Sundara Kandam

Sundara Kandam, the ever-auspicious canto of the Ramayana, produced, choreographed and performed by Bharatanatyam dancer Lakshmi Ramaswamy along with three generations of her Sri Mudhralaya students, stood out for bringing forth the sensitive aesthetic skills of the choreographer with regard to its concept, narration and execution, all of which revealed dignity. Rajkumar Bharati’s excellent music set the right tone for the success of this lively production. The well-known story of Hanuman’s search for Seeta and handing over the choodamani to the devout messenger, his entry into Lanka and the associated episodes of his encounters and valorous deeds were set in a crisp dance narrative. Lakshmi had assigned two different dancers for the depiction of Hanuman in his two forms – his majestic form and the tiny form he adopts for his entry into Lanka. This was novel and interesting. The young dancers in both these roles were commendable. The music here for the entry of Hanuman (Veera dheera soora Hanuman) was catchy and enchanting.