di Adelaide and Sangeetha Sharada School of Music.

The event was emceed by Bharat Raghuram and Dr. Kamalesh, President of Shruthi. It was supported by a grant from Multicultural Affairs, Department of the Premier and Cabinet. Ms Thuy Phan graced the event by representing the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC).

It is a credit to Dr. Kamalesh and his team to have presented such a major event so soon after Shruthi’s prestigious ‘Vibrance’ show only two months ago. Adelaide’s classical scene seems to have come of age.