Tag: Divyaa Unni

  • Sreepadam’s Varnamudrika -A Colorful Feast!

    Sreepadam’s Varnamudrika -A Colorful Feast!

    Sreepadam-in-3

    HOUSTON: Once again, Divyaa Unni’s Sreepadam School of Arts has stunned local art rasikas with its vibrant production of “Varnamudrika – Fingerprints of Light.” The students at Sreepadam School of Arts thematically bought colors to life at their annual recital, and the portrayal of these colors on stage, came with a powerful ability to play with the minds of the audience. In an instant, they would refresh minds with happiness, and at another, instill fear. Some colors filled the audience with warmth, while some sparked calmness. Truly, each color had a story to tell! The theme took the audience away from their daily hustles of life into a few relaxing hours – to the wonderful world of colors.

    Sreepadam-in-1

    The production was loaded with all the bells and whistles presenting justice to the theme. The spectacular choreography was complimented with the consciously selected beautiful costumes, and the fine, euphonious introductions. The music for every item was carefully picked and well edited, to stay within the fabric of the theme. The program kicked off with the singing of the American and Indian national anthems by one of the younger students, followed by the senior students performing a “Ganapathi Vandana” – the invocation dance. Again, the choreography and the beautiful movements of the students were par excellence, and were a treat to the eyes. Divyaa Unni herself, graced the stage, and all eyes were fixated on her, as she moved effortlessly, but with propriety and elegance. Soon after, entered the colors; be it the royalty of the violet, stillness of the blue, energetic vibes of the divine yellow, or the vibrancy of the red, each color in the spectrum presented itself by way of eye-catching performances.

    Sreepadam-in-2

    All these colors dictate our moods and emotions and stimulate our intellect in different ways. Colors are so intrinsic to nature. Imagine the world without colors, one color throughout. It would seem so different and uninteresting! Our nature is artistically painted in stunning colors, the more we explore, more of mother nature’s secrets are revealed, and she speaks to us by way of colors. This recital did tap into the intellect, to bring out a new appreciation of the universe, which is a perfect blend of colors that dance in unison, and make our little worlds very beautiful places in which to live!

    The program was attended by families and friends of 120+ performers, who ranged from 5 year olds to adults. Stafford’s Mayor Pro Tem, Mr. Ken Mathew, was in attendance as well. Sreepadam School of Arts has been conducting theme based recitals in Houston for the last 14 years; enhancing the enjoyment of learning for its students. The theme is integrated into the dances they perform, thus enabling them to truly understand the underlying concepts of the dance, and further enable them to unite with the dance.

    A generous portion of proceeds of this program benefitted The Banyan organization that has been an integral part of the chain of care for people with mental illness in Chennai.

  • Sri Meenakshi Temple Annual Dinner – Prahara Sumpurnam

    Sri Meenakshi Temple Annual Dinner – Prahara Sumpurnam

    Photos: Setty
    Photos: Setty

    By: S. Narayanan

    PEARLAND: “Prahara Sumpurnam”, the Sri Meenakshi Temple annual dinner was held on Sunday, July 9th. Fundraising was done for the Corner Temple Renovation Project, the third phase of the religious renovation project at MTS. The decorations including beautiful temple golu figurines were mesmerizing. The social hour began with a silent auction, as well as an awe inspiring magic act that entertained the guests. The devotees enjoyed the social hour so much that it was a feat to move everyone into the Youth Center for the program.  

    The program started auspiciously with the priest’s invocation and was then handed over to the two vibrant masters of ceremony, Anu Narayanan and Haripriya Sundar, who did a wonderful job keeping the program enjoyable and on time.

    Chairman Narayanan welcomed everyone and talked about the phenomenal fundraising success so far, including having raised over 1.3 Million dollars for the project with more donations forthcoming.  Honorable Pearland Mayor Tom Reid discussed the long-term growth of the Temple and associated the growth with the city of Pearland. The Mayor was proud to say he is an honorary member of the Temple family.

    MTS-in-2

    Divyaa Unni’s Sreepadam School of Arts performed a captivating Ganesha dance as the audience watched with pin drop silence. Secretary Prasad thanked everyone on the fundraising committee for their outstanding job. Dr. Appan, one of the co-chairs of the fundraising committee, spoke about the amazing success MTS has had in raising money. Over the last six years we have done three major projects without any loans as the devotees have continuously supported the Temple. Dr. Appan also emphasized the many young devotees donating to the project, highlighting the importance of this for the future growth of the Temple.

    This year we had a unique and entertaining magic show by David Hira. David amazed everyone with his magic to the point that the audience could not believe what they were seeing. He connected his childhood story and showed us that anything can be done if we believe in it. All in all, the magic show, which was done for the first time at the annual dinner, was a big hit.

    The construction committee chair AVN Reddy gave a brief description of the project and provided a detailed report about the construction progress. Vinod Kaila joined with AVN and acknowledged all the construction committee members.

    Treasurer Sasi announced the amount of total funds raised and thanked all the donors for their contributions. The second dance for Lord Siva by the students was unbelievably good. Dr. Kamala Raghavan then announced all of the scholarship winners and Mayor Tom Reed and Frost Bank Chairman Mike Clements distributed the scholarships to the 14 students. The names of the recipients is given at the end of this article. To conclude the program Sreepadam students showcased a beautiful performance about Goddess Devi. The sit-down family style dinner catered by Udupi was served sharp at 8:30 pm and enjoyed by all the guests. Chairman Narayanan thanked the Board and Advisory Council for their support for the project and hard work for the Temple.

    Secretary Prasad thanked everyone who helped for the annual dinner. The event was a huge success, including fundraising, a beautiful program, and a delicious dinner. The guests had a marvelous time.

    Scholarship Winners

    • Sanjay Annigeri
    • Tanuj Girish
    • Peyton Green
    • Maya  Iyer
    • Divya  Jain
    • Preeti Kannan
    • Avinash Kotecha
    •Ambhika Maharaj
    • Tejas Murali
    •Avinash Nair
    •Shruti Narayanan
    • Vyas Ramankulangara
    • Shil Shukla
    •Hannah Spencer