Mohiniyattam has undergone a sea of change on account of dancers of other classical styles who have embraced the indigenous dance form of Kerala as their own. One of the most pristine styles of Mohiniyattam then is that of Kalyanikutty Amma's. The legend's ‘old Kalamandalam' style repertoire and its unique hairstyle may have drawn its share of criticism, but Smitha Rajan, the legendary artiste's granddaughter and a scion of Kalyanikutty Amma's tradition, vouches that it is one that remains unique. Smitha and her troupe presented a Mohiniyattam recital at Kochi, recently, which drew praise for its ingenuity in selection and presentation.
Expressive
‘Unni Ganapathi Thampurane' had the right verve to commence a delightful evening of dance. It featured a sanchari in which Ganesha, the elephant God, wins a fruit after competing for it with his brother Murugan. Smita succeeded in capturing the innocence of the characters well. In ‘Deenan dukh haran,' a Surdas bhajan, she expressively depicted instances from the stories of Kuchela, Ajamila, Gajendra, and Panchali to describe Lord Krishna's magnanimity towards his devotees. ‘Neeraja dala neela Krishna' described Lord Krishna's pranks. Shyam Menon provided commendable support on the mridangam. However, Shani Harikrishnan's vocals, marked by tonal discrepancies, left a lot to be desired. Smita's presentation of ‘Kanden Kanden,' in which Hanuman describes his first meeting with Sita, was rather hurried. The scope for sancharis was not explored much.
The traditional piece ‘Panthattam' was well depicted. Mohiniyattam's typical grace flowed in this presentation, especially when the group depicted the mirth of the young women playing with the ball.
The saptham was on the story of the Queen of Jhansi. This storytelling piece had few choreographed movements. However, Smitha excelled in sketching the character of the brave queen, especially the trepidation of a teenager being married off to an older man, and also the pain of losing a child. The battle scenes were essayed with aplomb.
The programme was organised by Bank Employees' Arts Movement.
