This being our maiden visit to the USA as an institution and as ambassadors of Indian culture, we were determined to do both Abinaya Natyalaya and our guru really proud. Although we were to be away from home for a fairly long period, we knew that with Kumari akka we were in the safest of hands. Our stay on the first day in the United States began with chaos, for several pieces of luggage just didn’t arrive when they should have.

It was only after several phone calls to the airlines that most of our luggage was brought to us. To prolong the tension, the entire luggage of two of the girls, only reached Pittsburgh, on the day of the performance. At that point all we could do was hope that this would be our first and last mishap.

Our first week whizzed past in a whirlwind of rehearsals. We had learnt a good part of the production 'Sri Venkatadri Vaibhavam', and we now had to co-ordinate with the dancers from the US. Daya Ravi and Indu Minisandram, both very senior students of Abinaya Natyalaya joined us, along with Ramya Kasthuri from New Jersey. Incidentally, Daya Ravi co-ordinated and arranged the entire schedule of programmes in the USA.

Tensions of staging a Premiere
We left for Pittsburgh on 28th June. Tension ran high for this was going to be our very first show, the premiere of 'Sri Venkatadri Vaibhavam'. The next day was our final rehearsal on the stage and then, a major shock! Bad news - colleague Archana is very sick and has been admitted to the hospital. We rehearsed but our minds were filled with apprehension about what would happen the next day.

The fabulous Puliyodharai went unnoticed. At the temple, all of us prayed fervently. They say that group prayers are always answered. Well, ours certainly were. Archana joined us late that afternoon, tired but physically in better health. That was half the battle won . . .

The tension of the previous day notwithstanding, the programme was a roaring success. We were met with a prolonged and continuous standing ovation that far exceeded our expectations.

We returned to Maryland on Sunday, the day after the programme. In the week that we had before we left for the next programme, our hosts took us to see Washington D.C, as it is in resplendent glory by night. The Fourth of July fireworks at the Washington Monument were simply spectacular. The steps of Capitol Hill were hidden by the surging crowds that lined its steps and flowed all the way across the open ground all the way to the Monument. For those twenty minutes we were transported to a whole new world, as we stood transfixed by the almost magical dialogue of light and sound. It was an evening, the memory of which we will always cherish.

Sights and sounds of fests and museums
We left for Detroit on Friday, the 6th July. Our production 'Muthamizh Muzhakkam' organised as part of the Annual Tamil Convention, at the Millenium Theatre in Detroit, was enthusiastically received by the 1000 plus Tamil audience. The reverence with which Tamils living abroad look upto their language, was indeed a pleasant revelation.

It was then back to base camp in Maryland, for another week before we left for a month long tour of various other cities in the USA. In the meanwhile, we were once more treated to some other sights of Washington D.C. Animal lover that I am, our trip to the National Zoo, was for me a delightful experience.

The entire Smithsonian Mall, took us the better part of a day. After the dismal state of the museum in Chennai, it was a real pleasure to see so many really good, well-maintained museums, invaluable repositories of knowledge. I don’t mean to put down the facilities back home, but it distresses me no end that the authorities in India don’t consider the valuable pieces that our museums possess worth preserving for all time.

On 15th July, Sunday, we presented 'Sri Venkatadri Vaibhavam' for the second time at the Sri Siva Vishnu temple, Lanham. Forgive me for a little immodesty, but it is with a great deal of pride that I say we had a houseful show. People had to stand for want of room.

Our trip to the Niagara Falls was a gift from Kumari akka, a gift each of us value and cherish, for it was one of the many highs of our tour. As all of us love the water, there was no dearth of enjoyment. People might has considered us slightly mad, but we took the 'Maid of the Mist' Ferry ride twice, reveling in the blinding whiteness of the Horseshoe falls!

Hosts make your trip!
Next stop - New Jersey; our hosts Mrs. and Mr. Kasthuri. After the excitement of Niagara, we were ready for more. We had just one day to see New York, but it seemed a little complicated to arrange.

