Manipuri Maharasa marked the third day of Nirmaya Samaroh. The artists from Manipur presented their colourful charm at Bahirang open air auditorium of Bharat Bhavan.
Dressed in colourful traditional Manipuri costumes, the artists of Progressive Artists’ laboratory, Manipur left the Bhopalites in wonder with their energetic performance. Notably, Maharas is the foremost Ras dance which is performed on the occasion of Niropan Day of 11th Manipuri month.
It is divided into four parts and has been designed exclusively with unique approaches of Vaisnav devotion blended with the cultural and indigenous folk dances like lai Haraoba.
Bindu Juneja’s Narmada Parikrama was the catch of Nirmaya Samaroh. Here on Tuesday, the Odissi dancer mesmerised the Bhopalites with her composition ‘Narmada Parikrama’. As she presented her charm on stage the Bharat Bhavan, witnessed a historic performance.
With the elements of Odissi dance, Bindu Juneja presented the story of Narmada river, one of the sacred rivers of India. Notably, it is the only river in the world that has a tradition of ritual circumambulation i.e. parikrama through its entire length of over 1,300 km. Many people from India and abroad undertake this tough ritual pilgrimage.
The Odissi dance piece Narmada Parikrama, was all about the beauty of Narmada as an aesthetic reflection of the actual parikrama of one of the oldest of the sacred Indian rivers. The composition is based on the works of a traveler and writer Amritlal Vegad. With the brilliant footwork and scintillating expressions, Bindu gave the piece a charismatic look that left the audience totally enthralled.
The piece explored the divine origin of the river, the culture that reflects its oneness with nature; the river's changing moods, its splendor at Sahastradhara, the waterfall where the Narmada weaves a magical fabric with its myriad delicate streams and the reverence for the river as depicted in Adi Shankara's Narmadashtakam, the strotra recited during parikrama.
The marvellous creation of the piece adorned with the brilliant light design created a spiritual atmosphere at Bharat Bhavan. The performance was really electrifying for all.