Padmashree Geeta Chandran revitalizes Indian classical art forms at Suncity School
Gurgaon: Renowned dancer and Padmashree Awardee Geeta Chandran enthralled students of Suncity School with her mesmerizing Bharatnatyam performance in the SPIC MACAY program. Chandran was accompanied by Guru S Shankara at Nattuvangam, Shri Manohar Balatchandirane at Mridangam, Shri Rajat Prasanna at Flute and Shri K. Venkateswaran at Vocals.
The objective of the SPICMACAY programme was to sensitize students about Indian culture and classical art forms.
“Bharatnatyam is a 2000 year old dance form and it completely reinvigorates me. It is a pleasure to perform before students who are going to be our future talent. Bharatnatyam is an art form that trains you to be a more diligent, enduring and disciplined person which is pivotal for students to imply in their life while growing.” said Geeta Chandran.
The event commenced with Pushpanjali ceremony followed by an ‘Nritya Abhinaya’ portraying the incarnations of Goddess Durga to celebrate the pious occasion of Navratris. Two of her students Amrita Shruti and Madura, performed the Bharatnatyam dance to demonstrate the uniqueness of this dance form.
“We, at Suncity School strive to create a balance between academics and extra-curricular activities. Indian classical dance is the foundation of our culture and such a mesmerizing performance speaks volumes about our Indian culture. We will continue in our endeavor to instill appreciation about Indian culture and art forms among students.” said Rupa Chakravarty, Principal, Suncity School.
Geeta began learning Bharatanatyam from the tender age of 5 years under the tutelage of Smt. Swarna Saraswathy, who hailed from the traditional Thanjavoordevadasiparampara. Subsequently, she continued learning diverse aspects of the classical dance from a galaxy of eminent Gurus. She is the Founder-President of Natya-Vriksha, an organization devoted to promoting Bharatanatyam. Geeta Chandran has several accolades to her credit, chief among them being Padma Shri, Stree Samman, Kalasagar Award, Saraswati Puraskar, Lifetime Achievement Award, Karamveer Puraskar, Kishore Kumar Kala Ratan Award.
“Geeta ma’am’s performance left me spellbound. Since I am also learning Bharatnatyam, she is my role model. Her devotion to Bharatnatyam is inspiring and the way she trains her students is really appealing, I look forward to be her student someday and learn this classical art form from the best teachers as she is.” said Tarini Sahay, a student of Suncity School.
The event concluded with the felicitation of the artists by Mrs. Rupa Chakravarty, Principal, Suncity School.