Orissa - Punya Bhoomi !

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Being invited to Bhuvaneshwar by the Orissa Sangeet Nrithya Academy for the Choreography Festival gave us a wonderful opportunity to experience the Punya Bhoomi -Orissa which seemed so pure, devotional & magnanimous.

The people are really nice ,friendly ,their language Odiya is like brother of Sanskrit & sounds very nice.

Odissi dance style is one of the most beautiful styles of our country with its rich traditions , most enchanting movements & soul stirring music. What a creation of God ! 

The tourism department with its new Secretary Mr.Kothari is very promising.

He seems to be a great leader as all his office people spoke about him with great reverence.

He made sure that we were given excellent hospitality ,he even organised transport for us to see KONARK.

Seeing Konark temple which is an incredible mastery of art ,one wonders if it is the same EARTH that we live on ...because it is simplyheavenly.No words to describe the skill ,intelligence & talents of the people who made it.

We are eager to go back & stay there & relish the temple's soul , its sculptures, its philosophy ,everything.

The Chairperson of the Orissa Sangeetha Nruthya Academy - Smt.Aruna Mohanty, herself an accomplished odissi dancer had organized the whole series of performances & the seminar next morning very efficiently.

Meeting the artists from Orissa & sharing good laughters with our dear friend Dr.Sunil Kothari felt very good.

Our heart seeks to return to the Punyabhoomi

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V.V.Puram Walk of Fame !

It was great to see Shekhar Kapur- the renowned Hollywood director bring the Hollywood Walk of Fame to Namma Preethiya Tindi Bedhi v.v.puram , Bangalore.

We were so happy that we had a good chat at our dance studio before we set out to explore the different tindis.

It was very nice of him to Tweet about his presence in our studio.

We were amazed by his humility , his inquisitiveness in knowing our culture, our roots & his unassuming quiet nature that has produced some remarkable World Class OSCAR movies.

We walked from V.B.Bakery on the muddy street & went all the way up to Shivanna's angadi ,he loved the bele, Gulcan & the Masala Soda.He also tried the four different kinds of tindi ,Tatte Idli, Avare Kaalu Dose,Paddu & Akki Rotti.

Throughout he was taking pictures walking right into the crowd who were oblivious of his presence.

Then all of a sudden some girls came running & took pictures , word spread around & it was quite nice to see the way people were reacting, most eyes popped out ,strangers were smiling even more strangely as we all walked to our car.

He was constantly tweeting & sending pictures to his friends world over.

Friends, dont be surprised if Shekar's next film has someone eating Avarekalu Dose :)

and please Do follow us on Twitter : https://twitter.com/#!/Nirupama_ADC

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MOCKING DEATH !

MOCKING DEATH ! 

I thought I was the craziest person on this Earth who presented Life celebrating dance sequences 

where my dearest mother passed away the same morning.

I had gone through a big ordeal of sleepless nights ,emotions of watching the loved one suffer & final departure of my mother who left her mortal body right in front of my eyes.

I stood strong by her side throughout her hospitalizations, treatments & medical care, chanting Vishnu Sahasranama mantras & her favorite devotional songs all the while & she loved it. 

I was right next to her holding on to my faith that God's name & music would penetrate deep in to the consciousness of a person & touch the soul & so continued to sing & chant.

Even when she was in coma her skin would release the wrinkles & relax during the singing.

My mother was a great spirited lady who celebrated life beyond the illness of her Body.

After saying bye bye to my love i did a performance the same evening !!! 

24 hrs have passed & now it is hitting me....

I was the craziest person on this Earth to do a performance the same evening...

Why did i do it ..i don't know ... Untill a good friend pointed out that,i actually 

MOCKED death by showing the world GOD'S answer to him...

To spread the light,

To spread optimism ,

which is DANCE.

