Teeny dancers on stage; in Nagapattinam

The sun was setting the evening we arrived in Nagapattinam. The chaotic traffic slows down travel from the highway to the town centre.

That evening was the final day of the Natyanjali at the Sri Kayarohanaswamy Temple. 

Here, the festival has been nurtured by dancer-guru Padma Subrahmanyam and her team while a group of Nagapattinam seniors take charge of the day-to-day conduct of the event.

In one corner of the temple yard is the permanent stage where dancers perform against  a massive, printed backdrop of visuals of carved temple pillars.

Since many local dance academies were featured that evening, the yard filled up quickly with guests. It was an evening when the teeny-weeny dance students got their time on stage. And the big moments were celebrated by their parents and well-wishers.

Hosts of the Natyanjali now make it a point to include local dancers/ dance students in their schedules.