'Roller Coaster of a year!' - Hanisha Bhupathiraju

Ugadi is the Telugu festival that celebrates New year according to the Telugu calendar. And as we welcome Plava Nama Samvatsara it is important to bid proper goodbye to Sarvari nama samvatsaram. Though it has been an extremely trying year with pandemic on the rise and being confined to homes, it had its highs too. It reminded us to not only appreciate every day we have but also appreciate the comforts we enjoy. This year has been an opportunity of growth for the Sumadhura Arts Academy and its students in particular.

We as students began virtual learning with extreme uncertainty and today we can't imagine it being another way. We dancers have used this time to work on our individual techniques and shortcomings and used each day at home to become better dancers. Regardless of the difficulties the academy not only survived but it thrived. Out of the many things we accomplished "Yavanika" will remain the one closest to our hearts.

This year we have embraced the online platform and have organised multiple online showcases. We performed for the Mrs. India Finale virtually. Our Annual Day too was conducted virtually but was beautiful nonetheless. Apart from embracing online, as the situation got better we even performed live on occasions like Ganesh chaturthi. Some of the huge performances of this year include the one for the launch of a non- stop flight from Chicago to Hyderabad and the performance for Times of India both performed offline. Along with embracing the new normal, this year we even began physical classes with necessary precautions and fewer students.

This year has been an example of the ability of Sumadhura Arts Academy to thrive in every and any situation. We would like to thank all the students and parents for standing by us through this roller coaster of an year.