Dr Seshu Sarma and Vijay Vemulapalli of Vibha guided the production team every step of the way ensuring the grand success of the program. Madhavi Korrapati, Shyamala Bhagavatula and Dr Seshu Sarma were instrumental in raising close to $75,000 through this fundraiser.

The keynote speaker for the event, Dr. Bhagirath Majumdar, a retired professor from Emory University School of Medicine gave an overview of the power of the Panchakshari Mantra and emphasized the importance of Bhakthi or Devotion.
 
What followed was a feast to the senses: the 10 scene ballet started with the customary prayer to the Guru, Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam. The 60 dancers and the orchestra dazzled the audience with color, costumes, melody, beat and graceful movement bringing to life the story of Markandeya and his Bhakthi.


 
The folk dance by the Jangama devaras and the celestial dance by Siva and Parvathi set the beat,and tone for the rest of the ballet. Sage Mrikandu and his wife Marudhwathi’s penance and prayer to Lord Siva was beautifully depicted and moved the audience to empathize with their predicament. The melodious repetition of Om Namah Sivaya and Markandeya’s display of his devotion to Lord Siva not only converted his playmates to become devotees of Lord Siva but also any non-devotee in the audience.

 

As the scene shifts to the abode of Yama; the colors, costumes and the tone change to depict the shift in emphasis in the mood of the ballet. The change in tone was beautifully done by the dancers with the help of the orchestra. Sage Narada visits Markandeya on his 16th birthday and the dancers bring out the pangs of Sage Mrikandu and his wife as they are confronted with the possibility of losing Markandeya. With Narada’s sage counsel, they visit Brahma Loka and Lord Brahma advises Markandeya to do penance and pray to Lord Siva. As Markandeya prays, the Yamadutas fail in their attempt to take him to Yamaloka as a ring of fire prevents them. The final and dramatic scene is the confrontation between Yama and Markandeya, Lord Siva and Yama, the intervention by the various Devas, the pardoning of Yama and the blessing of Markandeya. Yama and Lord Siva brilliantly brought out the various emotions accentuated beautifully by the orchestra.
 
The totality of the production was truly overwhelming and the audience was enthralled from start to finish. Stitching together 60 dancers of different ages, the costumes, the beat, the voice overs, the stage props and matching the talent to the different roles into a homogenous, coordinated, mutually interdependent and supporting production is a talent in itself. Smt. Revathi Komundari is not only a great dancer and teacher but also a phenomenal choreographer. The ballet was not only a technical success but also stirred the audience to Bhakthi and the art of Kuchipudi dance.

Shivaani Komanduri as Markandeya, and Rashmi Kondur as Yama stole the show. One could hardly believe that they were only 13 years old considering the maturity with which they depicted their respective roles. Saakshika Vakiti as Lord Siva and Swetha Kalagara as Narada, both teenagers, received much praise from the audience as well.

The script for the Bhakta Markandeya Kuchipudi Ballet was composed by Dhandibhotla Narayanamurthy of India and the music was composed by Subhashini Krishnamurthy of Atlanta. The stage was managed by Syam Yellamraju.
 
Smt. Komanduri thanked her entire team for their hard work and tenacity, and the sponsors for their generous contribution for a noble cause.

Consul general R. Srinivasan attended the program and congratulated Revathi and participants for an outstanding performance.