Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati on October 12 was agog with activities as 29 up and coming Bharatnatyam artistes performed their arangetram before a packed audience. The evening of Bharatnatyam dance recital and arangetram ceremony was organised by Anusuya Dance Academy, a leading institute of the city imparting lessons on the classical dance.

The evening started with the formal lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Guru Anu Basumatary Patra, followed by felicitation of distingushed guests — Sabin Rajkhowa, secretary of Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Rajen Hazari, principal of the State Music College, and Dulal Roy, noted theatre personality. They later handed over the diplomas to the 29 budding dancers – Alpana Deka, Ankita Sharma, Anuja Goswami, Arindita Borpujari, Ashlesha Sharma, Ayusmita Choudhury, Barnali Deka, Barsha Choudhury, Barsha Deka, Bhanti Rekha Brahma, Biswarupa Das, Chayanika Dutta, Chirantana Borthakur, Diksha Das, Disha Roy, Dubori Haloi, Epsita Das, Gayatri Dihingia, Himakshi Laskar, Jahnavi Medhi, Jyotismita Das, Kalpana Gogoi, Kironmoyee Baruah, Mamata Trikhatri, Pallavi Borthakur, Pompy Gogoi, Pujashree Mahanta, Sujaya Rajkhowa and Sushmi Deb.

The dance items began with Pushpanjali by the disciples of Anu Basumatary Patra, a fine danseuse herself who took her early lessons of Bharatnatyam under the tutelage of Guru Pushpa Bhuyan, being a student of the first batch, receiving the diploma from none other than Hema Malini. Pushpanjali was followed by Guru Vandana and Shiva Vandana (Jaya jaya Sambhu) where the dancers paid tributes to their teacher and the Nataraj Lord Shiva, who is considered supreme in Indian dance tradition.

Then the students of the dance institute came on stage, batch by batch, both the pass-outs as well as the learners, to present a multitude of dance programmes like Pada Nritya, Ganesh Kavutwam, Allaripu, Nataraj Anjali, Swaravali, Jatiswaram, Rukmini Kirtanam, Shabdam, Shiv Kriti and Tillana. It was nice to see the kids as also the young talents dance in close coordination with the beats with graceful body movements. So polished was their performance that their different mudras with hand, feet movements and excellent eye work kept the audience mesmerised throughout the entire programme.

It may be mentioned here that Anu Basamatary Patra is also a Visharad degree holder from Bhatkhande Music College, Lucknow and has earned plaudits with her dance performances at various festivals and fairs like Vasanta Utsav at Shantiniketan, All Assam Satriya Samaroh, International Trade fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, etc. She is also connected with television serials through acting and choreography.

Established in 1995, her dance school – Anusuya Dance Academy at Beltola, Guwahati has so far trained 70-odd diploma holders and a good number of them have also won scholarships from the Centre for Cultural Research and Training under the Union Ministry of Culture.

Bornali Konwar