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TOI : PUNE: As noted dance exponent Sucheta Chapekar turns 60 this year, the birthday celebration promises to be a treat to dance aficionados in the city, with Kalavardhini Charitable Trust, a dance school founded and mentored by Chapekar, all set to host a three-day dance festival titled Parikrama,’ from December 4 to 6.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Chapekar’s daughter and disciple, and also the chief organiser of the event, Arundhati Patwardhan, said, “There are lot of other facets to my mother apart from being a dance genius. This festival is an effort to bring all these to the notice of the younger generation.” Elaborating, Patwardhan said while her mother is known to be a proficient performer, not many know that she has also learnt music and is a keen follower of the other forms of classical dance.

The festival will see well-known names in the field come together and perform and also talk about dance and its relevance in today’s times. These include exponents of different dance forms, Padmavibhushan Sonal Mansingh, an exponent of Odissi; Padmashree Darshana Jhaveri of Manipuri, Deeepti Omchery Bhalla of Mohiniyattam, C.V. Chandrashekhar of Bharatnatyam and Shama Bhate of Kathak.

“Parikrama will provide an opportunity to the city audience, especially the dance students, not only to witness the veterans perform, but also to hear their view on dance. It is a first-of-its-kind event in the city where different dance forms will be performed in one platform,” Patwardhan said.

The festival also includes two other attractions, a book release function and screening of a documentary on Chapekar. Nrityatmika, a book by Chapekar, will be released by Sonal Mansingh. On the other hand, the documentary Vyomagami’ (meaning, moving towards the stars) has been directed by Amrita Mahadik.

“The book is not an autobiography, but talks about Tai’s (Chapekar’s) life and various other things, including her…More