Mumbai’s Saraswathy Kala Kendra & Research Centre (SKK) celebrated the auspicious occasion of Gurupurnima with a soulful Salangai Pooja, also known as Gajja Pooja. The ceremony honoured the sacred bond between guru and disciple while marking an important milestone in the journeys of eight young classical dancers.
Established in Mumbai in 1992–93, SKK has spent more than three decades nurturing students in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and semi-classical dance forms. The institution has trained and choreographed thousands of students and is affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Maha Vidyalaya and the Sangeet Natak Akademi. It is also a member of the International Council of Dance (CID), UNESCO and IWCF.
SKK has earned recognition through milestone achievements recorded in the Guinness World Records, Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records. The institution also continues to receive support from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
At the centre of SKK’s artistic journey is Guru Natya Sharada Smt. Subitha V. Murali, its Director and Principal. With more than three decades of experience in dance, she is a Nritya Visharad in Bharatanatyam and has trained in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi under Dr. Smt. Rajya Lakshmi Seth. She has also attended workshops conducted by the late Padma Bhushan awardee Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan.
Alongside her artistic accomplishments, Guru Subitha Murali holds postgraduate qualifications in Commerce and Economics and Business Administration. She also holds a Master’s degree in Indian Art & Culture from Mumbai University and a Master’s in Bharatanatyam from Tamil University, Thanjavur. She is currently pursuing research in the field. Her contribution to the arts and women’s empowerment was recognised with the title of Perfect Women Mrs India Intellectual 2018.
The Gurupurnima ceremony saw Harshini Reddy, Ritisha Kaushal, Mehika Sawant, Garima Pandey, Nishita Perumal, Adwita Ovhal, Saanvee Nayak and Meghana Kandivlikar receive their ghungroos from their Guru.
The ceremony followed traditional rituals involving rice and turmeric purification before the dancers began their performances. Harshini Reddy and Adwita Ovhal presented their recitals in Kuchipudi, while Ritisha Kaushal, Mehika Sawant, Garima Pandey, Nishita Perumal, Saanvee Nayak and Meghana Kandivlikar performed Bharatanatyam.
The repertoire featured a range of traditional pieces, including Poorvarangam, Pushpanjali, Vinayaka Kautvam, Ganesh Kautvam, Alarippu, Sabha Vandanam, Jatiswaram, Shabdam and Saraswathy Stuti.
The programme concluded with the vibrant Kuchipudi piece Manduka Shabdam, depicting the story of Gajendra Moksham, followed by Mangalam.
The occasion also brought together several respected personalities from the classical arts and entertainment fraternity. Chief guest Jyothy Venkatesh, senior film and entertainment journalist and Guru Rajendra Naidu, a renowned Bharatanatyam exponent, along with Gurus Shashi Ramesh, Uma Devi, Vidhya Sriram and Vijay Shankar, were felicitated by Guru Subitha Murali.
The ceremony also carried an emotional moment as the SKK family remembered the late Murali Kumar Bhaskaran, husband of Guru Subitha Murali and Secretary of SKK. He was remembered for his long-standing contribution as the voice behind SKK’s shows. The gathering observed a moment of silence in his memory.
Maitree Shastri, Disha Poojary, Sanchaiyta and Venkatesh Kumar hosted the event.
The musical accompaniment featured vocalist Sandhya Pishorady, mridangam artist Moovattupuzha R. Sakthidharan, violinist Guru Shekhar Tanjorkar and flautist Raghavendra Baliga. Makeup was handled by Anil Vasudevan, Shyama and Pooja Pandya.
Through its certificate courses, diplomas, Visharad programmes and Teachers’ Training courses, SKK continues to work towards its vision of becoming a full-fledged centre for dance learning. The Gurupurnima celebration reflected that larger mission by bringing together tradition, training, performance and the next generation of classical dancers.
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