 Archana Raja's brilliant arangetram
 July 16 will long linger in the memories of the rasikas who witnessed a spectacular Bharatanatyam recital by Archana Raja, one of the students of Sheela Unnikrishnan, director of
Sri Devi Nrithyalaya, at Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai.
Archana's debut was blessed by the presence of such distinguished guests as Dr Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, Dr Padma Subrahmaniam and Rama Narayanan (president of the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram). Despite her tender age, the young recipient of Bharat Kalachar's scholarship for classical dance for 2005-2008 exhibited remarkable confidence and mastery on the stage. Click
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Archana started her Bharatanatyam study at the age of 5, and has been undergoing intensive training for the past seven years, and has already achieved a lot in mastering the Mangudi style of Bharatanatyam originated from Melattur Bhagavatamela style.
 The prayer to Lord Ganesha were quickly followed by pushpanjali Omkara Natha, and then by Kali Kauthuvam, where the danseuse displayed the full range of Kali's moods with remarkable involvement and sincerity. The artiste demonstrated her proficiency in executing difficult movements with natural grace, agility, flexibility and precision.
The popular Sabdam Vayu Maidanai revealed her finesse and elegance. One movement harmoniously and seamlessly flowed into another, captivating the audience's minds and hearts. Young Archana's body irradiated the pure joy. The words of the song were expressed by her lips, although it was not always easy to mouth the words while performing complicated elements.
Even if most dancers maintain a fixed smile on their faces during the nritta passages, it was not the case with this young virtuoso: her face was reflecting each movement of her body. The static poses too were filled with life and
laya.
Varnam Ganam Isaithu was filled with movements at different levels to accentuate various feelings. Archana's unflagging energy was evident in firm footwork as well as the gentle and measured hand movements throughout.
Keerthanam Kapalini was full of graceful poses that were seamlessly flowing into one another.
Ranjani Mala and Padam Kavava gave Archana ample scope for expressing her achievements in abhinaya. The instruments and voice blended perfectly with the dance.
Tillana (Perani Natyam) followed, full of unexpected twists and turns and deft footwork. One could see the amazing brilliance in executing the nritta incorporating technical accuracy and purity.
As she successfully avoided looking vulgar and ugly, the young dancer portrayed even the negative characters with a touch of elegance and dignity, as if it such negative images were reflections in a compassionate Goddess' eye.
 Archana's heart-melting expressions, and crisp footwork were present throughout the captivating performance.
Sheela Unnikrishnan's nattuvangam was accurate and helped the dancer do her best, joining the melodious tunes and the articulate rhythms of the evening. With over 200 items choreographed by her, the prolific guru succeeded in bringing out the dancer's strong points.
Young Archana is endowed with natural beauty as well as all other qualities described in the Natya Shastra and Abhinayadarpanam. It was exactly the reason for Dr Padma Subrahmaniam to have told her with a passion, "You deserve to become a professional dancer!"
Vocal support by Rajeshwari Kumar was filled with profound
bhavas.
R Indu
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