Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel and Mayukh Bhattacharya present motherhood and fatherhood in ‘Expecting: Pratyasha’
Suranya Aiyar’s Delhi-based Bhagyam Arts and Ideas presented a programme called ‘Expecting: Pratyasha’ at the Triveni Auditorium on 3 May. A black screen placed on the stage to provide a background for the dancers featured geometric golden motifs in folk art styles. Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel – Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam dancer Dakshina Vaidyanathan Baghel presented ‘Ayoga Vatsalya’, a piece which explores the anticipation and excitement of a pregnant woman eagerly waiting to see the child growing in her womb. If I remember correctly, this piece was conceptualized and first performed online during the COVID lockdowns when Dakshina was pregnant with her first child – read my report on it here . At the time, she had danced this at around seven months pregnant. This time too, Dakshina was at about the same stage in her second pregnancy (she has since had a baby girl!). When I watched it online in 2021, I could feel the delicate state that she was in and ho...
