About The Event
Hindustani vocalist Vidushi Lalita Sharma and Odissi dancer Sarita Mishra give expression to love, longing and devotion through khayal, the verses of Sanskrit poet Jayadeva and the art of abhinaya.
An intimate confluence of Hindustani classical music, Odissi, bhakti poetry and percussion, 'Sayujyam – Journey from Love and Longing to Divinity' brings together Vidushi Lalita Sharma’s vocals and Sarita Mishra’s dance, with creative direction by Shruti Ranade. Conceptualised by Lalita, the evening opens with an expansive khayal, allowing the raga to unfold before movement enters the stage.
Rooted in the contemplative aesthetics of the Mewati gharana, the khayal in vilambit laya leads into Mangalacharan, followed by a Pallavi that explores the rhythm, geometry and lyrical vocabulary of Odissi. The movement emerges from the music, creating a dialogue between the raga’s meditative quality and the expressive possibilities of dance.
Two Ashtapadis from Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, set to original compositions by Lalita, form the emotional centre of the performance. Through Lalita’s singing and Sarita’s nuanced abhinaya, love and longing find expression alongside devotion, surrender and spiritual yearning. A pakhawaj solo by Bijay Barik then sets the stage for a jugalbandi of vocals, dance and percussion, with Dhaval Joshi on flute, Omkar Ujagare on keyboard, Rishith Honavarker on harmonium, and Tejovruksha Joshi on tabla. The exchange builds in energy and spontaneity before flowing into an Abhang dedicated to Vitthala, bringing the evening to a devotional close.
A vocalist, composer and teacher, Lalita is a senior disciple of Pandit Jasraj, with training in Hindustani and Carnatic music. Sarita is an accomplished Odissi dancer, choreographer, teacher and scholar with more than four decades of experience. Trained under eminent gurus including Bichitrananda Swain and Yudhishthir Nayak, she is the Founder and Artistic Director of Adyasha Foundation, Bengaluru, established to preserve and promote Odissi.
This performance is supported by Reliance Foundation.
