If pure dance sans lyrical content had to gauged and grasped, well, Priyadarshini Govind's Bharatanatyam recital was a wholesome fare in as much as it comprised a kowthvam,padam , jaavali and a tillana . Since language is a barrier in our country, her Tamil and Telugu lyrics went over the head of many an Oriya audience who were nevertheless art aficionados but failed to understand the content. This becomes a major drawback in appreciation. Since most Indian languages originated from Sanskrit, the least an artist could do was to choose compositions penned in Sanskrit which could very well gel with the grammar of any classical dance genre and facilitate better comprehension.
The Kartikeya kowthvam in Tamil was executed in chaste Bharatanatyam idiom with accurate, arithmetic footwork with exact delineation of the adavu patterns. It showcased the presiding deity of Tamil Nadu, Lord Muruga known for his valiant, ever-youthful, romantic and protective nature. Priyadarshini's footwork and expression was able to capture these qualities as she moved on with the song exceptionally well. The only snag if any, here as elsewhere in the repertoire, was the repetitive gestures, ( hasthabhinaya ) to certain description that gets into the refrain! There is an exception at the padam where she showed the Vaishnava mudras in a slightly varied manner! But for most part, she left us wishing for variation in hasta mudras given her maturity in the medium.
The padam in Telugu, Shiva deekshaparu ralanu raa fell short of the right expression in as much as the song conveys an ardent devotee's obsession ( bhakti ) with Lord Shiva to the exception of all other gods and humans and not just shringara mixed with pride and denial of all else, as the dancer conveyed. Her eyes did not ooze the bhava that this lyric richly deserved since in a dance format, there is no scope for props like a Shiva idol to ensure the intensity of devotion which is easier in a film, for instance.
The jaavali , again in Telugu Nee maatalemaayenu raa … portrayed the kanditha naayika , a woman accosting the beloved for not keeping up promises one after another. Priyadarshini went through the frivolous material issues plaguing the naayika quite convincingly as far as hastabhinaya went but when it came to facial expressions, synthetic looks loomed large.
The tillana to Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna's composition in Kadanakuthuhalam had lovely jatis worked into the footwork. Symmetry and systematic execution of nritta seems to be the artiste's hallmark. The Vande maataram …finale could have been avoided as it just did not gel with Priyadarshini's brand of Bharatanatyam. Sashilal on the nattuvangam, Preeti Mahesh on the vocal, Sukhi on the percussion and Ganesan on the violin provided for an able orchestra. The performance was part of ‘Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival 2011' held at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar.
