“In today’s times where we long to belong to a group, family, society, and friends – we embrace various cultural practices, but often become oblivious to where our roots lie. This initiative, so beautifully conceptualized, attempts to instill in us that sense of belongingness. I had a very fulfilling experience and have grown to appreciate and respect our culture tenfold.”

“This is a wonderful initiative that contributes towards the well-being of the society, connoisseurs of art, to bring back ancient glory lost from our culture. They have put in the commendable effort and such initiatives need to be brought to the doorstep of several other temples in various districts of our state.”

“Gudi Sambaraalu is very close to my heart. It connects us back to the divinity. My effort is to tell the younger generation that they don’t have to be 40 or 50 to appreciate all of this. You can be as young as 16 to understand what India has and how rich our culture is. Having Gudi Sambaraalu at the age old temples itself is overwhelming.”

“The whole experience of having someone dance in front of God gave me goosebumps as I witnessed it. It is admirable that Shashi and Srinagi have come up with such a beautiful concept of bringing back art, heritage, and culture in such a lovely way to people like us who are getting busy with our lives and have lost it somewhere.”

“The expressions and mudras of the dancers are so perfect and intricate that when the Shiva’s dance was performed one went into a state of trance. I sincerely hope this kind of programs will help in the preservation of our traditions and culture”

“Today in the internet world, all these temples and their beauty take a back seat. Our cultural heritage needs to be nourished and this is a beautiful way to do that”

“I simply got mesmerized with Shri Ratikant Mohapatra’s Ardhanarishwari dance. I went to this temple 1.5 decades ago with my archaeology friends. Then, this was a bavi [well] filled with water. You have created a magical arena at the old neglected temple”

“It seems to me like I have time-traveled to the 50s, far away from 2017. In today’s times when we are getting more westernized, this initiative attempts to revive our tradition and culture and it is commendable.”

“Though I was born and brought up in Hyderabad, I was not aware of the existence of such a historical temple [Ammapalle Temple] in Hyderabad. Your contribution for the propagation of classical dance is highly remarkable”

“With the backdrop of the temple gopuram, the crescent moon, the Vedic chanting, the bhajans resonating the praise of Lord Sri Rama.. the dancers had a mesmerizing effect on the rasikas…. Namaskaras to Srinagi and Shashi for the innovative thought of infusion of culture into our lives. A breath of fresh air in an otherwise arid life”