HYDERABAD: Born in Cincinnati, Ohio and brought up in Houston, Texas, 20-year-old Medha Veranyalakshmi Koniki is all set for her Rangapravesam on Friday, August 11 at Ravindra Bharathi. The performance will be graced by the presence of IT Minister KT Rama Rao. Nervous at first but gradually settling into the conversation, she shares her experiences of learning Kuchipudi, a journey that started at the tender age of seven, “It was just another thing for me in the beginning but quite smoothly it became a part of me.”
She joined Vedantam Kalakshetram in 2014 under the tutelage of popular guru Vedantam Raghava, or Raghava uncle, as she fondly calls him. Based in the US, he originally hails from Kuchipudi village of Andhra Pradesh. He has performed with famous artists and gurus and is known for his portrayal of Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, Hranyakasipu, Balichkravarti and Banasura. He has choreographed over 30 solo performances.
Learning and blossoming into a talented Kuchipudi performer under his expert guidance, Medha reveres her guru but also doesn’t hesitate to call him ‘funny’. “He makes everything so easy and understandable. I do not feel the pressure setting in,” she says. Throughout her time as a student of Vedantam Kalakshetram, Medha’s love and dedication for Kuchipudi has continued to grow and she has been part of many of the productions such as Sri Rama Kathasaram, Kalyana Srinivasam and annual Natya Sabhas, and in events organised by Houston’s Telugu Cultural Association.
Besides being a classical dance performer, Medha is pursuing her Bachelor of Business degree, majoring in Operations and Digital Technology Management from Kelley School of Business at Indiana University-Bloomington. There, she is a part of many different organisations such as the Kelley-to-Kelley mentor program where she guides incoming freshmen and the Kelley Hope Project where she works with small businesses to increase their outreach and expand their business and is a leader at the Jellison Living Learning Center. Medha is also an executive board member of Bloomington Ki Badtameezi, her school’s fusion dance competition.
Donning many hats, Medha says she is half excited and half nervous, as she will be performing in India for the first time. “My friends have come down from the US and are excited about the whole thing. Things are new for them here,” she adds. Her mother, Kinnera Koniki, says they decided to have the Rangapravesam in India instead of the US because of the immense support her grandparents here and other family friends have provided her. Herself an IT engineer, she moved to the US in 1997 and settled there.
Medha’s grandfather, Jwala Narasimha Rao Vanam says she is the first in the family to have learned classical dancing and reached this stage. “We are all extremely proud and excited for the performance. Our friends have been calling us to tell us how lucky she is to learn under guru Raghava,” he said.
Medha also shakes a leg to Bollywood tunes once in a while with her friends and she has also performed at different multicultural events. She loves to read new books and watch television and movies. In her free time, she loves to bake new desserts and hang out with her friends playing volleyball. “I am excited to travel to India this year, and grateful and humbled to be sharing my joy of dance with all my family, friends and audience,” she concludes.