KATHMANDU: Not very long after Subima Shrestha started her gracious kathak dance moves the hall of the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) at Bal Mandir was filled with the sound of applause from the audience. The programme was organised by ICC to mark the birth anniversary of Indian leader Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and also the International Student’s Day on November 19.

The evening was a variety for classical fans — Shreshta’s kathak performance, classical fusion by Tribeni Music Group and rounded with ghazals by none other than Gurudev Kamat himself.

“This is the first dance performance that the centre has witnessed and Subima has accomplished it with great aplomb,” said Santanu Chakraborty who teaches Bharatnatyam at ICC.

Dr Geeti Sen, Director of ICC gave a brief introduction of Maulana Azad saying, “Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a senior political leader of the Indian Independence movement who supported Hindu-Muslim unity and thereby strongly opposed the partition of India. He was the first Minister of Education in Jawaharlal Nehru’s panel.”

Shrestha’s mudras gestures and perfect timing in synchronising her body and expression to live music by Hom Nath Upadhyaya (tabala) and Chandi Prasad Kafle (harmonium) captivated the audience as some were seen clapping with her every move.

The hall resonated with classical notes from the Tribeni Music Group that played classical fusion for almost an hour.

“The first composition is titled Raag Desh, the second Jhaala, which was in Drut composition while the last number is Bhaisnava Jhanato written by Mahatma Gandhi and composed by legendary singer Bhimsen Joshi,” briefed Durga Prasad Khatiwada, flautist and coordinator of the group. Among other band members who mesmerised the audience were Jiwan Rai (tabala), Dr Anju Uprety (sitar) and Roshan Nepal (guitar).

The programme ended with soulful ghazals by Gurudev Kamat who was accompanied by Laxman Thapa (guitar) and Jiwan Rai (Tabala). Kamat had the audience going “Wah! Wa!” and even after the rendition of the last number, the audience was not ready to go home. They requested him to sing more. He obliged his fans and sang his own composition Mero Hajur and Gulam Ali’s Chupke Chupke much to the delight of his fans.