Fall Concert 2024 – Program
Invocation – Junior Dance Company – Director: Malavika Walia
About Draupadi- the unsung warrior
Draupadi – The Unsung Warrior explores the narrative, symbolic and metaphorical meanings of one of the central female characters appearing in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic composed thousands of years ago. Written by Veda Vyasa, it tells the story of an internecine struggle for power between two branches of a royal family, the righteous Pandavas and the evil Kauravas. The story of Draupadi, who is married to the Pandavas, portrays the travails and challenges she faces. Through incidents in her life, we hope to create awareness of the problems that women have faced from those times down to this day.
Throughout history, women’s roles and rights have not been universally respected and accepted. In many parts of India and other countries, she is still to be a dutiful wife and is not allowed to marry of her own choice. She is expected to follow her husband wherever he works and lives, giving up her own job and aspirations. In many societies, she is still considered as property to be bartered or sold. Incidents of domestic violence are a direct result of women being viewed as subordinate to men. Women are blamed for minor offenses, real or imagined and are routinely victimized. This is also seen in later versions of the Mahabharata where Draupadi’s character is assigned blame for the humiliation she suffered in a patriarchal society.
Throughout the Mahabharata story, as Draupadi experiences moments of triumph and tragedy, she shows herself to be a beacon of strength, resilience, adaptability, and vision despite her circumstances.
Scene 1: Is it my fault?
After many years of ruling the kingdom, King Yudhishtra, the eldest of the Pandava princes, proposes to all his brothers that it is time to renounce the kingdom and the world. They travel along the banks of the river Ganga, and finally make their way to the snowy slopes of the Himalayas hoping to ascend to heaven. Draupadi, their spouse, also gives up her life in the palace full of comforts and follows them in their quest for heaven.
The Pandavas climb the mountain in a single file with Draupadi bringing up the rear. Eventually, Draupadi’s feet give way, and she falls. Yudhishtra stops his brothers from helping her saying ‘She falls because she has sinned, in that she married all of us but loved Arjuna the best’. Draupadi is shocked at these words, and admonishes Yudhishtra thus: ‘Was it I who sinned, O King? Have you forgotten your actions that brought so much grief to me? Five husbands I had to marry, and yet I always treated them all equally: never did I treat Arjuna differently from the rest of you.’
Draupadi then reminisces about her life beginning with her swayamvara where she first met Arjuna & the Pandavas.
Scene 2: Was it my choice?
Draupadi, as the princess of the Panchala Kingdom, is excited that she will have a swayamvara, a choice in selecting her husband. She gets decked up in bridal finery. However, contrary to her expectations, her father King Drupada plans a tough archery contest for her hand, secretly wishing that the Pandava Arjuna, the renowned archer, would be the one to win it.
‘Five arrows to be shot with precision at the eye of a circling wooden fish on the ceiling while looking at its reflection only in a bowl of water placed on the floor.’
When she hears this, Draupadi is rightfully annoyed that she is being considered only as a prize to be given to the winner, and does not really have a choice in choosing her husband.
Amongst the brahmin visitors in the court are the five Pandavas in disguise. When all the invited kings fail to even lift the bow, the Pandava Arjuna steps forward and wins the contest with ease. The kings are insulted that a mere Brahmin has bested all the assembled Kshatriyas; they complain to King Drupada and attempt to disrupt the proceedings. Draupadi boldly confronts them, stops the clamor and garlands the victor.
Scene 3 – Am I an object, a plaything?
Arjuna is joined by his four brothers and Draupadi realizes that they are the five Pandavas, with Arjuna being the victorious suitor. They are all led by the oldest brother Yudhishtra to meet their mother, Kunti. They announce that they have brought a surprise for her. Kunti replies from within the hut,
‘Share it equally amongst the five of you as always’.
The five are shocked by these words, and confused as to how they could fulfil their mother’s word which they have considered sacrosanct, and have always abided by.
Draupadi is horrified at being introduced as an ‘item’ to share, and faints.
Vivid dreams of her past life flash before her. When she was performing austerities to get a husband, Lord Shiva appeared before her to grant her wish. She wished for a husband, who is virtuous, a strong yet kind warrior, one who is the best archer in the whole world, the most handsome and the most intelligent of all. As Lord Shiva grants all her wishes, she realizes that the five before her must epitomize the five qualities she had wished for.
Draupadi wakes up and, resigned to her destiny, accepts all five of them as her husbands.
Scene 4 – A perfect wife!
