In an effort to promote the Indian art forms amongst the youth, Shivaji College (University of Delhi)
organized Virasat 2018, a cultural event in collaboration with SPIC MACAY, on 8th October 2018 in the
college auditorium.
The event was graced by renowned Bharatnatyam dancer and vocalist (Padmashri) Geeta Chandran and
the Santoor legend and music composer (Padmashri) Pandit Bhajan Sopori.
Vidushi Geeta Chandran, the recipient of the Padma Shri Award and the Sangeet Naatak Akadami Award
for dance, began her training in Bharatnatyam and Carnatic music at a tender age and today her
brainchild organization ‘Natya Vriksha’ focuses on organic and holistic methods to teach children the
classical dance.
With a spectacular rendition of Bharatnatyam dance, Ms. Chandran enthralled the audience, students
and faculty alike. She was also joined by her four accompanists S Shankar (Nattuvangam), K
Venkateswaran (Vocals), Manohar Balachandirane (Mridangam), Rajat Prasanna (Flute) and her dance
assistant Amrita Shruti.
It was indeed a wonderful treat for classical dance enthusiasts.
While the audience was spellbound by Geeta Chandran’s performance in the first half of the program,
the magic of the Indian art forms was reignited in the second half by renowned musical genius Pandit
Bhajan Sopori.
Awarded with titles such as “the saint of Santoor” and “the king of strings”, Sopori Ji has a double
Masters degree in Indian Classical music, specializing in both the Sitar and the Santoor and is the only
classical musician of the country to have composed music for around 6,000 songs in almost all the
languages of the country including various foreign languages.
The Santoor recital by Pt Sopori Ji captivated everyone in the audience. A music so peaceful and gracious
could only be produced by a maestro like Sopori ji. He was accompanied by Mithilesh Jha (Tabla), Varun
Rajasekharan (Gattam) and Rishi Shankar Upadhyay (Pakhawaj). The audience was spellbound by the
performance that lasted over an hour.
It was one of the most mesmerising and spellbinding event the college students and faculty have
witnessed so far.
Comments are closed.