Leading Kathak exponent Pandit Rajendra Gangani has been selected for this year’s prestigious Nishagandhi Puraskaram, instituted by the Department of Tourism, for outstanding contributions to Indian Classical Dance.
The honour will be presented to Pandit Gangani at the inaugural of the week-long Nishagandhi Dance Festival in the city on February 14. The award acknowledges Pandit Gangani’s extraordinary contributions to Kathak, particularly his dedication to preserving and innovating the Jaipur Gharana tradition, said a release here on Monday.
Nishagandhi Dance Festival, organised by Kerala Tourism, will open at the sprawling Kanakakunnu Palace grounds here on Friday, featuring artistes from different parts of India representing diverse classical traditions. The festival has lined up some of India’s best classical dancers and upcoming stars to mesmerise the audience converging at the venue. The inaugural ceremony at 6 p.m. will be followed by Bharatanatyam performance choreographed by Parshwananth S. Upadhye and Adithya P.V of Punyah Dance Company.
Pandit Rajendra Gangani and Group will enthral the audience with a Kathak performance at 8.30 p.m. on the opening day. On February 15, Odissi dancers Bidya Das and Lucky Prajna Pratisthita Mohanty will grace the evening with their opening act followed by Amrita Lahiri’s mesmerising Kuchipudi moves. Methil Devika and her group will perform Mohiniyattam as the final act of the day.
February 16 evening of the fest will start with Sandra Pisharody’s Mohiniyattam at 6.15 p.m. followed by Vidhya Subramanian’s Bharatanatyam performance at 6.45 p.m. Vyjayanthi Kashi and Prateeksha Kashi’s Kuchipudi will be the final act of the night starting at 8 p.m. On February 17, Lekshmi Reghunath’s Kuchupudi will be the opening act at 6.15 p.m followed by Janaki Rangarajan’s Bharatanatyam at 6.45 p.m. Kathak dance duo Hari and Chethana’s performance will be the last performance of the day.
February 18, features Amritha Jayakrishnan’s Bharatanatyam followed by Anita Sharma’s Sattriya performance at 6.45 p.m. Kuchipudi performance of Sreelakshmi Govardhanan and group will be the final event of the day at 8 p.m. Aishwarya Meenakshi’s Kuchipudi at 6.15 p.m, Sujata Mohapatra’s Odissi at 6.45 p.m and Meera Das and Group’s Odissi performance at 8 p.m., Sunitha Vimal’s Bharatanatyam at 9 p.m. are the events on February 19. On the concluding day, February 20, Arjun Subramanian will perform Bharatanatyam at 6.15 p.m.. Dr Neena Prasad’s Mohiniyattam at 6.45 p.m., followed by Thingom Brojen Kumar Singha & Group’s Manipuri dance performance at 8 p.m. and Priya Acote’s Bharatanatyam at 9 p.m. will be the final performances of the dance festival.
