Brihu Garvabangam and Padmavati Kalyanam draw a large crowd to the Meadowvale Theatre on Montevideo Rd.

Set in South India during ancient times, the story follows a wise sage who visits the three supreme deities of Indian religion - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - to determine who is worthy to receive offerings made at a sacrificial ritual.

In the second half of the performance, a reincarnated form of Lord Vishnu tries to win the love of the Goddess Lakshmi, who has also been reincarnated.

The play was staged by 25 senior students of the academy, who rehearsed the classical Indian dance style of Bharata Natyam for two months in preparation.

Sri Sanskriti artistic director Prabha Raghavan said more and more students are wanting to learn classical Indian dance since the academy opened four years ago.

The academy creates community awareness by staging performances at various cultural events, including the Mayor's New Year's Levee and the Telus Mosaic Festival.

Sri Sanskriti also teaches students Indian values, traditions and heritage. It's important for the students to learn about the vast culture of India because it focuses so much on religion, said Raghavan.

"I try to invite much of the culture into my lessons, because there's so much of the religion to learn," she said.

Ravi Sangam, whose daughter Krupa performed in the show, said he's happy she has learned a unique dance style while being taught more about Indian culture at the same time. "The academy has helped her appreciate the wonderful arts of India," he said.

The students now are looking forward to putting on bigger productions, Raghavan said.

- Metroland News Service