The Pandavas return to Hastinapur to claim their rightful share of the kingdom which their cousins the scheming Kauravas are reluctant to share. The blind king Dhritarashtra, father of the Kauravas, grudgingly bestows upon them part of the kingdom – the barren region of Khandavaprastha. That bleak landscape is transformed into a splendid city called Indraprastha. Here Draupadi reigns as queen to the eldest Pandava Yudhishtra and accepts the unusual arrangement of spending a year with each of her husbands. Like a dutiful wife, she molds herself to be the perfect partner for each one.
‘With you as King, O Yudhishtra, I ruled as a virtuous queen’
‘You, O Bhima, lovingly fulfilled my requests’
‘With you, O Arjuna, I enjoyed the arts’
‘You, O Nakula, took me horse riding!
‘You, O Sahadeva taught me to read the stars’
Scene 5 – Did I ridicule Duryodhana?
The Kauravas are invited to Indraprastha and Duryodhana is filled with envy at seeing the splendor of the palace of the Pandavas. In the hall of illusions, he mistakes a solid image as a pool and jumps over it; later mistaking an actual pool of crystal water for a solid marble floor, he falls into it and hears derisive laughter from the Pandavas sitting with Draupadi. Although it was Arjuna and Bhima who laughed, it is Draupadi who bears the brunt of Duryodhana’s fury. (Later versions of the epic that describe Draupadi ridiculing him as ‘A blind man’s son is indeed blind’ is not mentioned in the original epic, and is an attempt to ascribe blame to her.)
Scene 6 – Cry for Justice ignored
An invitation arrives from Hastinapur to play a game of dice. Draupadi is with Yudhishtra at that time – she pleads with him not to go. He disregards her advice, and they all leave for Hastinapur. Yudhishtra begins the deceitful game of dice played with Shakuni, the uncle of the Kauravas. He stakes and loses his kingdom and all his possessions, his four brothers, and his wife Draupadi.
Resting in her chambers, Draupadi is summoned to the court; when she resists, the wicked Kaurava Dushasana drags her there by her hair. Duryodhana and Karna taunt her as a harlot married to five men, and Dushasana begins to disrobe her. The king and courtiers’ hands are tied, since she is now the property of the Kauravas. Yudhishtra and the Pandavas are helpless as they too are at the Kauravas’ mercy. Draupadi cries out for divine help and miraculously her sari becomes endless. Even as Dushasana continues to pull her sari, a mountain of cloth builds up until he falls down exhausted.
Draupadi rises and, quivering with rage, swears a terrible oath: that she would be avenged only when she bathes her hair in the blood of slain Dushasana and Duryodhana. In the name of Devi Paraashakti, she vows to keep her hair unbraided until that day arrives.
King Dhritarashtra attempts to appease Draupadi and gives her three boons. Selflessly, she obtains freedom for all the five Pandavas and asks nothing for herself. The king sets them free; however, he is persuaded by his evil sons to invite Yudhishtra to play one more game of dice. Yudhishtra plays and loses yet again; the penalty is that the Pandavas and Draupadi are banished to the forest for twelve years with the added stipulation that they remain incognito for the thirteenth! If they are discovered during that year, the exile would continue for another twelve years!
Scene 7 – Am I an object of lust?
Draupadi cannot sleep – she relives the horror of the court every second she spends in the forest. While she dreams of her revenge, restless and impatient, Yudhishtra, is just resigned to their exile, even prevents his brothers Bhima and Arjuna from avenging her. One day, when she is alone, Duryodhana’s brother-in-law Jayadratha sees her and abducts her. She is rescued by Bhima and Arjuna; she asks them to spare his life but to strip him of his honor instead. Bhima shaves off locks of Jayadrata’s hair as punishment.
In the thirteenth year, when she disguises herself as a maid and serves the Queen of Virata, the queen’s brother Keechaka harasses her. The Pandavas’ hands are again tied as they do not want their identity to be divulged. Draupadi herself devises a crafty plan and secures Bhima’s help to get rid of Keechaka. She invites Keechaka to meet her at night whereupon Bhima, who is covered with a veil as a disguise springs forth and crushes Keechaka to death.
Scene 8 – Avenging Humiliation
A great war ensues between the cousins – the Pandavas and Kauravas, with friends and relatives arrayed in battle against each other. Draupadi waits expectantly – wondering if she will ever be avenged. At last, the day that she has been longing for arrives.