It was then that Dr. Raghunath, our host in New York, restored our faith in human nature. He was determined that we shouldn’t leave without seeing Manhattan. He drove a fifteen-seater van form Long Island, New York, all the way to New Jersey, and then took us on a whirlwind tour of the Big Apple. Starting with the hustle and bustle of Times Square, we quickly visited the UN Building and the Empire State building, winding up with a breathtaking view of New York City from the Top of the World (literally) Trade centre.

Back in New Jersey, we had a very successful show at the Middlesex Vocational Training School, for the Bridgewater Temple on the 21st July. We moved to Flushing Temple, the next day... The auditorium at Flushing was one of the best that we danced in. We were individually honoured with the title, 'Nritya Kala Seva Niratha' and our guru was awarded the title 'Nritya Kala Seva Rathna'. The certificate and a lovely silver coin engraved with the imposing figure of the Vallabha Ganapathi, Flushing, are for us valuable mementoes of that programme.

Dallas and dance workshops
Next was Dallas. The dance workshops began the same day. They were organised by Madhushri Raj Sethuraman, who was also our host. That week went by in helping Kumari akka with the workshop. As a dancer, I must make a mention of Madhushri’s daughter Shilpa. That she is an exceptional dancer, is an understatement. All of ten years old, petite and charming, Shilpa stole our hearts with her dance. Another person who attended the workshop was Sterling Hart, an American, who flew all the way from Iowa, to learn from our guru. For all of us who worked with him, it was indeed heartening to see so much enthusiasm and love for an Indian art from.

We drove to Houston. In fact it was Sterling who drove the fifteen seater to Houston and back. The programme was, with the grace of the presiding deity Meenakshi, a success, the tiny stage notwithstanding. In Houston, we once again had an audience that were so appreciative of the Tamil content of the programme.

Then, back to Dallas, for our next show. Things seemed to move in fast forward gear. The programme was held at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre, Dallas, under the auspices of the India Fine Arts Academy. The committee members of the India Fine Arts Academy, had hosted a magnificent dinner at the Madras Pavillion Restaurant. What was significant to us as artistes is that at every point we were accorded so much respect and cordiality.

On 30th morning, we flew right across the USA to San Francisco, a city that all of us fell in love with.

Wonder-eyed travellers
On 31st July, we were in for a pleasant surprise. Two people, Ms. Jyothi and Mr. Rajendra, offered to take us around San Francisco. First stop 'Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39. The place with its quaint old world charm was fascinating. We wound our way down the world’s crookedest street, Lombard Street, and then it was straight to the Famous Golden Gate Bridge. Partially covered in mist, with the clouds drifting across our faces, the imposing Golden Gate treated us to an awesome experience.

We had seen an I-MAX show about Adventures in Wild California, in which were featured the giant redwood trees, native to California. Our visit to the Muir Woods, the beginning of the Californian Redwoods, was therefore a dream come true. Standing in the shadow of these natural giants, barely a fraction of the height of these imposing trees, was awesome.

That same week we visited the Livermore Temple, for whom we were presenting 'Sri Venkatadri Vaibhavam', as a fund raiser. After a very satisfying darshan, some of us went with Kumari akka, to Berkely, to meet Katherine Kunhiram, one of the seniormost students of the Dhananjayans. We consider the interface as time very well spent.

The 3rd of August was a very exciting day. Our programme in Los angeles was scheduled on the 4th August, and we took a flight to LA from San Francisco early. Kumari akka had arranged for us to be picked up at the airport and then dropped right away at the Universal Studios, Hollywood. We had only one full day in LA apart from the day of the programme, but that one day that we spent at Hollywood, was among the most precious of the time we spent in the USA. Luckily for us, when it comes to having fun, Kumari akka, stops being just a guru. A terrific sport she is game for anything, which is why being at Universal Studios was all the more fun.

