Sai Brindha Ramachandran.
| Photo Credit: K. Pichumani
Sai Brindha Ramachandran’s solo Bharatanatyam recital on the inaugural day of the Mid-Year Dance Festival 2025, hosted by The Music Academy, was a meditative and poised performance, showcasing both her stage maturity and strong training. With Indira Kadambi on the nattuvangam and a highly competent orchestra in tow, the recital was neatly packaged and aesthetically fulfilling.
The performance opened with ‘Shankari sadananda lahari’, a rare kirtanam in raga Malavi set to Adi tala, composed by Jayachamaraja Wodeyar. Sai Brindha began with the invocatory verses from Soundarya Lahari, setting a serene tone that celebrated Devi as the compassionate and liberating force. Her clean lines and inward-looking abhinaya reflected the bhakti rasa with remarkable restraint and composure.
Mature approach
dynamic jathis and clear footwork marked Sai Brindha’s performance at the Mid-Year Dance Festival, hosted by The Music Academy.
| Photo Credit:
K. Pichumani
The centrepiece of the recital, the varnam ‘Swamiyai vara solladi’ in Purvikalyani (Adi tala), a composition by K.N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai, allowed the dancer to explore the emotional arc of a lovelorn nayika pining for lord Muruga. Sai Brindha navigated the sahitya with commendable maturity, especially in passages where the nayika beseeches her friend to summon her beloved Kumaraswami, revealing longing, hope, and moments of desperation with subtle shifts in expression. Her footwork remained precise even as she transitioned into more dynamic jathis.
The padam ‘Ninnu Jooda’ in Punnagavarali (Triputa tala), attributed to Kshetrayya, brought out her strength in abhinaya. Here, the nayika’s emotional reunion with her long-absent beloved was performed with a gentle melancholy that lingered in the air. Sai Brindha’s ability to emote the fragility of remembered dreams and quiet grief revealed her sensitivity as an artiste.
The recital concluded with a brisk thillana in Mohanakalyani (Adi tala), composed by Lalgudi G. Jayaraman. The dancer breezed through the rhythmic passages with effervescence and agility.
The accompanying musicians were Abhirama G. Bode on the vocal, G.S. Nagaraj on the mridangam, Raghu Simha on the flute and N. Ananthanarayanan on the veena.
Published – July 23, 2025 05:13 pm IST