‘Having smeared my hair with the evil Dushasana and Duryodhana’s blood, I can now tie up my hair. My revenge is complete!’
Production Credits:
Artistic Director: Mythili Kumar
Composer and Music Direction: Asha Ramesh
Choreography: Mythili Kumar, Malavika Walia, and senior dancers
Concept and Script Development: Artistic Committee– Malavika Walia, Mukul Sheopory, Pooja Sohoni, Vaishali Ramachandran, & Aishwarya Venkat
Sanskrit Lyrics: Arjun Bharadwaj
Rhythmic Composition: D.V. Prasanna, Mythili Kumar, Malavika Walia, S. Ravishankar (Scene 3 jati)
Musicians in the Recording: Mythili Kumar, Malavika Walia (nattuvangam); Asha Ramesh (Vocals); Amit Ranganathan (mridangam); Vikram Raghukumar (violin); Ashwin Krishna Kumar (Flute); Akshara Raghu (Rhythm Pad)
Sound Engineer: Jerry Ososkie
Company: Sweta Ravishankar, Aishwarya Venkat, Vaishali Ramachandran, Swathi Ramesh, Shruthi Aravindan, Shreya Krishnamurthy.
Abhinaya post arangetram dancers: Maitreyi Patel, Nikita Shenoy, Aditya Romfh, Prisha Balan
Junior Dance Company: (Director: Malavika Walia) Aditya Romfh, Prisha Balan, Gayatri Karthick, Srilakshmi Ramanan, Eesha Iyer, Leela Ganapathy, Niharika Ramanatham, Dhrithi Balan, Dhriti Bharadwaj, and Namita Shenoy.
Guest dancer: Vidhyut Pasumarthi
Narration: Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan
Rehearsal Directors: Rasika Kumar, Malavika Walia, Pooja Sohoni, Megha Ranganathan
Graphic Design: Joe Miller
Lighting Design: Naveen Nathan
Videography: Sachin Pattanshetty
Photography: Santhosh Selvaraj
Costume: Malavika Walia, Ramya Subramanian, Anuradha Sreenivasan, Sandhya Jayaraman, Uma Ramanan
Program: Mythili Kumar, B. Kumar.
Publicity & Social Media: Vaishali Ramachandran (Production & Marketing Coordinator), and Aishwarya Venkat
Volunteers: Abhinaya Dance company- Students and Parents.
Cast:
Mythili Kumar (Shakuni)
Sweta Ravishankar (Duryodhana, Jayadratha)
Aishwarya Venkat (Draupadi, Kaurava)
Vaishali Ramachandran (Draupadi)
Swathi Ramesh (Yudhishtra, King suitor)
Shruthi Aravindan (Dushasana, Keechaka)
Shreya Krishnamurthy (King Drupada, King Virata)
Maitreyi Patel (Arjuna)
Nikita Shenoy (Nakula, King Suitor)
Aditya Romfh (Bhima)
Prisha Balan (Sahadeva, Courtier)
Vidyuth Pasumarthi (Kaurava, Courtier)
Srilakshmi Ramanan ( Karna)
Eesha Iyer (Kaurava, Courtier,)
Namitha Shenoy (Kaurava, Courtier)
About Abhinaya Dance Company:
Abhinaya Dance Company strives to present innovative and professional quality performances of South Indian classical dance forms. Since 1986, Abhinaya has staged several full-length dance productions such as Shiva – the Cosmic Dancer (1986), to Jwala – the Immortal Flame (2011), Gandhi ( 2012), Arjuna (2014), and Vaanara Leela (2016), which received an Isadora Duncan Award for best performance. Abhinaya has been awarded several grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and from state and city agencies. The company has collaborated with Kathak and modern dance companies, Japanese Taiko drummers, ShadowLight Theater, and a Balinese gamelan ensemble. From 2017 to 2019 Abhinaya has presented the theme of social justice through the experiences of Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mythili Kumar (Choreographer) is the founder and artistic director of Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose. An accomplished artist, Mythili performed extensively in India before moving to the U.S. in 1978. Her artistic ability and high quality of her dance choreography have been recognized in the U.S. where she has been awarded several Choreographers’ fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival Committee honored her for her outstanding artistry and contribut ion to world dance, and conferred the Malonga Casquelord Lifetime Achievement award on her in 2010. She received a “Sustained Achievement Award” by the Bay Area Isadora Duncan Award Committee in March 2011. She was the winner of the 2015 Legacy Laureate Award from Silicon Valley Creates for her outstanding dedication to the art form.
