Padma Shri Geeta Chandran narrates Krishna's lore through Bharatanatyam
Delhi-based classical dancer and vocalist Geeta Chandran returns to stage to present Govinda Gatita ahead of Janmashtami.
Graceful movements weave a tale of devotion and celebration, as Padma Shri Geeta Chandran embodies the essence of Lord Krishna’s journey. The Bharatanatyam dancer and vocalist’s new choreography, Govinda Gatita, thus takes shape.
Taking to stage after three years, ahead of Janmashtami (September 7), she is all set to express her dedication to the deity through this recital. “Since past 30 years, I have been visiting Vrindavan almost regularly and have been greatly inspired by the Krishna-lore that makes me seek inspiration for this choreography,” says Chandran, who has pursued her senior research fellowship in Haveli Sangeet. She further adds, “Bringing the myths and rituals around Lord Krishna itself is an enchanting experience for me. Putting it together in a two and a half hour solo makes me revisit a lot of pieces that I hadn’t done since a long time, and with Krishna it’s always a bit layered as each time I do it, I do it differently.”
Calling this performance as more intense than her previous ones, which is a result of her learnings from the Covid times, she will begin with an ode to Lord Vishnu, the preserver, who takes birth as Lord Krishna. Celebrating Krishna’s childhood with the poetry of Parmanand and Vidyapati, Chandran has created the opus especially for this performance. She explains, “I am besotted with Krishna and have been composing songs that highlight different aspects of our relationship with Krishna. Govinda Gatita is a grand summation of that passion. The music is a composition of Sundara Gopalam with selected verses from Vallabhacharya’s Sri Nandakumarashtakam. It’s choreographed as a piece that celebrates Krishna’s consciousness in its most complete form of bhava, katha, abhinaya and natya.”
Catch It Live
What: Govinda Gatita
Where: Chinmaya Mission, 89, Lodi Estate, Lodhi Road
When: September 2
Timing: 7pm
Nearest Metro Station: Jor Bagh on the Yellow Line