Jun 29 2025 to Jun 29 2025 6:30 p.m.

Price: Rs 350 Book/Buy

Where

Courtyard Koota

Ground floor, Good Earth Tarana Good Earth Malhar, near Rajarajeswari medical college Kambipura, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560074

Event Description

Kuchipudi Kathanam is a Kuchipudi recital presenting some traditional and new choreographies. Aishwarya Meenakshi brings to us an evening of riveting rhythm and lilting melodies. The pieces in the repertoire include: 

Sakala Ganadhipa 

Beginning with an invocation by Dr Balamuralikrishna's evergreen krithi Shri Sakala Ganadhipa, an exquisite Choreography which expands the salutations to Lord Vigneshwara,  Lord Hanuman and Lord Sri Krishna. With rich sahitya interspersed with rhythmic jathi patterns, this piece is set to meet the histrionics of Kuchipudi.

Soorpanakha 

Soorpanakha the asura princess, sister of Ravana and the one who chose to express her unabashed love for Rama. 

Soorpanakkha's story is representative of how we are dictated by the rules of the society .  

Undoubtedly, Soorpanakha's appearance did not fit the conventional image of beauty, however she was mesmerizing in her own right. She was named Meenakshi at birth but her brother renamed her Soorpanakha since she was born with long nails, making her look different. A free spirit who wandered around the forest and expressed her desire to be with Rama, her femininity, her bold confrontation, her emotions were taken for granted.

Lakshmana being the kshatriya thought deforming her femininity would teach her a lesson, but what was her fault to receive such brutality?

Sakhi hey

The Ashtapadis encompass exquisite and layered narratives about love and desire. They could be interpreted as symbolizing the longing and striving of the individual, for communion with God. 

Here Radha, a mortal, encounters several hindrances and hardships in the course of her union with Krishna. It is the Sakhi who helps in arranging their rendezvous. In a metaphysical sense, it is the Sakhi who helps in transcending this ocean of worldly struggles (‘Bhavasagaram’) to unite with the supreme. Sakhi prepares Radha for that spiritual journey. Sakhi in ashtapadis is interpreted as a mediator between the mortal and the divine. 

Every verse of this Ashtapadi travels through the systematic, rhythmic structure of Raas, Kama and Longing.  Esoteric depictions of the exchanges between Krishna as the supreme masculine divinity (Purusha) and his beloved Rādhā, as the supreme feminine divinity (Prakruti ), are found in poetic and dramatic literature filled with erotic imagery.

About Aishwarya Meenakshi

Aishwarya is a Kuchipudi artiste from Delhi. She is a disciple of Smt. Sreelakshmy Govardhanan and has been fortunate enough to learn the traditional repertoire of Kuchipudi from her and her Guru Shri Pasumarthy Rattaiah Sharma Garu, Kuchipudi, Andhra Pradesh. Being born and raised in Delhi, she started learning Kuchipudi from a young age from Shri Prabir Dutta and later pursued advanced training under Padmabhushan Smt Swapnasundari ( New Delhi) and Smt Vyjayanthi Kashi (Bangalore).

She is a recipient of the Senior scholarship offered by the Ministry of culture, Govt of India, a graded artiste by Doordarshan Kendra, Delhi and has also taught and performed as part of the Spic Macay lecture demonstration series. In the recent past, she had the opportunity to represent India as a cultural ambassador in South Korea through ICCR. 

She has performed at various prestigious platforms and festivals across India, Nishagandhi National Dance Festival ( Trivandrum), Soorya Youth Festival, Margazhi Festival Medai Bengaluru, Bangalore International Centre, India International Centre ( Delhi) and IHC to name a few. 

*Tickets are mandatory for all.