Arjun Bharadwaj (Sanskrit Lyrics) is an author, researcher, and translator with deep interest in classical literature, arts, and philosophy. He is well- versed in Sanskrit, Kannada, English, German and Greek languages. Arjun has co-written and translated many books and authored over 50 research articles. He is also a visiting faculty at many educational institutions in Bengaluru and abroad. He enjoys composing poems and plays the Carnatic flute.
Musicians:
Asha Ramesh (Music Composition, Music Direction, and Vocals), is a highly accomplished vocalist who has been enthralling listeners worldwide with her mellifluous voice and bhava laden renditions. She is a disciple of Sangeeta Kalanidhi Sri. D. K. Jayaraman and Nanganallur V. Ramanathan. Asha has won several awards in recognition of her immense talent. During the Music Festival of Chennai 2010, Asha was awarded the Vijayalakshmi Memorial Award for Best Vocalist for Dance by the prestigious Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and the title of Isai Arasi by Trinity Arts Festival of India, Chennai in 2013. Asha is the founder and artistic director of Ragamalika School of Music in San Jose, California since 1992. As a concert musician she has performed frequently in USA, Canada, India, UK and the Netherlands. In 2021 Asha collaborated with her son Rohith Jayaraman, of the Grammy nominated Berklee Indian Ensemble, to release an original album Manam, which explores current social issues. She has composed the music for all of Abhinaya’s original concerts since 1993.
Malavika Kumar Walia (Rhythm Composition & Nattuvangam) is a senior company dancer, choreographer, and teacher for the Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose. She is the daughter of Artistic Director Mythili Kumar and has performed in many of Abhinaya Dance Company’s productions since 1992, as well as toured with the company to India and around the U.S.A. Malavika has been performing nattuvangam for the Abhinaya Dance Company since 2000 for both its Bay Area productions and on tour. In a 2004 performance in Chennai, she was lauded by a critic as ‘the star of the show’ for her ‘precise, well-intoned nattuvangam’. She currently is one of the main nattuvanars for Abhinaya’s annual company productions, arangetrams, and Rasika Kumar’s solo performances. She additionally has composed numerous jathis and choreographed items for solo and group performance. In January 2020, she was appointed as the Director of the newly launched Junior Dance Company. The junior dance company members will open the 2024 fall concert with a special presentation.
DV. Prasanna Kumar (Rhythm Composition) is a percussion artist who performs Nattuvangam, as well as other percussion instruments such as Mridangam, Kanjira, Morsing. Ghatam, Chande & Rhythm Pads. He was trained under late Smt.Kamalarani of Kalakshetra, and for morsing under Shri S.V. Giridhara. Prasanna has worked with several dance organizations in Bengaluru and in North America composing jatis as well as performing for many dance productions. An award winner, he has also performed for many dance recordings in Doordarshan Regional & National TV networks. Prasanna is a contributor to reputed percussion ensembles like Layatharanga, and Nandi.
Ashwin Krishnakumar (Flute) was trained in Carnatic classical flute by Sri. A.V. Prakash in Mysore and Late Sri. B.N. Suresh in Bangalore. He was awarded a scholarship from the Central Government of India (CCRT) for advanced training. He has given several solo performances in India and the US and has also accompanied various classical dance and light music productions. He is furthering his musical interests under the guidance of Dr. T S Sathyavathi – a renowned musicologist and prime disciple of Sri. R K Srikantan.
Vikram Ragukumar (Violin)
Vikram Ragukumar, had his initial training under legendary violinist Vidwan H.V. Krishnamurthy at Vijaya College of Music, Bangalore. He later pursued intensive training under the able guidance of All India Radio “ A” grade Violinist Vidwan B. Raghuram. Vikram has performed extensively in India and the USA as a solo violinist and as an accompanist for classical music and classical dance performances. He is currently furthering his understanding of music by training under the guidance of Vidushi. Smt. Asha Ramesh. By day he works as a software engineer in the Bay area.
Amit Ranganathan (Mridangam) is a disciple of Sri. Ravindra Bharathi Sridharan and performed his mridangam arangetram in 2013 accompanying Isai Peroli Sri. Neyveli Santhanagopalan. Amit regularly accompanies musicians and dancers of various Northern California music and dance schools. He has played under the auspices of several organizations including SIFA, LOTUS, Nandalala Mission, SR Fine Arts, Swaralahari and Sacramento Aradhana. Amit is a regular performer in the Chennai December season and in Fremont Margazhi Utsavam. Amit graduated from San Jose State University majoring in Computer Science and continues to support the Carnatic music community all around the USA on a regular basis.
