Of art and music: Ballet on Ghantasala mesmerizes audience

Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala, performer, teacher, choreographer and organiser  presented a confluence of the historic melodies of the great singer and father-in-law Ghantasala. Her name being synonymous with all the best in Bharatanatyam, the event also showcased the talent of young dancers performing to the beautiful compositions of the virtuoso with 95 dancers on stage, to mark the 95th birth anniversary of the playback singer.

Parvathi herself is the recipient of several awards, including the Kalaimamani award and her creation, Kalapradarshini, a centre for performing arts and cultural activities, organises programmes, dance and music festivals and trains aspiring students in Bharathanatyam, singing and instruments. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, she said that her institution aims at enlarging the scale and scope of cultural activities and helps to foster a vigorous cultural milieu in the community.

Her profound understanding, ardent devotion and relentless practice of the  intricate art form, have earned her an exceptional name in the fraternity of the performing arts.  Her tutelage under renowned gurus, Krishnakumari Narendran,  Kalanidhi Narayanan and Seetharama Sarma has helped her to learn the nuance of the art form. Parvathi chose some songs, choreographed them in ballet form, and named the ballet, “Gana Ghandharwa Ghantasala and Samarpanam.  This marked the 95th birth anniversary of Ghantasala recently. In honour of his memory, the event honoured luminaries in the field of music, dance and philanthropy for  their exceptional services.  The recipients of the Kala Pradharshini Ghantasla Puraskar awards were S.P. Balasubramaniam, Dr Padma Subramaniam and Dr  Nalli Kuppusamy Chetti.

(The writer is a well known music critic who has won awards both in India and abroad for propagation of classical arts and music)