 Divine experience
 The Princeton Association of India Development hosted on October 1 a spectacular presentation of Bharata Nrityam by Bala Devi Chandrashekar, senior disciple of noted Bharata Nrithyam exponent, Dr Padma Subrahmanyam. The presentation, ‘Divine Expressions’, was held at the Film and Performance Theater at the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University
Bala began the performance with the song ‘Maa Mayil Meedh Eri Va’, in praise of Lord Muruga, set in ragam Lathangi. Bala Devi, through her enchanting dance, brought alive the stories of the beloved Lord.
Her performance contained a variety of components ranging from pure dance (nritta) to expression (abhinaya) and the unique components of Karanas (temple sculptures). Bala rendered the pure nritta items with great precision to the language of rhythm, stimulating in the spectators the latent possible aesthetic experience.
The song ‘Neeradha Sama’ in praise of Lord Krishna, brought alive the sentiments closely associated with the enchanting Lord. Through her intricate Abhinaya, Bala depicted the form of Krishna and the significance of every ornament that adorned Him. She also brought alive Radha and the Gopis’ sacred and divine passion for Lord Krishna
Bala concluded the performance with a composition of Saint Kanakadasa. In this song, the audience saw the depiction of Yashoda beckoning child Krishna with ‘vatsalya’. The audience were spellbound seeing the story of Kanakadasa come alive in Bala’s performance. The presentation brought to life the rich sentiment of
bhakti.
The performance at Princeton was truly a treat to the eyes and the soul. It lived up to its title, ‘Divine Expressions’. The audience walked away from
First auditorium with a feeling of having experienced moments of divinity! We hope that Bala Devi will bring many more such divine moments to connoisseurs of art.
Shalini Ramanathan
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