RIYADH: Soorya Sargam, the Saudi Arabian Chapter of the Soorya Cultural Society, organized a mesmeric feast of dance and music to entertain the art lovers of Riyadh at the Indian Embassy auditorium on Thursday.
Kathak (“Tell a Story”) dance by Hari Noopur and team, instrumental fusion by Ustad Rashid Mustafa Thirakawa (tabala), Kalaimani Prem Kumar (mridanga), Fateh Singh Gangani (phakkawaj) Ustad Nazir Khan (sarangi) and ghazal by Shahbaz Aman enthralled the audience.
Soorya was staging their India Festival 2009 in the second venue after Dammam. Hari and his team brought on to the stage with two beautiful stories unfolded to the cheering audience by elegant swirls, lightning quick pirouettes, sudden poses, and dramatic representation of the theme. They astonished the audience by their last number “Jugal Bandhi” with a rhythmic footwork and rapid stamping of feet in rhythm with the music.
The Hindustani-Karnatic instrumental fusion led by Ustad Rashid Mustafa and Urdu and Malayalam hits by Shahabaz Aman, the best-known ghazal singer in Kerala, also cheered the audience. Soorya Krishnamoorthy, the chief architect of Soorya introduced the artists while Rafeek Younus, the chief global coordinator of Soorya, praised Dr. Abdullah Al-Saihati, a leading Saudi businessman in the Eastern Province, for his support to Soorya programs.