TEERTHA BHARATHAM – on the Sacred Rivers of India. Rivers have been the cradles of civilizations through millennia. They are venerated as benevolent Mother Goddesses sustaining the entire ecosystem, of which man is a part. A holy dip in their sacred water is considered to be a cleansing and purifying of the body and spirit. The perennial flow of the rivers from its origin to the sea, symbolises the journey of the soul to merge with the universal. Some of the most sublime and poetic experiences of the ancients remain crystallized in the myths and legends around rivers. Teertha Bharatham was the theme of Natyarangam’s seven-day annual dance festival held in August 2008. It was an artistic tour of seven sacred rivers by seven dancers and talks by seven resource persons. In this three DVD series, we present the rivers – Brahmaputra, Godavari and Narmada.

RIVER NARMADA – Dance by Vaibhav Arekar, talk by scholar Dr. Sudha Seshayyan. Narmada is a major river of India that flows from east to west. Its source is a small tank called the Narmadakund in Madhya Pradesh. Flowing past the Marble Rocks, the river meanders through three valley basins. Streaming across Gujarat, Narmada falls into the Arabian Sea. She is Sankari as she is the fond daughter of Lord Siva, she is Rewa the charming water maiden described in the puranas. Narmada is the only river around which a parikrama is performed which covers a distance of more than 2500 km. “Narmada Maata” as her devotees hail her, bestows prosperity, fertility and divinity on them.

NATYARANGAM, dance wing of the Narada Gana Sabha, was launched in September 1995 with a twofold purpose: (1) to provide a platform for talented young dancers of proven merit, and (2) to create awareness in the audience about various aspects of dance appreciation. It organises dance recitals and lecdems on every third Saturday and Sunday every month. Natyarangam honours eminent gurus, and presents endowment awards to famous dancers, accompanying musicians and young dancers.

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