Kala Samarpan Festival: A Tribute to Indian Dance Legacy

A Report on the Kala Samarpan Festival and the SMT. ASHA JOGLEKAR SMRTI Award for 2025 Lata Mangeshkar Natyagruha at Mira Road is a modest shrine in Mumbai’s western suburbs that stands as a monument to the Indian musical legacy and the sacrifices made by its citizens. In honour of his late teacher, SMT. ASHA JOGLEKAR, Guru Chetan Saraiya chose Lata Mangeshkar Natyagruha on Mira Road to launch the KALA SAMARPAN FESTIVAL on March 18, 2025. Additionally, the “Asha Joglekar Smriti Award” was the first of its kind to have three honours announced at once. The recipients were chosen for honours because of their hard work, commitment, and enthusiasm for their field. They were leaders in Indian classical dance, had become respected teachers, and deserved this recognition.

During Deep Prajwalan, the evening’s principal guests, Guru Smt Dranjari Deo and Mr Shreeram Deo, lit a candle to mark the beginning of the event. Shri Br. Vikram Kumar and Shri Sai Venkatesh, who were invited as guests of honour, had also travelled from Bengaluru and Vishakhapatnam to attend this historic event. Ashishdada Joglekar, the son of Asha Joglekar, and art critic Guru Vijay Shankar were also in attendance.

Presenting the three honourees was Paullomi B. Mukherjee, a Kathak artist and Gurubehan of Smt Asha Joglekar. The inaugural recipient was Guru Smt Jayashree Nair, a celebrated Bharatnatyam and Mohiniattam performer and 20-year curator of the Natyanjali Festival at Subramania Samaj in Chembur. Guru Smt Radhika Sathe, a performer and teacher of Kathak, was the second recipient of the honour. Former visiting faculty at Mumbai’s Nalanda Dance Research Centre Smt. Radhika Sathe embodies the Jaipur Gharana and has been instructing students from Akola and Mumbai. Guru Smt Kashmira Trivedi, a Bharatanatyam performer and Upavan Festival representative from Thane, was the evening’s third honouree. The reward package includes a shawl, Shrifal, certificate, and monetary gesture to demonstrate the artist’s appreciation.

The honourees, or their students, who were also presented with YUVA KALA SADHAK PURASKAR, then took the stage to perform after the congratulatory remarks. The performance portion began with a Guru Vandana, a dance piece created and performed by Guru Chetan Saraiya’s students at his Nritya Tapasya institution. Mansi, Sanvi, Shruti, Kanchan, Drishya, and Ketaki were the pupils. As for the second act, it was put on by Mrs Amrita Nair, who had been trained at the academy of Guru Smt Jayashree Nair, Upasana. The Shankara TV show “Natyaratna,” which focusses on Bharatanatyam, featured Amrita, a rated artist from Mumbai DD, as one of its finalists.

Thanks to her understated portrayal of Lord Rama and his life’s journey, Amrita garnered acclaim from the crowd. Later on, Smt Radhika Sathe took the stage. She went through the eleven mantras of Ashtamangal Tal, beginning with Thaat and ending with the Tatkar. Her depiction of the Jaipur Gharana’s traditional bandishes was remarkably clear. The recorded version used the padhant of Guru Rajendra Gangani. At the end of her performance, she and her daughter, Ishani Sathe, performed a stunning Surdas Ashtapadi.

Guru Smt Kashmira Trivedi and her pupils were the featured performers in the fourth act. A Ganesh Stuti, choreographed by Guru Deepak Majumdar, was performed initially. Her students Madhura Pawakar, Swati Badle, Shruti Nair, and Dhakshita Shetty did justice to this homage to Ganesha. Following this, Guru Kashmira Trivedi delved into a Vatsalya Pada called “Krishna ni begane baaro,” which described a conversation between Krishna and Yashoda. It was a delight to observe the way Ma Yashoda and the infant Krishna were portrayed.

Guru Chetan Sariyya’s senior disciple, Dr Neeta Surve Deodhar, gave the second-to-last performance of the day. Neeta is an accomplished artist and educator who has integrated science into her life. She stunned audiences with her performances of Durga Struti, Shikhar Tal (17 mantras), and Gazal and was honoured with the Yuva Kala Sadhak Award. Her performances in the pure dance pieces and the Tandava and Lasya portrayals were equally impressive. Following the presentation of the Vote of Thanks by Guru Chetan Sarraiya, the Nritya Tapasya ensemble played the Hori.

(The late) Guru Smt Asha Jogleskar was born into an artistic and culturally rich family. The fact that Asha Mausi (as she was affectionately called) persevered from Wai to Pune to Mumbai while facing obstacles such as marriage, motherhood, and low economic status is a tribute to her bravery and belief in her devotion to Kathak. Nataraj Gopi Krishna and Smt Ramadevi Lacchu Maharaj, both from the Lucknow Gharana, were among her gurus. Archana Joglekar, Smriti Talpade, Ranjana Phadke, Dr Manjiri Deo, Vaishali Bhende, Shilpa Kantak, Darshana Khamkar, Prajakta Khadilkar, Ketaki Karve, Minoti Deshmukh, Deepali Vichare, Lata Bakalkar, Manisha Jeet, Radhika Phanse, Chetan Saraiya, Mayur Vaidya, Pallavi Degvekar, Phulwa Khamkar, and Urmila Kothare are all students of Asha Mausi who have worked tirelessly to establish themselves in the arts.

All of the aforementioned accomplished artists—Bhakti Bhatwadekar, Parinita Shah, Vaidehi Parashurami, Lalita Soni, Anu Lilani, Swapnali Kadam, and Gauri Vaidya—owe a debt of gratitude to their master. A large number of students came out today to show their support for Guru Chetan Saraiya, and other dancing gurus, including Dr Piyush Raj, Rajan Pillai, and Ankur Balal, were also on the programme. Guru Chetan Saraiya promised the dancing community a yearly event to be held on March 18th (his death anniversary) as a genuine depiction of the Guru Shishya Parampara, which is unique to Sanatan Bharat, or India.