San Francisco makes stars of us
The programme which was a fund raiser for the Livermore temple was extremely well organised, right from hospitality to the publicity and the arrangements for the programme itself. For us it was quite thrilling to see our faces staring back at us from posters stuck at numerous malls, restaurants and other places all over San Francisco. We performed at the Chabot College Theatre, to a thousand strong audience. The stage, lighting and acoustics were excellent, and we enjoyed performing.

After nearly three weeks of rather hectic travelling, we flew back to the east coast to Charlotte on the 6th August, to a few days of rest and relaxation. At Charlotte we were hosted by Indu Minisandram, also a senior student of Abinaya Natyalaya. We shopped enthusiastically, for this was our last stop, before we headed back to Maryland.

Indu akka, who runs a branch of Abinaya Natyalaya in Charlotte, presented the first arangetram of her school on the 11th August. That all of us were present on the occasion was a very happy coincidence, the realisation of Indu akka’s fondest dream.It was so wonderful that all of us, especially our guru were there to share the memorable occasion. It was so heartening to see the respect and love with which Indu akka presented our guru on the stage. In an age where, conflicts between gurus and their students who in turn become teachers are so prevalent, this occasion was for all of us a valuable lesson.

'Sri Venkatadri Vaibhavam', was performed on the 12th August, under the auspices of the Classical Music Association of Charlotte, at a High School auditorium. Despite, a power failure as a result of which the air conditioning was disrupted and we had a few problems with the DVD projector due to the power shortage, we had a wonderful audience, who put up with the inconvenience and stayed to cheer us until the end of the programme.

We drove to Atlanta on the 18th August, and presented 'Muthamizh Muzhakkam' at the India American Cultural Centre, under the auspices of the Georgia Tamil Sangam. While the stage, lights and the acoustics left much to be desired, the programme, which elaborated on the beauty of Iyal, Isai and Nataka Thamizh, was very well received. We flew the same night to Washington.

Next stop - Sri Murugan Temple of Baltimore, for our last show, 'Muthamizh Muzhakkam'.It was with an immeasurable pride and joy that we took the curtain call on our last show, exhilarated by the success of our tour around the USA.

Wonderful hosts of Natyalaya
At this point I wish to acknowledge once more Daya akka and her husband Ravi who were responsible in no small measure for Abinaya Natyalaya’s successful tour of the USA. Travelling with two small children Daya akka made so many sacrifices to ensure that we were happy and comfortable and that every programme went on well. I must appreciate Ravi’s magnanimity and tolerance, for he was totally abandoned for the one month that Daya akka was travelling with us.

The next two days passed in whirlwind of packing and going out to lunch and dinner. It was a moment of triumph, when we finished after a sleepless night, to see that everything had been put in somewhere, somehow. Imagine then our plight when the personnel checking us on board the Virgin Atlantic Flight, made us repack our hand luggage, due to weight restrictions.

It was then twenty minutes of utter madness, as we wrestled open our larger boxes, trying to find space for just a little more. Our flights on Srilankan Airways had been rescheduled, courtesy the explosion at the Bandarnaike Airport in Colombo, and we were to spend a full day in Colombo until we got our connecting flight to Chennai. We spent the whole day in Colombo at the Pegasus Reef Resort, far away from the city, a few minutes from the harbour, sleeping blissfully. Then, the flight back home . . .

Praise for Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
That both Sri Venkatadri Vaibhavam and Muthamizh Muzhakkam were a tremendous success is a happy fact. The success of these productions is entirely attributable to a few important people. Dr. Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, the world renowned violin vidwan, was the person who cast a spell with his superlative music.

If our performance was appreciated, then that appreciation is undoubtedly the result of his excellent music. In fact in many of the places that we performed in, people hoped that he would make a personal appearance. And credit for the creative choreography goes to our guru.

The popular comment that people had to make after seeing 'Sri Venkatadri Vaibhavam', was that they had been given a free trip to Tirupathi. That alone, was well worth all the sweat and hard work.