People still want to take a good look at Vyjayanthimala Bali. On Monday evening, at an event where a sabha felicitated her, there were seniors in the extremes of the front row seats who strained to get a good look of her on stage; others kept shooting pictures on their smart phones.
Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha hosted the finale of its annual dance festival at Narada Gana Sabha’s auditorium on March 20.
Here, the sabha honoured Bali for her contribution to dance and culture and to mark 60 years since she first presented a dance drama titled ‘Thiruppavai’.
Recalled sabha president Nalli Kuppuswamy, “I remember we had planned to pay Vyjayanthimala Rs.12,000 for that performance but she waved it off. Those were days when a ground of land in Pondy Bazaar went for Rs.3,000. Today, it is around Rs.12 crores!”
Dancer and teacher Srekala Bharath was also honoured with a title.
A galaxy of dance teachers were seated on the stage, a rare sight – from Meenakshi Chittaranjan and Lakshmi Ramaswamy to Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari and Nandini Ramani, to name a few.
Certificates were given to young dancers who had excelled at the festival.
Later, dancers of teachers Divya Sena and Sheela Unnikrishnan presented excerpts from their dance productions.
