Kalanjali, an organisation dedicated to the preservation and promotion of traditional Indian classical dance and art form organised its annual 23rd ‘Kalotsav’ at Ravindra Bhavan, Bhopal here on Saturday.  S Vishwanathan, Managing Director, MP Tourism Corporation was the chief guest while Aditi Kumar Tripathi, Director, Directorate of Culture, MP govt  was the guest of honour.

The programme commenced with Gajavadana Stuti, a composition of Papanasham Shivan in raag Shriranjini, performed by eight students. This was followed by Jatiswaram and Shabdam, each performed by the eighteen trained student dancers who enthralled the audience by their swift and well coordinated moves representing the Indian traditional art form. Thillana is the pure form of dance in Bharatnatyam which focuses on adavu which means basic steps that are combined to form a dance sequence.

The folk dance section consisted of Gujarati folk dance and Punjabi folk dance that set the atmosphere vibrant with the energetic performance of the dancers. The main highlight of the programme was the Rangarohan (first performance on stage) performed by 21 child artists in the form of pushpanjali and alarippu, which is the first stage of the dance in the traditional Bharatanatyam style which won the hearts of the audience. Overall, the performance of trained dancers exhibited their competency in classical dance form. In vocal, the artists performed the carnatic form of classical music. The scintillating and exuberant programme was concluded by a Dance drama 'Tamasoma Jyotir Gamaya' taken from Keno Upanishad.

Pradeep Krishnan, President Kalanjali Bhopal said " Kalanjali was formed in the year 1998 with the aim of embedding the roots of Indian Classical Dance and Music in the youth. Since then, the organization has been working towards promoting the Indian Classical Art forms, also providing the right guidance and platform for the students to showcase the art in its purest form. Imparting the knowledge about our own culture for the future generations to carry on is one of key milestones the organization keeps chasing and has been successfully doing so for the past years since the origin. Various artists from all around the globe have collaborated and been a part of Kalanjali and its endeavours.