| Indians living in this country are so worried about losing their culture, says Meena Telikicherla, that they make a real effort to keep it going. As a performer, choreographer and teacher of the classical dances of South India for 50 years, Telikicherla has been doing her part.
She is artistic director of Nrityanjali, an adult dance troupe and a classical Indian dance school in Gaithersburg where Telikicherla has lived since 1985. Students of all ages come from as far as Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Frederick to study there. Telikicherla herself often travels to India to perform in dance festivals and danced recently at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery in connection with the exhibit "Devi: The Great Goddess."
"I take it very seriously. For me, this is my life. I want to show the rest of the art community how beautiful this art form is," she says. Indian classical dance has three basic forms, she explains. "They are very stylized forms, comparable to ballet but the nature of the dance is different," she says. They have a spiritual background, very intricate footwork, hand language and many techniques of facial expression. The dances tell many stories about gods and goddesses. Most of the dances originated from temples 2,000 years ago, she says.
How beautiful this art form is will be evidenced on Saturday when Nrityanjali presents "Shantala," a Bharatanatyam style dance drama. Telikicherla will dance the title role of Queen Shantala. Kiran Subramanyam, who she calls "one of India's leading dancers," will portray King Vishnuvardhana. Initially staged in Gaithersburg eight years ago, "Shantala" depicts the historica: story of the 12th-century king and queen who were instrumental in constructing th~ Temples of Belur and Halebib in Karnataka and promoting dance and music.
The story traces the childhood of young Shantala (danced by Sumita Nair and Puja Telikicherla at different ages) and later reflects on the profound religious sacrifices the queen made in her life. Credited with the concept, choreographV and direction, Telikicherla worked on the production for a year. In addition to the research she did, she got the costumes from India and arranged for several Indian musicians to come to this country. They stay for six weeks, she says, and work with the company.
The music for the performance was composed by local musician Usha Char. The script is by Professor S.K. Ramachandra Rao.
Featured vocalists are Babu Parameswaran, whom Telikicherla calls "one of the most talented musicians in India," and Subhashini
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Krishnamurti from India. The musicians include Haribabu (mridangam, percussion), Pushpa Kashinath (veena, a classical string instrument), Loka Shankar (bamboo flute) and Sandhya Srinath (violin)
The performance was originally planned for the Performing Arts Center at Montgomery College-Rockville. That theater, however, is undergoing renovations. Telikicherla isn't worried about the change in venue to Beltsville. Since she expects people to come from Baltimore, Philadelphia and parts of New Nersey for the performance, it's a central location, she say. The performance is made possible in part by a grant from MEGAXESS, a quality and service assurance company in Germantown. The parent company is Swedish, but the top official here is Indian. Think globally, act locally, as they say.
Close to home, another group is working to bring their culture to the community. Three hours of continuous entertainment will highlight the Ahimsa Youth Organization's "Festival of South Asia" on Saturday starting at noon at the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center in Silver Spring.
Ahimsa literally means non-violence, says AYO founder and director Ashish Dashottar. He takes this definition a step further, identifying it as "a method of binding individuals together." The free festival aims to introduce non-natives the cultures of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh through music and dance. It serves to introduce South Asians to each other's regions as well.
Performers are area youth, ranging in age from 8 to 22 years old. The entertainment will include about 20 cultural presentations that representatives from the various regions have been working on since March, Dashottar says. The festival will also feature an exhibit by the renowned Indian Photoglaoher Rajan Devadas and a fashion show. A South Asian lunch, prepared by India Grill of Rockville, will be available for a nominal fee. Food will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ahimsa previously produced a successful "Festival of India: A Village Bazaar" at the Capital Children's Museum.
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