Chaliye Kunjanamo

Composer: Maharaja  Swaati TirunaaL 
Language: Hindi  Raaga : Brindavana Sarang 

Pallavi 

chaliyE kunjan mO tum ham mil shyAm hari 

Antara 1 

dEkhO jamunA rE bahi sundar ati nIrbhari 

(caliyE) 

Antara 2 

chODiyE kaisE mOkun mai to tErO hAth dhari 

(caliyE) 

Antara 3 

suniyE kOyal kE bOl piyA kyA kahrI 

(caliyE)

 Come, let us go to the Garden, where the flowers bloom and jasmine adorns the place, come let us share our happiness by being together. Look at the beautiful Jamuna that flows beautifully quenching the thirst of the earth, Come Hari, let us play in the water and bury ourselves in each others arms. Oh how can you leave my hands , for  in you I seek comfort for I have entrusted my life with you,Come let us go to the Garden, please? Listen, listen carefully to what the cuckoo says, Yes, it is saying the same that it is the moment of love , Oh my Lord, come to Kunajanamo where you and I can be together, be one ..... Chaliye!!! 

My first Swati Thirunal choregraphy! In Mohiniattam, Chaliye Kunjanamo is one of the most sought after dance items in a repertoire of any artist.Chaliye Kunjanamo is a short and sweet dialogue which is all about happiness and vivacity of a woman- Nayika,
and a playful  mischievous and flamboyant Lord Krishna.

I chose this because first and foremost, this was in a language known to many - Hindi and the lyrics are simple and easy to understand.
In terms of choreography there is ample scope as it is a dialogue , a conversation or an explanation of Nayika's feelings and her request to Lord Hari (Lord Krishna) to join her in the beautiful Garden.

I was presenting this to an audience that hailed from the north of India - PUNJAB. For them, dance meant loud music , strong percussion and major body movements and to perform something slow, controlled and describing emotions and situations 

 in a completely different language would have been too much for them to relate to.
After the program, people from the audience came to me and said they were able to understand what was being depicted and found it easy to follow.

Verdict : It went down well with the audience :) :) :)