By Punish Raheja 

The Indian culture and heritage is often referred to as the amalgamation of several distinct and unique cultures.  As mentioned in Nātyaśāstra, Drama and Dance is considered to be the fifth vedic scripture. Indian dance includes eight classical dance forms. Bharatanatyam, one of the classical forms embodies the divine beauty, rhythms and symbols that exist in the universe. It is a means of spiritual elevation both for the dancer and the audience.

Kalashree, a bharatanatya dance academy established 26 years ago, provides a channel for the young artists to connect with their rich culture and heritage through this art form.

Eight girls from Kalashree, Kiran Pawar, Madhura Jagdale, Angie Raheja, Deepna Parmar, Megha Parmar, Ashna Hegde, Chaitali Lanke and Mamatarani Kaaddayia, under the guidance and immense training of their guru Dhanashree Karandikar have reached a milestone in their journey of  bharatanatyam.

With continued dedication and pure love for bharatanatyam, they have attired and gained the confidence of their guru to perform on stage.

On 30^th September 2017, these 8 girls performed their Arangetram,  which took place in the presence of critics, fellow artists, family and friends. This performance was a testament to these girls’ dedication, stamina, concentration and continued perseverance. They performed pure dance movements for the visual depiction of rhythm, dramatic art of storytelling and complex footwork in rhythmic patterns.

Girls have successfully managed balancing their other commitments such as Universities, school expectations, jobs and other extracurricular activities to achieve this milestone and we wish them all the luck they deserve for their performance and their upcoming years of gaining further knowledge of this art form.