CHENNAI - Acclaimed dancer Sowmya Govind Naidu of Doha, Qatar, gave a scintillating Bharatanatyam performance in Chennai recently.

The dancer commenced her program with Shiva Panchakshara stotram in RagaMalika composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. The famous Shiva Panchakshara Stotram praises Shiva and the power of the five sacred syllables, na-ma-shi-va-ya and she presented this item with various shiva poses with the touch of Yoga in poses and there were Swaras after each paragraph which was presented with crisp muktayas that won the praise of the audience.

She continued with Dharu Varnam in Raga Kamaas and composed by Muthaih Bhaagavatar. In the Pallavi, the dancer depicted the story about the birth of Parvathi through yagna by Pandya king Malayadwaja. The king brings up his daughter like a brave soldier. She gets well versed in various art forms. One day as she sets out to the forest for hunting she comes across a magical dear and meets Shiva where she realizes about her birth as a female.

In the Anupallavi, the artist showcased the brutal killing of the demon Mahishasura. The demon through his prayers and meditation gets the boon from Lord Brahma for being killed by none other than a lady. He will be proud about his strength and happy about him not being killed by anyone. He thinks a female will never be able to kill him. He then meets Goddess Chamundeshwari and request her to marry her. She in turn will make a deal telling him that if he would fight with her and she loses the fight she would marry him. The fight of about 10 minutes was full of energy which also shows the brutal killing of Mahishasura when he is the form of bison and Devi in rudravatharam on her vehicle the lion and Tirusoolam as her weapon. The varnam continued with some beautiful swaras, sahithya and charanam with compilation of some beautiful Adavus to go with.

The javali in raga Poorvikalyani by Pattaabhiramayya is one of all time favorite for her Late Guru Smt. K.J. Sarasa. As an offering and a tribute to her she performed this Javali. The concluding Item was the tillana in Sumanesaranjani which involved incredible foot works with mandalas and panchnadais. The charanam was based on the praises of Sri Rama

On the Nattuvangam was Shanmugha Sundharam (Program Co.ordinator and senior deciple of Guru. K.J. Sarasa), vocal support by Pretty Ram, mirudangam by i Nagarajan Shanmugalingam and Violin by Kalaiyarasan

A unique multifaceted talented danseuse par excellence is Sowmya, born to a cultural affluent family with parents G.K. Sampath Kumar and Vijayalakshmi. Blessed with a doting husband Govind Naidu and an art-loving family, Sowmya is now based in Qatar, pursuing her passion to greater heights. Sowmya got initiated into the aesthetic field at the age of six under the guidance of Guru Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy, a well-known Bharathnatyam Danseuse from Mysore. Sowmya underwent more than 25 years of intensive training in dance and basic yoga. She shot to limelight by winning many accolades, prizes, awards and scholarships by various organizations across the world. She was selected by ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) and IRCEN (Indian International Rural Cultural Centre) representing India in Cultural Exchange Program and performed in different parts of China (Beijing Xian Province, Shangai, Hong Kong and Harbin) and Thailand. A Doordarshan artist, she is a recipient of the Central Government Scholarship, - awarded by the Union Ministry of Culture during the year 2003-2005 for Dance and 2006-2008 for Nattuvangam (cyllabals).

Some of the performances in prestigious festivals include - Hampi Utsav- Karnataka, Khajuraho Dance Festival - Madhya Pradesh, Pattadakal Dance Festival (Chalukya Utsav) - Karnataka, Natarajothsava National Dance Festival - Karnataka, Pallavothsava National Dance Festival - Karnataka, Dasara Mahothsava â€“ Karnataka, Karavali Utsav - Karnataka, Halebeedu Utsav â€“ Karnataka and many more. She has been as an examiner for Dance in Karnataka Education Board for Junior, Senior and Vidhwat grade Examinations and also for Cannoor (Kerala)- Lasya Dance School. She has also been invited as judge for several State Dance and Music Competitions. She has teaching experience in the same field for more than 18 years. Her solo performance is a visual delight in various National and International dance festivals. Academically a gold medalist in MBA, painting and singing is her hobby. Presently she is contributing her services in the field of dance and yoga as the manager and instructor of SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CENTRE-QATAR (Centre for Performing Arts and Visual Arts).

Graceful dance by Sowmya Govind Naidu