Dances to benefit convicts' children

It is the innocent children who suffer when their parents are convicted. They are left to fend for themselves and forced to lead a life of shame and neglect. SOCARE IND is a unique NGO which focuses on helping the children of convicts serving long sentences in Indian prisons.

In aid of SOCARE IND, Aakash Ganga - The Foundation for Indian Fine Arts, in association with Xcel2Pinnacle and the Hindu Endowments Board, is presenting Rama Katha by acclaimed bharatanatyam artiste Sathyanarayana Raju.

In the world of Apsaras and Urvashis that is ruled by the fairer sex, Sathyanarayana has managed to carve a niche for himself. He trained in bharatanatyam under the late Sangeet Natak Academy awardee Guru Narmada and in kathak under the late Dr Maya Rao in India.

Sathyanarayana has received many prestigious awards including the Kempegowda Award from the Karnataka government and the Narthaka Nipuna Award from the Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India. He has also performed extensively within India and abroad.

Through Rama Katha, a solo bharatanatyam dance production, Sathyanarayana will showcase the various characters that had an impact on Lord Rama's life, including his parents Kousalya and Dasharatha, his consort Sita, hunchback maid Manthara, his ardent devotees Guha, Shabari, Hanuman and his arch rival Ravana.

Spanning a multitude of languages from Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada to Hindi and embracing popular compositions by Tulsidas, Thyagaraja and Purandara Dasa, Rama Katha reiterates the values of the story of Lord Rama with a gamut of emotions (rasas) that flow through the dance.

Sathyanarayana's intense performance, which has received rave reviews worldwide, is accompanied by live music.

Rama Katha will be performed at PGP Hall, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Oct 24 at 7.30pm.

For tickets, call 8146-5440.

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