A Bharata-Natyam Star Is Born - Aneka Naidoo

A New Bharata Natyam Star Is Born – Aneka Divyarupa Naidoo
Bharata Natyam's latest graduate, 14-year-old Aneka Divyarupa, made a "scintillating" dance debut before an appreciative audience at the Coast of Dreams in Durban on Sunday.
The Grade 9 Crawford College schoolgirl, looking radiant and ravishing and wearing five outfits in splash of colour, elegance and exuberance, fascinated the 300 guests during her two hour-long performance at the weekend.
Her baptism of fire in the ancient art of south Indian classical dancing culminated in five years of training and tutelage by renowned dance teacher and singer Kumari Ambigay.
To the lilting songs and tunes of Kumari Ambigay and her musicians, ranging from Pillayaar, an invocation dance, to Makan Chor, a Hindi bhajan set to the leelas of little Lord Krsna, Aneka Divyarupa excelled beyond expectations with her rhythm, striking poses, timing and her myriad of brilliant facial expressions.
Her colourful graduation ceremony and ritual, known as Arangetram, was roundly endorsed by applauses, thereby paving the way for to undertake another six-month rigorous course towards become a Bharata Natyam dance tutor.
Ever since she was a little girl, Aneka Divyarupa was inspired by Bollywood screen icon Rani Mukerjee's spectacular sequence of the Bharata Natyam dance on the big screen. She has not looked back and five years later, she has earned the title, "Natyamanni" and will be referred to as Natyamanni Aneka Divyarupa. Her middle translates into the "Many divine forms of Lord Vishnu".
Interestingly, when she is not dancing with bells on her feet and waxing lyrical on stage, she assists her parents, Dr Lochan Naidoo and Julie Naidoo at the family-owned medical and drug rehabilitation centres in Merebank in Durban South and the Gateway complex in Umhlanga.
Speaking at the graduation, Dr Ronnie Pillay, leading pediatrician and executive deputy member of the South African Tamil Federation, said he was impressed by how Aneka Divyarupa combined her studies, extra-curricular dance activities in one of the world's most complex and intricate dance forms while showing compassion in her part-time work among youth and adults battling drug and alcohol addiction and abuse at the family-owned facilities.
"At her age, Aneka Divyarupa is leaving footprints for other young people to follow the pathway of an ancient dance that was almost discarded by the British Raj during the reign of colonialism in India. Fortunately, this dance form was resurrected by visionaries and its beauty and glory continues to inspire us in a rainbow nation where multiculturalism and cultural diversity has become the norm in the new South Africa," Dr Pillay said.
eThekwini Municipality Deputy Mayor Logie Naidoo said he had attended dance graduations for almost a decade in political office, but was taken aback by the graduate's "stunning performance".
"I have often marveled at the passion, and exuberance displayed on stage by dancers such as Aneka Divyarupa. This unique dance form, though taxing and punishing in the run-up to the graduation, teaches young people life skills and core values such as discipline, focus, dedication, courage, perseverance, resilience, right living, personality development and respect and tolerance for others," said Naidoo.
"As you take your quantum leap into professional dance tutelage, put your best foot forward and dance and dance as if no one is looking at you."
In the Indian arts and culture world, Bharata Natyam is a classical dance originating in Tamil Nadu, a state in South India. This popular dance is said to be a 20th century reconstruction of Cathir, the art of temple dancers and derived from ancient dance forms. Bharata Natyam is accompanied by classical carnatic music, as displayed by a tight-knit musical troupe of singers and musicians who provided the Kumari Ambigay Dance Institute's 97th graduate with lilting music, bhagans and recitals.
Presenting a certificate of competence, Kumari Ambigay described her protégé as an "extraordinary candidate who had performed from heart beyond all expectations".
Proud parents Lochan and Julie Naidoo had last words: "Our third child has lived up to her name and today holds our attention and makes us reflect on our divinity and unconditional love for the Supreme Lord. She was motivated by actress Rani Mukerjee. She epitomizes youthful culture and energy in a changing social landscape where our young people are faced with western culture and the advent of technology gadgets."
Apart from dancing, Natyamanni Aneka Divyarupa loves animals, horse-riding, golf, cycling and assists at the family's addiction treatment centres.
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