LIFCO Publishers recently released ‘Lyrical Journey – Bhaava Saahitya Saaram' authored by Vidya Saranyan, at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
The book contains translations of 30 classic Tamil padams, kirtanams, poems and devotional hymns for Bharatanatyam performances along with transliterations and word to word meanings. Another feature is the musical notations by Prof B. Krishnamoorthy, eminent musician and musicologist.
Managing Director T.N.C. Veeraraghavan traced the history and the growth of the publishing company from 1929 to the present day.
Chief guest Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam spoke about the relevance of the English translations in the present day, when Bharatanatyam has become globally well known. She stressed the necessity for Bharatanatyam artists to totally familiarise themselves with the text and its context with pithy examples.
The recipients
The first recipients of the book were senior musicologist Dr. Ritha Rajan and leading Bharatanatyam artist, Nartaki Natraj. Dr. Rajan spoke about the fidelity of the translations and notations, while Nartaki Natraj highlighted the manner in which such translations would help a larger audience to access even rare Tamil pieces.
The special invitees were senior Bharatanatyam exponent Nandini Ramani, resource scholar for the book, and Prof B. Krishnamoorthy. The former shared information about the meticulous effort that went into the compilation, while the latter shed light on the process of notations and how they validated the lyrics. The book release was followed by a Bharatanatyam performance by noted artists Srekala Bharath, Roja Kannan, Priya Murle and Sushama Ranganathan. It was choreographed by Nandini Ramani.
Select lyrics from the book such as ‘Velavare,' ‘Idai Vida,' ‘Innum Paramugam,' and ‘Vadavarayai' were solo pieces, presented with involvement. The concluding song was the group performance of Pulli Kalaaba Mayil, a Kavadi Chindu that brought alive the beauty of nature through abhinaya.
