Annika Mohini Athmakuri’s Stunning Bharatanatyam Arangetram

The Bharatanatyam arangetram of Kum. Annika Mohini Athmakuri, a 12th-grade science student, was conducted recently, at Shilpakala Vedika. The event was held amidst a setting that was aesthetically pleasing, with excellent acoustics. Annika, a student of Guru Smt. Praveena Vadapalli’s institute “Nrityopachara,” performed in a stage adorned with elegant decorations, where bunches of lilies shaped into toranams and tassels created a festive atmosphere. The aharya (costume) she wore consisted of a combination of blue, scarlet, and red gold, which perfectly suited the dancer.

Having trained under her Guru for around 10 years, Annika opened her recital with “Sri Maha Ganapatim Bhajeham,” a composition of Jayachamaraja Wodeyar in Athana. With crisp jatis rendered beautifully and precise footwork, the Ganapati Keertana was an aptly auspicious beginning, evoking the Elephant-Headed God. She then presented a Jatiswaram in Todi in a traditional format, where each swaram was repeated both in slow and fast tempo. This gave ample scope for elongated, stretched movements and fast-paced footwork, scintillating alternatively. The Jatiswaram tested the stamina of the young student, challenging her to shine successfully in a very abhinaya-intensive swarajati by Melattur Venkatarama Shastry, “E Mayaladi Bodhinchera,” in Husseni.

The swarajati portrays a chiru khandita nayika (a young heroine who is offended). She sarcastically ridicules the nayaka (hero) for ignoring the years of love they shared since childhood and for falling into the trap of another woman who fed him poisonous words against her. The composition’s subtle beauty lies in the combination of sarcasm, anger, disappointment, and pain. This item, originally choreographed by Mylapore Gowri Ammal and modified by Prof. Pasumarty Ramalinga Sastry, is also packed with heavy nritta and interesting jatis. The young dancer gracefully portrayed the chiru khandita nayika and executed the footwork with absolute precision.

Annika opened the second half of the performance with a Pancha Bhoota kriti, “Ananda Natana Prakasam,” in Kedaram and Misra Chapu. This piece is dedicated to Nataraja of Chidambaram, who represents the element of akasha (space). The composition extols the grace, dancing feet, and tiger-skin apparel of Nataraja, who bears the moon as an ornament. The beautiful jugalbandi of the jatis with melodies and Nataraja poses was a highlight of this item.

The dream item of the dancer, Ms. Annika Mohini Athmakuri, was the presentation of “Hariye Gati,” a composition of Dr. Balamurali Krishna. In this piece, various leelas (divine plays) of diverse incarnations are narrated in the last charanams. The piece features the story of Mohini and Bhasmasura, where Mohini (an incarnation of Vishnu) tricks the asura (demon) into using his boon—granted by Lord Shiva—on himself, thus destroying him. Annika demonstrated the contrast between the graceful Mohini and the virile Bhasmasura very effectively, transitioning seamlessly between the roles. The melodious orchestra, with her Guru on nattuvangam, complemented the item beautifully, bringing out the narrative variation in the Mohini and Bhasmasura roles.

The performance concluded with a crisp thillana in Jhanjhuti, a composition of Veena Seshanna. Sri Kanakam Chandar Rao on vocals, M. Chandrakanth on mridangam, Sai Kolanka on violin, Uma Venkateswarulu on flute, and Sridharachary on rhythms complemented the recital beautifully. Annika’s brother, Sushanth Arjun, who is studying computer science, also presented a brief but sparkling instrumental mridangam program in between. The multifaceted talent of the siblings was heartening to watch. The artful lighting by Basavaraju was excellent, enhancing the mood of the compositions.