Where Gods, Desire and Mortality Meet: A Classical Evening at NCPA
Bringing together two distinct approaches to storytelling through movement, music and expression, the evening moves from devotional celebration of the divine feminine to an exploration of human desire, worldly pleasure and the search for fulfilment.
The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) presents an evening of two classical Indian dance traditions with ‘Ode to Amba’, a Kuchipudi recital by Dr. Padmavani Mosalikanti’s Shivamohanam and troupe, and ‘Yayati – Desire and Life’, a Kutiyattam production by Sooraj Nambiar and troupe. Bringing together two distinct approaches to storytelling through movement, music and expression, the evening moves from devotional celebration of the divine feminine to an exploration of human desire, worldly pleasure and the search for fulfilment.
In ‘Ode to Amba’, Shivamohanam presents a Kuchipudi repertoire in praise of the goddess, beginning with an invocation to Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and learning, followed by a varnam in praise of Shakti. The recital also features Annamacharya’s ‘PalukuTenela Talli’, depicting the divine love between Venkateswara and his consort Padmavathi Devi, and concludes with a tillana. In contrast, ‘Yayati – Desire and Life’ turns to the story of the legendary King Yayati, drawing from the Mahabharata, Padma Purana and Vishnu Purana, as well as V. S. Khandekar’s celebrated novel and Girish Karnad’s play. Yayati, consumed by worldly pleasures, goes so far as to borrow the youth of his own son to prolong his life of indulgence, before arriving at a deeper realisation about desire and life. The production interweaves pakarnnattam, a hallmark technique of Kutiyattam.
Leading the Kuchipudi presentation is Dr. Padmavani Mosalikanti, a performer, nattuvanar, choreographer and guru. Along with her husband Jaikishore Mosalikanti, she has toured extensively in India and abroad with critically acclaimed duet performances and conducted workshops at major festivals and cities. The duo has established Shivamohanam in Chennai, which follows a multidisciplinary approach to teaching Kuchipudi, incorporating music, literature and yoga.
Sooraj Nambiar, who leads ‘Yayati – Desire and Life’, is a Kutiyattam director, actor and actor trainer, and a senior disciple of the legendary maestro Ammannur Madhava Chakyar. He has also trained under AmmannurKuttan Chakyar and G. Venu, and has performed in numerous Kutiyattam productions at national and international festivals. A recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (2009) and Kerala Kalamandalam Award (2023), he is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Tripudi – An Acting Laboratory.
Come and experience two distinct classical traditions as they explore devotion, desire and the human experience through dance and theatre.
Age Recommendation: 6+ | Late entry not permitted
