Foreigners get a slice of Indian music & dance

KANCHIPURAM: It was a sight to behold on the premises of the shore temple in Mamallapuram on Tuesday. With minimal embellishments of a high-platform, a simple backdrop and some chairs for the audience, the open lawns of the famed shore temple metamorphosed easily into an open-air sabha of the margazhi season, sans frills. With nature’s bounty at its best, the Indian Dance Festival kicked off in the Pallava town on Tuesday evening, as several international tourists lined up to see an assemblage of Indian dance forms.

Prior to the inaugural event, even as foreigners revelled in the hospitality meted out to them by locals who garlanded them, a slice of Indian music was served. An impressive orchestra comprising veena, violin, morsing, nadhaswaram and kanjira musicians, along with percussionists, performed vintage MGR songs, apart from popular classical numbers like Katrinilay varum geetham and Kurai Ondrum Illai. If this managed to pique the curiosity of foreign tourists, they seemed clearly happy when the ensemble played Western classical notes for them using Indian instruments.

The inaugural session began clearly with an instruction that the festival was organised to increase domestic and international footfalls in the historic town.

The need to make efforts to not obstruct the stage view of international delegates was stressed. And though the hour-long inaugural session did not feature a single speech in English, the tourists sat through the event.

An inkling of what the dance festival held for the foreigners, who are culture-curious about India, came with Lakshmi Ramasamy’s Sri Mudralaya team. In their elaborate Bharatanatyam performance encapsulating the 10 avatars of Vishnu, the dance troupe managed to give foreigners an idea of Hindu mythology as well as the emotive dance form. Several international tourists, equipped with cameras, took pains to capture the entire event for eternity.

During the 31-day festival, the tourists will get to see several dance forms in India, including Kathak, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Bhangra, Oyilattam, Naiyaandi Melam, Poikaaal Kudhirai, Bommalaattam, Thappattam, Karagam and Kaavadi. Entry to the festival has been made free to tourists for the first time this year.