IN STEP WITH THE SACRED

Kuchipudi dancer Amrita Lahiri, and musician Chandana Bala Kalyan, students of Delhi guru Leela Samson, bring their production, 'Mandala', to the city

- SONU M KOTHARI

Classical musician Chandana Bala Kalyan's melodious ragas, and classical dancer Amrita Lahiri's vivid choreography, wove together mysticism and spiritual symbols such as Mandala artwork in a captivating blend of movement and rhythm. The stage where they performed this was the Serendipity Art Festival 2023 in Goa to explore divine symbolism. Following the positive response they received at this 15-day celebration, the artists, along with their director Leela Samson, are set to tour other Indian cities. After staging the performance in Bengaluru and Chennai in November, they will be in Delhi on December 13.

Titled 'Mandala', this production is a path that traverses the many stages of love, from disappointment to separation, to eventually come to an understanding that we are all similar at our core. "Mandala art is about concentric circles, finally arriving at the core, the centre. This project's journey is similar. It starts with a devotee and the outermost layer of devotion. It goes through themes of Shringara (love), Viraha (separation), Maya (illusion), and Aikya (dissolution)," explains Chandana, a multi-genre musician from Mumbai.

Understanding the divine