Conceptualized and choreographed by Swati Gaikwad, and presented by 35 performers – the Naritva show was mesmerising! A review by Manasa Mukka.
It was intriguing why ‘Naritva’ – the celebration of womanhood was planned on June 24th. It was neither Women’s Day nor Mother’s Day… And then, we thought – why not!!! Do we need an internationally assigned day to celebrate womanhood? No! Every day is a celebration – and so I headed to Bülach to see ‘ Naritva’.
Good choices were made
Swati Gaikwad is a qualified performing arts professional. She did her Masters in Bharatnatyam in pandanullar style from Pratibha Nritya Mandir, a renowned institute in Nagpur. Swati now runs her own Abhinaya Dance Studio in Zurich, where she teaches various Indian and Bollywood-based dance forms.
Her selection of performers for Naritiva – women and children – were full of energy, grace and enthusiasm.
Swati chose well in selecting the chief guest – Mrs. Vijayarao Anton, a famous Indian classical performer for decades, who popularised the Indian dance form – Bharatanatyam in Switzerland when she came to study in the 1960s.
Another good choice was that of the show anchor Aradhna Sethi – the cofounder of Namaste Switzerland, along with Shinta, Keerthana and Manasa. Aradhna spoke with elegance and poise, connecting the dots with her narrative, lending the beautiful performances a cohesive and comprehensible form, and bringing the story to life.
Event highlights
The concept was beautiful. It spoke of the birth of a baby girl, taking us through her growing up years into motherhood – a very special phase for women – and Swati herself.
The performances were energetic and enthusiastic – one could see that the dancers had their hearts on the show. The addition of semi-classical dances was really lovely. The variety of performances was fantastic as well.
It was a touching moment for the audience to watch a beautiful ode to all the mothers. Swati took the stage and shared with the audience that her mother stitched those brilliantly designed outfits over days and nights. She reminded us all to think of our mothers as that special performance was an ode to motherhood. This was our time as the audience to mentally thank our mothers – here, back in India, or wherever they are.
What we missed…
The theme beautifully showcased the evolving woman in a varied style of performance. ‘Naritiva’ is all about celebrating womanhood and graceful ageing would’ve added an element of wholeness to the show.
Applauding life
To summarise, we loved the enthusiasm of all the women and children who took part in this show – which brings us to the essence of ‘Naritva’ in its true form; i.e. celebrating all these women, and acknowledging that every stage in a woman’s life is special. The little joys need to be treasured. And most importantly, every moment can be a celebration of life, indeed.
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