Akshara Raghu – Rhythm Pad –
Akshara is a sought after performer in the Bay Area for music and dance productions. He is well-known for creating sound patterns of instruments such as ghatam, kanjira, chendai, pakhawaj, tabla, etc.
Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan (Narration) is an author of a dozen works of fiction & nonfiction & an award-winning voice-over artist who won the 68th National Film Awards, India for Best Narration in 2022. Shobha has recorded voice work for documentaries, educational programs, journalistic initiatives, & audio books, & her distinct mellifluous voice embellishes her own narratives as well. She has been featured on radio and TV, profiled in magazines, and one of her stories was dramatically performed by Silicon Valley Shakespeare, California. Her books have been included in school curricula in India and a few translated into Malayalam.
Dancers:
Sweta Ravisankar is a Bharatanatyam performing artist, teacher, and choreographer. Sweta began her journey in this art form three decades ago. She performs extensively throughout the US and India as a solo artist and freelance dancer. Sweta holds a Masters in Bharatanatyam and has been teaching Bharatanatyam and Nattuvangam at Sarada Kala Nilayam in Beaverton, OR, and the Bay Area for the past 12 years. Sweta is a recipient of the Senior Scholarship from the Government of India, as well as several grants that have supported her work in advancing the performing arts. Her students have also benefited from professional development support from the California Arts Council. Sweta is committed to building and nurturing strong community bonds, supporting emerging artists, and growing together as a community.
Aishwarya Venkat is an accomplished Bharatanatyam artist and a passionate advocate for the performing arts, with over 2 decades of experience in both India and Bay Area. She has been a recipient of many scholarships and awards and is also a Graded artist in Doordarshan India. She holds a Diploma in Fine Arts from Bharatidasan University, India, and continues her journey as teacher and collaborator through her school Vipasya Arts. She continues to learn under the guidance of mentors like Smt. Mythili Kumar and other visiting guest artists. Aishwarya has been a company dancer with Abhinaya since 2015 and has worked in notable productions such as Guru Mahima, “Trial by Fire”, “Through the Eyes of Apsaras”, “Gandhi”, “Love Exquisite”. She is also a teacher with Abhinaya Dance company since 2016 and teaches the pre-arangetram batch.
Vaishali Ramachandran has been a student, performer, and teacher of Bharatanatyam for over 25 years. She began her training at the age of four in Mumbai, then trained for 16 years in Bengaluru with Guru Dr. Padmaja Suresh. She has performed in many major dance festivals in India, Europe and USA and is a resident of Fremont California, where she continues to teach under the banner Dayananda Kalalayam. She is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Bharathanatyam and advancing her training in Nattuvangam from Sri D. V. Prasanna Kumar. She is the Production Coordinator & company dancer at Abhinaya since 2019.
Swathi Ramesh completed her arangetram under Smt. Padmini Ramachandran, Bangalore. Since then she has been undergoing training from Smt. Shirisha Shashank. She has performed on numerous occasions around the Bay Area. She performed for Smaran Dance festival in 2014, was selected as a finalist for Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, and was a member of Natya at Berkeley. In 2019 she participated in Earth Speaks, a production by Samudra Dance creations as well as Storm, a video production which was selected for the Erasing Borders festival. Additionally she was selected as a fellow with Indian Raga in 2021.
Shruthi Aravindan has pursued Bharathanatyam dance training for over 20 years. She successfully completed her Bharathanatyam arangetram in August 2008 at the age of 10. Since then, she has been an ardent performer, instructor, and budding composer. Shruthi has also studied Carnatic music for over 20 years and has performed multiple full-length concerts in the US and in India. She has provided vocal support for many dance arangetrams and rangepravesams, in addition to multiple productions and programs. Shruthi’s expertise in dance, music, and rhythm gives her a unique vantage point to synthesize these multiple disciplines in her creative explorations.
Post-Arangetram dancers: Maitreyi Patel, Nikita Shenoy
Having completed their arangetrams, these dancers who are studying in University of California Santa Cruz are excited to perform in this Fall 2024 production.
Post arangetram dancers Aditya Romfh and Prisha Balan have been part of the junior dance company directed by Malavika Walia for several years.
