At sundown, a group of girls, aged between 10 and 18, goes to the Sivalayam at Kuchipudi village in their resplendent dance costumes.
The chime of their anklets fills the air as they match steps with that of their guru Chinta Ravi Balakrishna as part of their rehearsal just before the start of a cultural event being held in connection with the village’s annual festival, Goddess Bala Tripura Sundari’s Kalyanotsavam. They are about to perform a solo repertoire.
Five-day festival
The five-day annual festival, which began on March 20 (Wednesday), is one of the major events in the village where the dance form, Kuchipudi, was born. Before the coronavius pandemic, the event would see the participation of noted Kuchipudi artistes from across the country. This year, more than 150 artistes from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are expected for the festival which will conclude on March 24.
Over the last two years, especially after the death of Kuchipudi doyen Pasumarthy Keshav Prasad, the number of artistes visiting the village has dwindled. The village lost six Kuchipudi gurus to the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, the responsibility of organising the festival has fallen on the shoulders of a few youngsters, all aged below 45.
“The event gives Kuchipudi dancers from across the world an opportunity to perform in front of the gurus, a cherished dream for many. Till his last breath, Keshav Prasad strove to organise the festival in a grand manner. But, for us, mobilising funds has become an uphill task,” says Mrutyunjay Sarma, Keshav Prasad’s son and a Kuchipudi guru. He works at a private school in Hyderabad.
Many of those performing during this festival have come without expecting a remuneration in return. But their accommodation, food, costumes are taken care of by the organisers. “If we had more funds, we could have invited more artistes. Though the festival is held at the temple that comes under the purview of the Endowments Department, we have never received any funds,” says Mr. Mrutyunajay Sarma, expecting some help from the State government.
Kuchipudi Natyaramam
The Kuchipudi Natyaramam, that the previous TDP government proposed to set up at the village in 2015, remains a distant dream. Also, the village neither has major hospitals nor hotels. The artistes, coming from across the country, have to stay in Vijayawada and travel to the village before their performances. “The government should take interest in organising programmes that give artistes like us a platform to showcase our talent,” Mr. Mrutyunjay Sarma said.
