SINDHU FESTIVAL DAY 1

PUTANA & ABHA

Putanaa- Appearances can be deceptive...

The duality of life lies in what is presented on the surface and what stirs within. The masks of faces, behaviours and emotions that we adorn are a mere reflection of what we wish for to be seen. But there is always more than what meets the eye. The storms raging within us are covertly silenced by our external appearances.

The dualism of one such mythological character comes to light in this production. She was highly possessed with strong but wrong intention of killing the Lord, but with the strength of her pure and genuine feelings,she attains Moksha. She searches for who she is, while unfolding and undoing the many dark layers of her conflict, her Dwandwa.

Concept- Swarada Bhave

Choreography- Swarada Bhave and Eesha Pinglay

Music composition, Direction and Percussions- Shri. Satish Krishnamurthy.

Vocal- Dr. Smt. Somia Nedungadi.

Sarangi- Shri. Sandeep Mishra.

Flute- Shri. Atul Kumar

Recording- Swaralaya Studio

Swarada, a nuanced and commanding Bharatanatyam artiste, received thorough training for over twenty years under her mother Smt. Swati Datar. She further strengthened her dance under Smt. Mythili Raghavan and later came under the tutelage of Shri. Vaibhav Arekar. She continues to learn from him gaining a deeper understanding of the various facets and intricacies of Bharatanatyam.

She is the recipient of Sawai Gandharva Scholarship and National Scholarship from Dept. of Culture and Centre for Cultural Resources and training, Govt. of India.

Eesha Pinglay is a young dynamic Bharatanatyam performer whose petite frame belies the strength that her expansive movements exude. Trained under Shri Vaibhav Arekar for over fifteen years, she continues to pursue a deeper and meaningful experience of this art under him.

Eesha is a principal dancer with the Sankhya Dance Company having performed at major festivals and dance venues in India like Khajuraho, NCPA’s Mudra and Nakshatra festival, Modhera, Sindhu, Dhauli etc.

ABHA

Ābha a retelling of the Ramayana was Premiered in 2018 featuring ace dancers and choreographers Parshwanath Upadhye, Shruti Gopal and Adithya PV. Ābha made a mark as one of the most performed classical work in recent times. Drawing inspiration from various versions of the Ramayana, this innovative creation delves into character perspectives and questioning choices It reimagines Margam format of Bharatanatyam as a storytelling concept, seamessly traversing past and future, while the narration engages audiences with thought-provoking exchanges. ĀBHA’s transformative power has stunned both rural and metropolitan audiences in India and abroad. ĀBHA is one of the most talked about productions of the last few years in the Bharathanatyam world.

Shruti Gopal, Parshwanath and Adithya PV are three accomplished and versatile Indian classical dancers, each making significant contributions to the world of Bharatanatyam, both as performers and educators.

Shruti Gopal is a distinguished disciple of Natyarani Shantala awardee Smt. Padmini Ramachandran and currently trains under Shri Mavin Khoo. As the head of Upadhye School of Dance, she has become an influential figure in the dance community. A graded artist of Doordarshan. She was also conferred the title “Aarsha Kala Choodamani” by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in 2012.

Parshwanath is a ‘Natya Mayura’ awardee and one of the most sought-after male dancers in India today. Trained initially under Guru Ravindra Sharma in the Mysore style of Bharatanatyam, and later under The Kirans of Bangalore and Padmashree Prof. Sudha Rani Raghupati, Parshwanath’s technical mastery and artistry have earned him multiple national accolades, including the Sangeet Natak Academy’s Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2017, the Adithya Vikram Birla Kala Kiran Puraskar in 2018, and the Ram Gopal Best Male Dancer award. As an empanelled artist of ICCR and a top-graded artist of Doordarshan Bangalore, his reputation in the field is well established.

Adithya PV, a dynamic performer, began his training under Guru Smt. Latha Edavalath and continued under the guidance of internationally renowned dance duo The Kirans. Currently under the mentorship of Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy, Adithya is praised for his mastery of Talam, subtle abhinaya, and technical excellence. A graduate in Science with a specialization in Biotechnology, Adithya also holds a gold medal for his Postgraduate studies in Performing Arts. His talent has earned him numerous awards, including the Best Dancer award from the Madras Music Academy in 2024, the Outstanding Dancer award in 2025, and Yuvakalabharathi by Bharat Kalachar. 

Host or Publisher Radhika Karandikar