Bharatanatyam Arangetram

It is indeed a great event for the parents who nourish very pleasant dreams about the future of their children. This Arangetram is the first realization of those dreams.

Bharatanatyam itself is a very significant art. It aids a human being in 'being' and 'becoming'. We are all beings, human or animal. Very few of us 'become', because 'becoming' is being elevated to a spiritual level. In a Bharatanatyam performance, the artist tries to 'become' the character he or she portrays, be it Shri Rama or Shri Krishna or Radha or any beloved consort, and mimics all actions of the Supreme, as best as could be. Therefore for the duration of the program, all participants in the program, the artists and the audience alike, elevate themselves to this spiritual dimension, which the Upanishads call: RASA - Raso Vai Sah - He is Bliss Personified.

Behind any short duration recital, there is intense "Tapasya" of several hundreds of hours of rigid practise and repetitive rehearsals. And all this is done to attain the spiritual dimension. Lord Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer, epitomizes this concept and vouchsafes this. We are sure that your daughter will receive his blessings in full measure.

Mi wife and I know Guru Vishal Ramani for over half a century - we have seen her grow in knowledge, aspirations and achievements. It is extraordinary to have been able to take a hundredth pupil to "Arangetram", especially considering the fact that none of us (not excluding Vishal herself) ever contemplated her becoming a Bharatanatyam Guru. This development is a culmination of Vishal's determination to achieve and her sincerity in whatever she was destined to do. She has struggled against odds to achieve the level of dignity and reputation that she has. We are not at all suprised that she could do it.

Much of what Samuel Johnson said of Oliver Goldsmith would apply to Vishal. "He (she) touched nothing that he (she) did not adorn."

We pray to God to continue to give her the strength and ability to take many more pupils to Arangetram. May your daughter remain devoted to the great art of Bharatanatyam and the symbolism behind it.

Sincerely,

Lalita and Narayanmurti