The festival begins with a group performance, Shiva Shakti, by Bharatnatyam exponent Saroja Vaidyanathan’s Ganesha Natyalaya, with Lord Shiva, Shakti and panchabhootam, as Ganga, damru, fire, moon and earth. “It also uses elements like nritta, (body movement), nritya (expression) and natya (dance drama),” explained Vaidyanathan