one night at Harvard university...

what a night!! .. what a fantastic night man, I just got back from probably one of the most innovative performances ever! ... brilliant would be an understatement in terms of the quality of themes that they used, the choice of music.. the choreography... the everything!!

And what am i talking about? well, I of all people, am talking about a Bharatanatyam performance! My maiden trip to the U.S has been a very satisfying one, in terms of the fact that I've been able to accomplish whatever I had planned, meeting friends, family and also explore the place to an extent. But this, had to be the icing on the cake. I had a glimpse of the life of few students, ABCDs mostly, in one of the most prestigious institutions of the world. It so happens that one of my cousins in NY whose daughter is studying at the university was participating in an ethnic cultural event of sorts in which they were performing BharataNatyam.

Growing up in Vashi, New Bombay, my parents have not inculcated certain values that other tam-bram families do; which includes learning and actively following CARNATIC music and Bharatanatyam. So I have been to very few performances of this sort, frankly, I get BORED since I do not really understand what's being portrayed.

But I went anyway, point was to spend time with my cousins. The auditorium was quite packed by the time we arrived. A mix of a lot of Abcds, few Asians and Amrus. The concert ensued, these 20 odd girls had obviously been trained since thier childhood, and even more obvious was that they were super talented and hard-workers. The manner in which they went about the show was very professional, one of the dancers always made it a point before every piece, to come and explain every move and step that they would use during the piece, and this made the whole show extremely clear to the audience as to what exactly was being conveyed. It wasnt just mythological bullshit, but a mix of modern ideas and scenes from daily life that they portrayed. It wasnt just carnatic music in the background, but from A.R Rahman to Asturias, I heard it all, from the movie Black to the crucification of christ, I saw it all, it really was fantastic to a layman like me. And this was all happening in Cambridge, MA!

I had come to visit the campus, the historical city and capture a few moments through my lens but had been given more than what I had asked for... end of part 1 of 2...