It was a late but colourful and artistically vibrant celebration of the Chief Minister, J Jayalalitha’s 66th Birthday. Renowned Bharathanatyam artiste and Padma Bhushan awardee, Padma Subrahmanyam along with Vineeth and other artistes of Nrithyodaya – Mahati Kannan, Niveditha Arjun, Samudhyata, Samanvita and Vidya — presented a special Bharatanrityam recital here recently, organised by Vivek Kumar, a student leader of AIADMK.
Padma awed the gathering with her opening act—a sublime performance displaying an array of emotions of the divine mother Kali. The dance was in the form of a prayer to the Godess Durga for victory. The programme displayed the artistse’s finesse in the traditional dance form with music that included Appar Adigal’s Tevaram, Nandisha Kauthwam, a bhajan, an Ayyappan poem and concluded with a Bharatiyar song that unites the whole of India under a cultural canopy. The Varnam on Tirupati Venkateswara, with lyrics by Padma Subrahmanyam and music by Veena Vidwan B Kannan, emphasised on Hindu - Muslim unity with anecdotes from the stories of Thulukka Nachiyar at Srirangam and Muslim poet Salabeg at Puri.
This recital, led by Padma, a childhood friend of the Chief Minister, was an apolitical event and a cultural prayer for the overall well being of her beloved friend. The Consul Generals of Russia and Japan were present at this special event and the Siddhar from Mahadeva Malai blessed the occasion with his presence, adding to the multi–dimensional gathering. Isaikkavi Ramanan, who was part of the programme added a literary lustre to the event and the live music was performed by Gayatri Kannan and had Radhika Muthukrishnan on vocals, Nagai P Sriram on Mridangam, CP Patanjali on Flute and B Kannan on Madhura Veena and Suddha Maddalam.