Nadamrutham By Kalashri Dr Lata Surendra, Nmacc
The Cube
Oct 24, 2025
An Ode unto Diksha it was absolutely through Nadamrutham – a visual prayer addressed unto her legendary Guru Vidwan Kalaimamani Shri T.S. Kadirvelu Pillai by Kalashri Dr Lata Surendra, the city’s very senior Artist in the field of Bharatannatyam for over six and half decades Nadamrutham was a dedicated disciple’s tribute unto the creative genius of her Guru , Kalaimamani Vidawan Shri T. S. Kadirvelu Pillai, at the intimate space of the Cube , NMACC ,Mumbai that had each rasika present , enter into a journey through an intriguing path – a margam to awaken to silence as the seed of all sound and stillness as the pulsating womb of all movement.
The programme was sponsored by the Reliance Cultural Foundation Known for establishing a one to one connect with the audience Dr Lata Surendra in her signature style of loftiness laced with humour led witnessing hearts to the pulsating romance of rhythms, poetry of love in union and seperation through the times.
“The Nadamrutham cosmos within the cube has two ‘suns’ today she said drawing attention to crisp Nattuvangam by Shri Kaliswaran Pillai and Mridangam by Mumbai K Dakshinamurthy – the two talented Suns creating waves in the rhythmic world of dance today ,the Sangeetamrutham by mellifluos vocalist Shri N.N.Shivaprasad , the stirring Violin by Satish Seshadri, mesmerising Flute by Shri Bharat Raj .
The performance commenced in a unique way through a choreography highlighting the eloquent poetry of silence and sound .One could hear Dr Lata’s meticulous and strong footwork resonate all around the Cube through an intricate calculation of her distinguished Mentor Shri Kadirvelu Pillai, which then unfolded the supreme effulgence of the Guru who awakened in her the truth of unity and the universe as an unfragmented reality embracing the one life force in all through an ongoing cyclic order ‘ Akhanda mandalakaram ‘ Very vivid sancharis brought out the deep truth encushioned in timeless lines by His Holiness Adi Sankara charya . One often sees dancers only touching on the superficial padartham of the lines, but the artist drew attention to every word in the lines. culminating in the greatness of the Guru- leading her from light to Light through lighting of the lamp within the temple of her heart! It opened out the pathways to notes embracing the Ragam Vasanta and a visually arresting Jathiswaram item not done by any of the senior artists today. The’Jathiswaram’ by Tanjore quartet was a visual delight and intriguing by virtue of its obvious cross rhythmic patterns in Rupaka thalam woven by the formidable Vidwan Guru Kadirvelu Pillai. The Nattuvangam by Kaliswaran and Mridangam by Dakshinamurthy with the complimenting vocals had all senses engulfed in the blissfulness of Nadamrutham unfolding through the experienced and consummate Artist.
What one marvelled at was Lata’s unflagging stamina. Post each item she quiet simply walked over to the waiting mike to reach out with eloquent details about the ensuing item. With a sense of humour that went well with the receptive audience she recounted the cyclic drama of life replayed over and over in age -old chronicles of love. The Padam- Netrandi Nerathile in Huseini by Subbarama Iyer – a prolific composer of Tamil padams in the late 19th century was a visual delight. Lata explained to the audience how it be the realm of the Gods or humans the age-old lover’s tiffs- be it’ shy sweetness of that first meeting or distressful tears of farewell ‘the plot embracing all navarasaa continues to engage life all around. She highlighted how the Raagam Husseini was just ideal for gentle roasting by the uttama nayika confronting her Lord Karthikeya.
In fact, she beautifully brought through a variety of ways the question that the Nayika gently kept nudging her beloved with as a refrain – “‘ in that golden twilight hour as women were bathing and as all nature sought to settle for the oncoming night who was she who kept seeking your attention and beckoning you towards her ? “Rarely do we see performers establish such a personal one to one connect with the audience. Lata took up another composition in Saveri by the same composer to underline how a proper Khandita nayika ..irate with the endless deception of her Lord confronts him with packed levels of sarcasm through evocative sancharis . The evening transformed to a visual SSatsang. Itwas a reaching out by an artist who loved her art and truly longed to have all love it through feeling for it as she did.
The Vocalist was in his elemit asploring the melody content as she explored the lyrical content with fluid intensity. The Varnam in Anandabhairavi, Adi thalam by Sivanandam Tanjore quartet was the highlight of the evening. The mathematical patterns in the nritta sequences of Varnam was unique with Mridangam Moras that were created by her legendary Guru instead of Jathis. The flourish and ease with which Lata tackled these merited an ongoing applause from the audience. The spell bound audience were totally captivated by the chemistry between the Orchestral support and the Artist. With expressions and movements, the Senior Artist brought to life the Nayika’s longing for her Lord Rajagopala . Persuasion on one side, reluctance on the other, longing on the one side and indifference on the other. There were fresh analogies drawn in the description of her Lord. In the highlighting of lyrics Lata mentioned how reading enriched and enhanced the depth vital to explore the content in the lyrics.
It was interesting to see her apply Surdas’s etching of how futile it was to compare Krishna to the world created by Him alone. The lotus and fish escaping to waters shying away from the beauty of his eyes, the moon hiding indark clouds seeing his effulgent face, the snakes slithering away to dark holes seeing the sinous strength of his hands .. The dilemma of Arjuna too ‘To be or not to be’ was veryloignantlybrought out. It was absolutely a command performance by a veteran.
The 12th Cy Poet Shri Jayadeva’s A shtapadi.- Priye Charusheelein in Ragam Vasanthi was deeply stirring and performed with intensity and sung with feeling by the experienced Vocalist Shri Shiva Prasad, wherein Krishna, after causing Radha pain, pleads for her forgiveness with deep love and humility, culminating in his earnest request to place her feet on his head. This act represented his complete surrender unto Radha …
The sublime union of krishnamayi Radha and Radhamayi Krishna unfolded to a Thillana in Behaag by Poniah Pillai. Nadamrutham truly impacted one and all present and proved that the dancer’s body at 71 is the visible form of an invisible passion,’ Dr Lata Surendra revealed not just her strength, but the heart and discipline that forged it.”
What stayed. long after the performance was the deceptive ease with which she navigated the most demanding sequences all through the performance. The precision was never sterile; it was the quiet confidence of a dancer completely in control. Witnessing her sustain that intensity was a lesson in dedication, a visual testament to the sentiment that, ‘True artistry isn’t just about what is seen, but about the unseen strength that makes the impossible look inevitable.’ This was a dancer who didn’t just perform; she persevered and became the dance!
Orchestral Support
Nattuvangam – Shri Kalishwaran K Kalishwaran K
Vocal support – Shri Siva Prasad N N Siva Prasad N N
Mridangam – Mumbai K Dakshinamurthy
Violin – Shri Satish Seshadri
Flute – Shri Bharat Raj
Lights – Sri Saurabh Tawde
[Review by Abhishek Dubey ]
A Divine Soulful Visual Ode To Diksha