In contrast to performing at an air-conditioned city hall, to a handful of rasikas, dancing in gay abandon before the thousands of devotees at a 10th cent. temple in south India, is an unimaginable experience...
It was one such that I was recently blessed with.

The occasion was 'Shivarathri'. Starting from February 18, 2004 (Mahashivarathri), some of the biggest Saivite temples in Tamil Nadu hosted 'Natyanjali', a festival of classical dances.

Performing on the occasion of Shivarathri, is like singing at the Thyagaraja Aradhana. For dancers, it is a time to dedicate their art as an anjali to lord Nataraja.

This past week, I had the opportunity to perform at the temples in Nagapatnam, Thiruvarur, Kumbakonam and Chennai. Boarding the Kamban Express at Tambaram in Chennai on the evening of February 17, we reached Nagapatnam, early morning the next day. Travelling on the same train were dancers Vijay Madhavan, Ravi Sharma, Dakshayani Ramachandran and her troupe. They were also performing at the Natyanjali fest.

The hosts here, drove us to a kalyana mandapam, where we were put up. Yummy south Indian breakfast and lunch (catered by Uma Restaurant) was also arranged at the mandapam. Nagapatnam is a town known for groundnut trade. Close to it are the Sikkil Singaravelan temple, the Velankanni church and the Nagore dargah. If you're a tourist, these are some of the must see places around this town.

For the occasion of Shivarathri though, the temple in Nagapatnam, dedicated to lord Kayarohana Swami (a form of Shiva) and the Neelayadakshi Amman, becomes the venue for the Natyanjali festival. Hosted within the temple premises, the fest here draws the local population. It is organised by a committee headed by businessman and arts promoter A. Paneerselvam. And dance guru Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam's Nrithyodaya in Chennai has been instrumental in co-ordinating the artistes who perform here. Of late, there has been a strong networking between Nagapatnam and Thiruvarur, another town about a 40-minute drive away. For the past seven years, a Natyanjali is being hosted at the huge temple dedicated to lord Tyagaraja Swami at Thiruvarur. As for me, soon after a 40-minute performance at Nagapatnam it was a quick drive to Thiruvarur, and I was just on time to go on stage again. Here too, the sprawling campus at the temple was filled with people, that evening being Shivarathri.

After the performance, we were taken around the temple and it was a unique spiritual experience to participate in the midnight Mahashivarathri pooja at the sannidhi of Tyagaraja Swami.The Natyanjali here is organised by M. R. Nandagopal of Mu.Ra.Sons, Thiruvarur in co-ordination with Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam's Nrithyodaya, Chennai. What needs to be mentioned is the meticulous networking between these two hosts and the local hospitality. There is a genuine warmth that you find in people here. It may be just the way they welcome you, or the arrangements that are made backstage or the way they fill you with food! They make sure it is a fulfilling experience for the artistes who perform here.

On day two of our trip, it was the exclusive 'degree kaapi' that welcomed us at Kumbakonam. A two-hour drive from Thiruvarur took us to this town of temples that is now ready for the 'Mahamaham' festival scheduled for March 6. This is a festival that is celebrated once in 12 years, and lakhs of people throng the huge 'Mahamaham' tank for a holy dip in the water here.

We made sure we took a keepsake picture of this tank, now surrounded by tight security. A Natyanjali Trust formed here in 2002, has been hosting the dance fest at the temple of Sri Aadikumbeshwara. This year, featured a three-day fest. What is unique here is the spectacular backdrop of the well lit temple gopuram. The make-shift stage is left uncovered on the top and opens into the sky. And this creates a picturesque scene for the audience, with the gopuram backdrop and the dancers creating beautiful visual patterns on the stage.

The programme here usually commences with performances by local talent. And on February 19, the line up of well known artistes included Meenakshi Chittaranjan, followed by Srekala Bharath and her students. Renowned Odissi artiste Sonal Mansingh performed with two of her students, one performing Odissi and the other, Bharatanatyam. And there were special honours from the Natyanjali Trust for Sonal Mansingh, who has been recently appointed as the Chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Following this was a sequence from the dance drama, 'Ambalathil Aadum Jothi' by Revathi Ramachandran and her sishyas. Here, the dancers in the attire of Shiva, Parvathi and Nandi, who performed to just rhythmic percussion sounds, drew a spontaneous applause.

Taking centrestage next was Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, who had her Kumbakonam fans cheering her as she made her entry. Following her Bharatanrithyam recital were more performances that went on till almost midnight.

Three women, Anusuya Janakiraman, Dr. Rama and Dr. Rajarajeswari, who were MCs here, did a great job of their role. They had matched their sarees too, on each of the three days of the fest.

On day three, we managed some shopping of pooja articles and dance accessories, which are Kumbakonam exclusives...And in the evening, it was a great experience to perform before the large gathering of devotees at the Sri Kumbeshwara temple.

Following a delay in the schedule of performances that evening, thanks to dancer Hema Sripal who preferred to dance for well over an hour (each dancer is allotted 30 minutes), the recitals of senior artistes like dance guru Chitra Visweswaran and actress-dancer Shobana fell much behind schedule. And just after my performance, it was a rushed drive (for almost an hour) to Mayiladuthurai, where we took the train at midnight to Chennai. Imagine my plight of removing the flowers and pins and the make-up in a racing car!

The Natyanjali circuit for me concluded with a performance at the famed Sri Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore in Chennai on February 22. And it was the concluding performance too at the five-day 'Nritya Stuti' dance fest hosted by dancer Ambika Kameshwar's Rasa, KutcheriBuzz and Mylapore Times, the neighbourhood newspaper.

The Navarathri mandapam here provides a unique ambience, both for the dancer and the audience. Adding to my orchestral music, the reverbrating sounds of the bells and the drums at the temple gave a soulful finale to my anjali to lord Shiva-Nataraja...