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Veteran Bharatanatyam exponent Geeta Chandran presented the Arangetram of her disciple, Vidhi Bansal , at the Chinmaya Mission Auditorium in New Delhi on July 18, marking another milestone in the guru's decades-long journey of mentoring young classical dancers.

Organised under the banner of Natya Vriksha , the recital celebrated the culmination of Vidhi's 11 years of training while reaffirming the institution's emphasis on the Guru-Shishya tradition. The evening drew members of Delhi's arts fraternity, educationists and rasikas, with MLA Satish Upadhyay and Aarti Upadhyay attending as chief guests, and Monica Sagar, director of The Knowledge Habitat Schools and former director-principal of Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram, as the guest of honour.

The recital followed the traditional Bharatanatyam margam, beginning with Pushpanjali and Alarippu, moving through Jatiswaram in Ragamalika, the Varnam in Nattaikuranji Ragam, Surdas' Sundar Shyam Padam, a Tillana in Ragam Brindavani and concluding with Mangalam.


A live orchestra accompanied the performance, with Geeta Chandran on nattuvangam, Sreeraag Nair on vocals, Vignesh Jayaraman on mridangam, Varun Rajasekharan on ghatam and V.S.K. Annadorai on violin.

Speaking on the occasion, Geeta Chandran said, "An Arangetram marks the beginning of a dancer's lifelong journey of learning and artistic exploration. Vidhi has demonstrated unwavering dedication, humility and commitment throughout her years of training. It has been deeply fulfilling to present her before rasikas as she embarks on this new chapter of her artistic life."

For Natya Vriksha, the evening reflected its continued commitment to training young Bharatanatyam practitioners through personalised mentorship, live musical accompaniment and an immersive approach rooted in the Indian knowledge system. For Vidhi, a recent graduate of Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram, it marked the successful completion of one stage of her dance education before she begins her undergraduate studies at FLAME University, Pune.

More than an individual debut, the recital served as a reminder of the enduring relevance of the Arangetram—a rite of passage that continues to uphold one of Indian classical dance's oldest pedagogical traditions while introducing a new generation of performers to the stage.