New Delhi’s premier classical dance institution, Kalyani Kala Mandir,  organised a unique programme known as “Anaahat”(A Heart’s Journey) that combined visual art with performing arts.

Neha and Rashmi Khanna shared the evening with paintings and dance. While Neha is a painter, Rashmi is a professional Bharata Natyam exponent and mentor and heads the Kalyani Kala Mandir.

Anaahat delves into the essence of human connection, expressing love and emotion through diverse artistic medium. On Saturday 15^th February, the evening commenced with the intense and colourful paintings by Neha Khanna, followed with the annual neo-classical presentation portraying seven choreographies with the exposition of Bharata Natyam, Salsa, Kathak, contemporary and modern dance, blending well with the folk traditional dances in order to resonate audiences of all generations. The exhibition exposed some figurative paintings, the most striking being the  close up of a girl whose face was almost covered with streaks of hair, besides other paintings that covered a wide gamut of emotions and life. The venue was National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) premises, 3 August Kranti Marg, Siri Institutional Area, Block A, Nipccd campus, Hauz Khas, New Delhi.

Neha Khanna is a professional chartered accountant and a financial consultant and shares her passion with paintings and music. Neha holds a MBA degree from Said Business School, University of Oxford, she was inclined towards drawings and paintings when she accompanied her eight old niece to drawing classes. Away from the world of cost accounting, Neha explores landscapes and portraits with colourful paintings. In August 2023 Neha had her exhibition with the theme “Transience”,capturing her journey through time and places, she also loves to delve into the varied aspects of education, mental health and well being of humanity.

On the contrary, Guru Rashmi Khanna started learning Bharata Natyam at a tender age under the guidance of Guru Kalyani Shekar and follows the “bani” of the veteran mentor Guru Dandayudhapani Pillai. Kalyani Kala Mandir was established in the year 2002 and the dance institution holds the distinction of maintaining the purity and the quality of classical dance with classical Bharatnatyam performances, further more in order to appeal to a larger section of the audience, Rashmi has been venturing into profound themes  that relate to the philosophy and well being of life and human existence, without disturbing the traditional grammar and technique of dance and also to appeal to a larger section of the audience.

The performance commenced with exquisite composition by Swami Dayanand Saraswati – Bho Shambho that glorifies the attributes of Lord Shiva, with varied names as Bho, Shambho, Shiva Shambho, Parabrahma and Sabesha – the ultimate Master who is merciful and helps us cross the ocean of worldliness, executed with striking and vibrant movements, inclusive of the “karanas” and the “akashacharis”, made a great start to the repertoire of varied numbers with different overtones of body language that was performed with effortless ease and proficiency by Rashmi, in order to cater to a wider section of the contemporary society.

The second number of the evening was the interpretation of the poetic number “Salona Sa Sajan” that delves into the excitement of the first love which is pure with childlike innocence, executed with flamboyant and spontaneous movements, performed by Rashmi Khanna and Shubasish Dey with commendable singing by Sumona Banerjee with music production by Anirudh Choudhary. The third number “Zulmi Saiyyaan The" again takes you to a different shade of love pertaining to turmoil, anguish, and longing featuring the ‘Kalahantaritanayika”, based on Bhanudutta’s Rasamanajari, where the nayika fights with her lover and then repents for it. Performed with varied ‘angika” movements and expressions, costumes inspired by miniature Bosholi paintings, intense vocal rendering by Monali Thakur with music by Prasanna Shekar and voice over by Samya Kulshreshta.

They – poetic rendering by Khanna, daughter of Rashmi and Anshuman Khanna, emotional and intense tribute to her maternal Grandfather, Rashmi’s father, her father in law and her Guru, whom she lost within the span of three years, performed with simple and striking movements and expressions by Rashmi Khanna and Subhasish Dey, voice over by Rashmi. Mental disturbance and anguish takes a different phase with the fifth solo number- “Her Crafted Mask”. This again was a powerful and intense rendering by Rashmi as portrays two faces of the same person, the one who is suffering intensely due to the passing away of a very dear person and the other face of the mask when you have to pretend to be happy and move ahead in life.

The most profound number of the evening which was soul stirring, composition of saint poet Kabir “Na Main Dharmi, Na Main Adharmi”(I am not religious, am not anti-religious) portrays a larger perspective of godliness as God exists in every human being, creatures and nature, not necessarily in temples or mosques, God exists in every soul, in breathing and every sphere of life, hence to understand God, one has to follow the path of righteousness pertaining to both karma(duty) and “dharma” (religion). In other words it is necessary to live a life of human values of compassion, kindness respect and concern for everyone, irrespective of caste, creed or race.

The last number of the evening was “Heartbeat” performed by all the dancers of Kalyani Kala Mandir, exposing the magic of rhythm pertaining to both dance and life itself. On the whole Anaahat takes you an interesting journey concerning the multi facets of life and its well being.

By Guru Vijay Shankar