Swar Sangam Sanskrutik Manch and Kishore Nritya Niketan organised a solo recital of Bharatnatyam by Kamakshi Hampiholi on Tuesday at Scientific Hall. Kanchan Gadkari, President of Sanskar Bharati, Vidarbha Prant, was the chief guest. Harssh Poddar, SP)of Nagpur Rural; Deepak Khirwadkar, former Director of SCZCC, and other dignitaries were also prominently present. Kanchan Gadkari praised Kamakshi’s Bharatnatyam recitals and said that words could not express the beauty of such performances, only the eyes could admire them. Gadkari noted that Kamakshi, despite her young age, reflects skills of all aspects of dance form, including music, rhythm, acting and expression.

 

Poddar said that, Bharatnatyam is a part of Indian culture’s identity, spanning thousands of years, and commended Hampiholi family for keeping the classical art form alive in society. Kamakshi beautifully staged a series of Bharatnatyam recitals. Among her performances were ‘Varnam’ in Sriranjani Ragam, and ‘Choodare’, a piece conceptualised on a conversation between women talking about another woman. Further, her rendition of the devotional bhajan, ‘Maiyya Mori Main Nahi Maakhan Khayo’, blended devotion with art.

 

It brought to life the playful interaction between Lord Krishna and Maa Yashoda, depicting Krishna’s innocent yet mischievous attempts while denying eating ‘maakhan’. Kamakshi perfectly captured Krishna’s essence through expressive eyes, graceful hand and leg movements, a subtle smile, and a blend of elegance and sharp posture. Kamakshi is a daughter and disciple of Guru Kishor and Kishoree Hampiholi, and also got trained under Meera Sreenarayanan. She is Doordarshan B-grade artist and a recipient of CCRT scholarship. The accompanying artists were Dr Kishoree Hampiholi on nattuvangam, Udupi Srinath giving vocal support, Yashwant Hampiholi on mridangam, S Janardhan on violin, and Sanjay Sasidharan on flute. Ankita Deshkar conducted the programme’s proceedings.