Nandini Jayakumar shines in online cultural fest

Bharatanatyam dancer Nandini Jayakumar was the only Telangana artiste at the virtual Shraddhanjali festival held recently

With dance inherent in her very spirit, thanks to a family background rooted in arts, Bharatanatyam dancer Nandini Jayakumar is one of the rising stars in the classical art form. Trained since the age of five under the tutelage of well-known dance exponent Rajeshwari Sainath, the 24-year-old became one of the youngest artistes to be invited for the recently held “Shraddhanjali”. It was a five-day cultural festival hosted by Swaranjali Delhi and Dhruv Bose Foundation.

Nandini was the only artiste from the State to be invited to perform in the virtual festival that included the likes of Padma Shri awardee Pt Rajeev Taranath, Sujata Mohapatra, Sharon Lowen, Dr Padmaja Suresh, Pt Ramdas Palsule, etc.

The festival was an homage to classical art stalwarts who lost their life during the pandemic.

“It was a great honour for me to be invited for such a festival which included so many eminent artistes. It feels amazing that youngsters like me also got a chance to be part of this,” says Nandini whose performance was streamed online.

Trained in the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam, Nandini performed her original choreography beginning with a Hindustani bandish Paayal Baaje More set in Raag Bageshree. “It is a purely ‘expressions’ item that seeks to bring out the deepest emotions of Raadha, who is desperate to meet Krishna,” explains Nandini. The music was rendered by Gaurav Chanda. This was followed by a piece praising Lord Shiva called Natesha Kauthuvam.

“The last piece I performed was Thillana in Ragam Kadanakuthuhalam. I included elements of ‘Karanas’ (sculpture poses) in my choreography, along with technical movements to suit the musicality of the piece which was composed by Balamuralikrishna garu,” adds Nandini.

Dance may be her passion, but she is equally devoted to her academic achievements. She was the youngest representative at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 2016 held in Kenya when she was 18.

A student of IIT-Madras, she is currently pursuing a joint Master’s degree in Health Economics from the Universities of Bologna, Oslo, Erasmus Rotterdam, and Innsbruck under a European Union funded Erasmus Mundus scholarship. “I was supposed to be in Europe to attend classes, but the pandemic made me remain in the city. I’m balancing my time in preparing my first thematic solo performance and currently working on script and music. I hope to do a showcase next year,” signs off Nandini.

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