A magical evening of dance enthralls Hyderabadis at Osman Sagar Bund

The historic bund at Gandipet lake transformed into a stage for a dance extravaganza recently for a Bharatanatyam recital hosted by the Paramparaa Foundation to mark ‘100 years of the Osman Sagar Bund’. Artistes from the Aayana Dance Company, Bengaluru, performed to a massive gathering of art and culture aficionados to mark the centenary celebrations of the bund constructed during the reign of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan.

A team of 12 artistes, 6 musicians accompanied by a lighting designer (Surya Rao) and a narrator (Krishna Manognya Balaraju) set the stage on fire. The nimble-footed troupe performed ‘Dhruva — Songs of Faith’, which included the pieces Sri Vighna Rajam Bhaje, Maathe,

Madhava Mamava

,

Emayya Rama

,

Valmiki Namana

,

Vayu Pushpanjali

,

Hanuman Chalisa

and Pavamana. The first half was an anthology of short Bharatnatyam choreographies that relay offerings to and conversations with the divine. The second half of the recital invokes Hanuman, the god of strength and courage, but from a space of vulnerability, through dance.

The dance company’s artistic director, Krishna Manognya Balaraju, called performing in Hyderabad a ‘gratifying experience’. “We received warmth and love from this incredible audience,” he said, adding, “The breath-taking vista of Osman Sagar Bund formed the perfect backdrop for our performance.” In her closing remarks, art connoisseur Shilpa Reddy lauded the foundation for their efforts in upholding Indian art and culture through the Gudi Sambaralu in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Overall, the evening proved to be a grand success with the audience leaving the arena discussing fascinating aspects of the concert.

Byline and Pic credits : Paul Nicodemus