Rangapravesam Day: Part-3
July 14th, 2024
My dance concluded with the Mangalam, and the rest of the evening went by in a blur. I couldn't even process the fact that I had just completed my Rangapravesam!
My family felicitated the Orchestra and Anu aunty with their plaques and honored them for all of their efforts. That was soon followed by Anu aunty's speech, and my receiving the coveted Rangapravesam completion certificate. Finally, it was time for me to deliver the speech I had been waiting to give for so long!
Immediately after that, we took some group photos on stage, and I went straight to the lobby where I greeted all of the people who had come to support me, and took pictures with them. It was such a surreal experience being showered with kind words and compliments from everyone around me. My jaw got very sore from how much I was smiling, but I couldn't care less! I wouldn't trade those precious moments for anything!
I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner that followed shortly after with members of the orchestra, all the volunteers and their families. The clean up process that came after that was tiring, even though I did not do any of it, myself, and all I did was to sit around and wait for my parents to take me and Taara home.
Finally, around 9 o'clock, it was time for us to go home. We had spent about 12 hours at that venue and I couldn't wait to take all of the hair, makeup, and jewelry off. It took pretty much an hour for my mom to help me take out the mazes of wool and what felt like a thousand bobby pins and u-pins from my hair, and the million safety pins holding my dress in place! As she was taking everything out, I couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment under all of the excitement and pride. I was sad that the day I had been looking forward to for so long had come to an end, but I knew for one, that my dance journey would NOT end there (now, a week later, I've already started going back to classes to practice for our group's next performance in September).
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My Speech:
Hi everyone,
It’s a beautiful day out, you could be at the beach, barbecuing in your backyard, or getting a goodnights sleep if you’re in India. But you chose to come here, and support me on this special day. For that I’m truly grateful. I’ve been waiting for this moment since I began my Rangapravesam training in October of last year, and I seriously can’t believe that I’m finally here.
Id like to take a few more minutes of your time to share a little bit about my kuchipudi journey. It all started when I joined Nartana as an almost 6 year old, in it for all the bling. The makeup, jewelry, and elaborate costumes were the draw for me. Soon after, I began obsessed with perfecting all the steps Anu aunty taught us, and even went to the extent of annoying my parents because I wouldn’t stop doing steps and stomping around the house. I would stare in awe at the advanced students when they performed on annual day, and the eye catching rangapravesams of the senior students. While I still appreciate the jewelry, makeup, and costumes, I’ve also discovered the true joy of dancing.
Through my years at nartana I’ve created a lot of fond memories. From huddling around the dining table at Aruna aunty’s house to do hair and makeup together, to the nervous whispers in the wings of the stage before performances, and enjoying Anu aunty’s delicious food at Navratri every year, Nartana has become an integral part of my life. At the beginning of my dance journey I was a shy little kid fixated on learning new steps, but now I’m happy to say that I’ve created so many new friends who I can not only count on when it comes to dance, but in life as well.
As you just heard from the vote of thanks, this journey, these memories, and today’s performance would not have been possible if it were not for an army of people, and I thank them all from the bottom of my heart. I want to thank The kid governor program and Ms. Cheryl Myers’s for always encouraging me. the team from boys and girls aid for being apart of my Rangapravesam and supporting me as I did my part to help the foster children and young adults on the verge of homelessness. For the past 8 months, Rangapravesam was all I talked to my friends about, and I want to thank them all for not getting annoyed about my complaints (most of the time). I would like to thank the members of the orchestra for making practices so fun, and I will definitely miss our post practice circle time. I thank Ganesh uncle for giving my Pep talks to keep me motivated before and after any practices, especially when I make mistakes. I thank my grandparents, who flew all the way out here from India to support me on this special day, my sister for never failing to make me smile when I’m upset, my mom’s continuous optimism and selflessness whenever I feel low, and my dad for making sure I have anything I need to give me energy, and supporting this passion of mine since day one.
There’s one person without whom I wouldn’t be standing in front of you today, and that is Anu aunty. In the past 9 years, I’ve dabbled with a plethora of different activities, and out of them all, dance has never been something i wanted to give up on. anu aunty, thank you for turning dance into one of my biggest passions, and shaping me into the dancer I am today. I am truly lucky to have a guru like you in my life.
Once again,
Thank you all for being here and making this day memorable.
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