The year 2024 for Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, along with Smt. Uma Dogra,
advisory Chairperson to Kathak Kendra and Ms. Pranaame began with its cultural expedition to the beautiful North-East direction of our country, Majuli, Assam, with its monthly rendition of Kathak Yatra. On the occasion of celebrating 100 years of Auniati Hem Chandra Higher Secondary School, Majuli, Kathak Kendra New Delhi repertory, presented some of its exquisite choreographies by renowned Guru, namely, Guru Krishna Mohan Maharaj, Guru Rani Khanum and Guru Sandip Mallik, and
Shri Santosh Sinha, working as a designated singer at Kathak Kendra, presented some of his beautiful compositions. The Kathak Kendra repertory began its performance by invoking Goddess
Saraswati, with a Saraswati Vandana, in raag Bhatiyar and Taal Rupak,
choreographed by Guru Sandip Mallik, with the assistance of repertory artists. After Goddess Saraswati, it was Lord Krishna whose aura and adornments were elaborated with the choreographic piece called “Kasturi Tilakam”. Lord Krishna’s renditions were continued with a traditional bhajan “Jaaki Mahima” composed by Pt. Birju Maharaj, as an ode to Lord Krishna. Then came the playful nature of Krishna along with his Gopis, woven majestically in thumri “Mohe Chhedo Na”.
In the end, the repertory takes one to the flamboyant mood of the most colourful festival, Holi, with the choreographic piece “Braj Ki Holi”. Repertory artists who beautifully presented the choreographic pieces were, Sonam Chauhan, Minu Garu, Aditi Bhardwaj, Mukesh P. Gangani, Rohit Pawar, Neeraj Parihar, Santosh K. Sinha, Anil Kumar Mishra, Fateh Ali Khan, Dr. Saba Hashmi, Sukant Krishna.
The dance choreographies were followed by Shri Santosh Sinha’s solo
presentation of vocal singing. He presented two soulful compositions in the genre of Adhunik Geet. The first one was “Riniki Riniki Raangoli Beliti”, which spoke of the beauty and development of the beautiful city of Majuli. He concluded the evening with the Geet “Akash Jetiya, Sandha Tarai Jhilmilaai”, where the composition expresses one’s happiness on seeing the glittering stars on the blanket of the dark night, and how it infuses one to bloom out to sing, to create and to rejoice.
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