Guest Dancer: Vidyut Rao
About the Junior Dance Company
Abhinaya’s Junior Dance Company, created in 2020 in honor of Abhinaya’s 40th anniversary, is a team of 10 young dancers under the guidance and direction of Malavika Walia, a senior company dancer and teacher for Abhinaya Dance Company and daughter of Abhinaya’s Artistic Director Mythili Kumar. Since its creation, the JDC has had the opportunity to be showcased in a number of virtual settings and stage performances. Dancers have performed at the San Francisco International Arts Festival, SJ Dance Company showcase, Abhinaya’s 40+ anniversary celebrations, Chinese Performing Arts Association’s spring festivals, and presented several online premieres.
Lifetime Friends of Abhinaya (LFOA) before 2015
Ann Malmuth-Onn, Punita Ajaya, Hotranatha Ajaya, Devika Ajaya, Yatrika Ajaya, Sharada Bose, Madhuri Chattopadhyaya, Asha Ramesh, B. Kumar, Malavika Kumar Walia, Rasika Kumar, Sridhara Dasu, Girija Mittagunta, Anjana Dasu, Dhrumil Gandhi, Renu Gandhi, Nidhi Gandhi, G. S. Sathyanarayan, Aruna Koduri, Kamal Nair, Meera Chari, Priya Dharan, Pushpa Sreeharsha, Raju Ananth, Vasanthi & Kannan, Radhika Kannan, Ayano Nagaoka, Radha Nagarajan, Rekha Nagarajan, Ram Varadarajan, Roopa Dalal, Kavita Varadarajan, Rohan Varadarajan, Ramarao & Vijaya Yendluri, S.H. Sundaram, Shantha Raman, Shanthi Narayan, N. Narayan and family, Sharada Moorthy, Shyla Sohoni, Sanjay Sohoni, Pooja Sohoni, Utsav Sohoni, Bipin Thakkar, Daksha Thakkar, Anjali Thakkar, Sachin Thakkar, Manjula & Viggy Mokkarala, Bhaskar Vissa, Sreelatha Vissa, Preeti Vissa, Madhav Vissa, Shobana & Nandy Kumar, Vinu Srivatsan, Prema Ranganathan
Lifetime Friends of Abhinaya (LFOA) after 2015
Kalaivani Anantha, Neha, Niharika & Gandhi Ramanatham, Priya Vattyam, Abhijit Ghosh, Aditi Ghosh, & family; Sandhya Jayaraman, Shankar Iyer, Maya & Eesha Iyer, Jayshree Beltur, Vijay and Anagha Guliam; Swati, Umesh, Kirtan, and Goonja Shah, Ramya Subramanian, Bala Ramachandran, Prisha & Dhrithi Balan, Digita, Bhagyesh & Maitreyi Patel, Subramanian, Anu and Srinidhi Nagarajan, Rajan Annadurai, Kanmani & Oviya Rajan, Beena & Gurunath Rajapuram, Ramanan Govindarajan, Uma, Samyuktha & Srilakshmi Ramanan, Harika Parige, Bhargava Murthy and family, Priyam Sharma, Aarna Bharghav and Arun Shankarnarayan; Karthik Ramamurthy, Anuradha Sreenivasan and Gayatri Karthik
Friends of Abhinaya (FOA) 2024
Aarna & Arohi Arikatla, Jayaseetha & Krish Bhargavan & family, Arunkarthikey Balakrishnan, Sivasankari, Yatika & family, Sunita, Gans, Leela & Laya Ganapati, Anupama Iyengar, Dhriti Bharadwaj, & family, Karthik Ramamurthy, Anuradha Sreenivasan & Gayatri & Anushka Karthik, Anjuli, Shishir, Anika & Riya Mehrotra, Nupur, Mehul, Diya & Arya Shah, Prarthana Shankar & Vidya Harihan, Aravind, Ramya, Vrinda & Vidya Iyengar, Shreya Krishnamurthy, Sandhya Rengarajan, Sanketa Rangan & family, Nimisha & Gurjeet Saund, Viji Mahathevan, Tara Sundaralingam & family, Gomathi Krishnan, Sunder Parameswaran, Akshara & Vidyuth Sunder, Padraic, Anitra, Aditya & Ravi Romfh, Deepika, Harish, Hansika & Hrithika Varanasi, Vinod Koverkathu, Kirthana & Mira Vinod & family,
Abhinaya’s programs are supported, in part, by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose; the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts, SV Creates; California Arts Council; individual donations and matching corporate donations.
