‘Bharatanatyam Margam by Karuna Sagari’

Reflecting the Bhakti traditions of South India, this Bharatnatyam recital by Karuna Sagari Venkatachalam traces the soul’s journey through devotion, love, and self-realisation. Drawing from medieval Tamil poetry and classical compositions, it reveals how the divine is experienced through reflections of longing, beauty, and human emotion. 
 
The performance opens with an Alarippu inspired by verses from the Divya Prabandham, invoking the spirit of the Azhwars. The Varnam unfolds as an impassioned offering to Tyagarajaswamy of Tiruvarur, inspired by Rukmini Devi Arundale’s immortal Rupamu Juchi, revealing the tenderness within divine grandeur.  

Mogudochi shifts perspective to a devadasi, torn between duty to her Lord and her place in the mortal world, reimagined through the empathy of a modern woman. In Jagannathashtakam, the dancer journeys through the grand Ratha Yatra of Puri, where Krishna, caught between love and dharma, is humanised through devotion itself. The recital concludes with a Tillana in Hindolam, a joyous celebration of rhythm, movement, and surrender. 
 
A Kalakshetra alumna and ICCR-empanelled artiste, Karuna Sagari Venkatachalam approaches Bharatnatyam as a language of empathy. Trained by her mother, Dr. Neela Venkatachalam, and mentored by Malavika Sarukkai, she weaves together Tamil poetics, Bhakti philosophy, and dance to bridge the ancient and the contemporary. Her choreographic works often draw from the Tevaram, Kambaramayanam, and Divya Prabandham, reflecting her deep engagement with Tamil literature and her belief in art as a space of shared emotion and timeless dialogue. 

This performance is supported by Reliance Foundation.