Bharatanatyam By Shirisha Shashank

The 38th Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh is being organized by the Department of Culture, together with Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj. It is a 3-day music festival, from 29th November to 1st December, and is being conducted at the Chowmahalla Palace. Performers during the festival include Bharatanatyam dancer Shirisha Shashank, sitarist Manju Mehta, flautist Master S Akash, tabla player Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Saxophonist Kadiri Gopalnath, and vocalists Pt. Sanjeev Anhayankar, Ankita Joshi and Madhup Mudgal.



On the inaugural day, Shirisha Shashank will perform a Bharatanatyam recital, at 7:30pm. Wife of flautist Shashank, Shirisha had her debut Bharatanatyam performance at Bangalore in 1990, and is a rising star in the field.



Shirisha began training when she was 5, under Shyamala Murali, and later specialized under Radha Sridhar of Bangalore. During her stint with Radha Sridhar, she performed both as a soloist and also as a component of over 200 ballet productions. Narmada of Bangalore was another of her gurus.



Shirisha also learnt Kuchupudi for a few years from Veena Murthy of Bangalore, and vocal music for over 10 years. She has choreographed several dance dramas. Shirisha is currently undergoing training under danseuse Priyadarshini Govind and Prof. C V Chandrashekar of Chennai.



Shiri has enthralled audiences both in India and abroad, including in the UK, USA and the Gulf. She has performed in prestigious venues that include Krishna Gana Sabha, Bharat Kalachar, Hampi Utsav, Kadambotsav, Tunga Festival, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (London), Surdhwani at Wolverhampton, and for Milap at Salford Quays in Manchester, Mexican Heritage Theater, San Jose; and Texas Tech, Lubbock, to name a few.



In memory of his late father Pandit Motiram and his brother Pandit Maniram, Pandit Jasraj, in association with the Department of Culture, organizes an annual music festival in Hyderabad. It was being held at the Nizam College grounds, which was where his father and his brother taught music to several students. However, since 2009, the venue has been shifted to the Chowmahalla Palace. Started in 1972, this festival is on for the 38th year.



Entry to the samaroh is free. Please contact the Department of Culture at 2324-2482 for further details.