Listen, the lotus faced one

As the handsome youth walks past the street, the maidens of Kandukuri village flock around him. Admiring his charm, they remind him that he is the Lord of Kandukuri and that he should desist from acts, which are not befitting his noble status.

Sirulu Minchira, the composition that Anita Ratnam, the famous Bharatanatyam dancer presents here is a traditional dance piece. It is usually taught to young dancers. The dance belongs to the Sabdam category, which is a simple praise of any god.

Bharatanatyam, the age-old classical dance of Tamil Nadu is one of the oldest dance forms of India itself. The art form has its roots in Natya Sastra, the classical treatise on Indian dance by Sage Bharata and it has undergone many modifications and developments since then. The dance is full of unfettered rhythmic movements and expressions, which is devotional in spirit, highly stylized and sophisticated in its technique.