 

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Haveri Utsava [ Mails from Audience ]

Mail from Mr.Arun Khannur

Dear Nirupama & Rajendra,

Here are my congratulations and special thanks for taking your time and effort to reach out rural audience at Haveri Zilla Utsav held at Byadgi on 13th Feb 2012.
Performance from "Abhinava" was exceptional and audience responded with a standing ovation. It was a perfect blend of dance, music, lighting, audio-visuals with meticulous planning and excellent execution. In addition, we respect your commitment and dedication in exhibiting your calm and composure even when your mother was serious. You focused on delivering the best and at the same time you were very much accommodative to certain limitations like carpet and green room etc. I own the responsibility for these limitations.

Your team has disproved that rural folks do not appreciate classical dance and proved that if performed to perfection everyone is compelled to respect.

We are honored by your presence and performance.

I am sure that both of you would take Indian Culture and Dance to new horizon. India needs people like you.

God bless you, God bless Abhinava !
Thanks & Regards,
Arunkumar Khannur | Chairman and CEO | BANGALORE, INDIA.

................

My Humble take on this :

I wish the World to know that :

If it were not for the Grace from above, such beautiful concepts would not have come to us ,If it were not for Praveen Rao, Pravin Ghods & Shivu's unique skills , such souls stirring music would not have emerged,
If not for Rajendra's  lighting design & fine taste in sound recordings & selection of costumes , the audio - visual treat would not have happened.
Without constant artist co ordination work by Megha Bhaskar ,meticulous planning & incessant efforts of MRIDULA in conducting Rehearsals & efforts of dancers who worked individually like Naveen ,Shweta Babu & Srividhya there wouldn't be such beautiful rendition of quality Art.

Most importantly EACH of the artist who took this program to heart who took off from work,college, school & other activities & gave time for rehearsals -
Rohini,Shamita ,Bhavani, Kruthi, Rashmi, Manasa,Jyothsna,Radhika,Archana,Ramyashree, Ranju, Anusha,Bharath, Pavan Anil Deepak Ganesh Naveen.

All of them brought good energies to me , honestly,

Success of this program truly belongs to
EVERY ONE OF THEM.
 God bless All.
Nirupama Rajendra

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Bengaluru Habba - 2012 Part 02

Sharing Video from the recent performance on Jan 18th at Bangalore Habba.

Have a great weekend friends ! 

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Bengaluru Habba - 2012 Part 01

I just dont remember how this program happened other then the feeling of being part of a "Yagna".

This would not have been possible without the kind support of friends, students ,family members & my dear Rajendra. My deep felt gratitude to every one of you.

Sharing pictures from the recent performance on Jan 18th at Bangalore Habba.

Video clippings shall follow shortly.

Have a great weekend friends ! 

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Balancing Dharma & Karma :

Before i tell you my story ,i seek your prayers & wishes to pass through these two forthcoming concerts in Bangalore.
1.Bharathanatyam solo by Nirupama Rajendra for Bangalore Habba on 18 th January at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan Race Course Road.
2. Kathak & Bharathanatyam choreographies of ABHINAVA ensemble on Jan 21 st for Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha at Purandara Bhavana,Indiranagar.

My story :

Art is our life . To reverse it & live Life as Art is nice as a concept,beautiful to read & hear from great spiritual masters  , but to live it in actual is something else, like arjuna standing in the middle of kurukshetra bewildered,
 i am right now in the kurukshetra of life,torn between dharma as a daughter & karma as a dancer.

Everybody knows that good art requires focussed time , dedicated efforts & above all a high spirited mode of being.Since dance is a medium to sharing immense beauty , joy & emotions & makes use of the body mind & spirit as the instrument it's all the more challenging when the tuning of the instrument gets disturbed.

My dearest mother who loved life so dearly is now slowly losing it.She is hospitalized for past ten days with complications.As a result,we have been in unpredictable situtations ,l we have been iterally living in the  hospitals ,constantly talking to doctors , managing nurses.

I am sure many have people have been in such situations of having to experience the suffering of a loved one but the challenge  here is that with this background we have to be in an inspired mode to deliver quality art .

Initially like Arjuna i withdrew from performances but I realize I am incomplete without dance.

I am so grateful to our friends , students & family members for their loving support in this juncture.
I am hoping to draw my strength from all your wishes & do the performances.
I don't know how far i will be successful but at least I have your prayers.

Thank you.
-Nirupama  Rajendra

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