U ma Ramesh’s presentation of ‘Sivamum Thamizhum’ at Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium drew the audience into a symphony of elegant setting, melodious music and stylised dance. The curtains opened to the depiction of a Sivalingam and a nandi at its foot, using tamizh script to bring out the theme. S.R. Veeraraghavan’s robust rendition of the Siva Stuti increased the audience’s expectation as they sat back to enjoy a performance where the music complemented the dance.
Uma’s performance began with a song from the Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam, where she showed Lord Siva on rishaba vahanam travelling to Madurai to rest after His Ananda Thandavam.
She then went on to portray a song by Karaikal Ammaiyar. A neatly executed Mallari was woven into this song and the depiction of the various musical instruments were came through effectively. Finding a way to bring in the exuberance of the Ananda Thandavam could perhaps have enhanced the effect.
Next came a gripping varnam ‘Kaal Maari Aadiya Eesane’ a composition by mridanga vidwan G. Vijayraghavan, set to music by Rajkumar Bharati. The nayika, stung by her desertion by Lord Siva, berates Him on His return, wondering if He truly felt any regret at their separation. What do you know of my suffering, she asks. With pristine abhinaya and striking jatis (composed by Vijayraghavan) , this was an enjoyable piece. Mismatches in the pace of the sollu in the jatis and the footwork were at times distracting. The tisra nadai jati could have been more effective if the freezes during the tha-thing-gi-na-thom had been sharply delineated.
The timeless ‘Teruvil Varaano’ ended with a switch from sringaram to bhakti through a clearly defined body language.
Bharati’s lines, ‘sivam onre ulladena sinthanai seithal podhumada’ were beautifully expressed. The performance ended with Manickavachagar’s ‘Potri thiru agaval’, followed by a tillana in Nadanamakriya and a mangalam by Saint Tirunavukkarasar. The selection of songs and their melodious rendition brought out the beauty of the Tamizh language.
Uma has, behind her, a stellar group of teachers — from guru Govindarajan, Kanaka, to C.V. Chandrasekhar and Bragha Bessel.
She has a fluid grace that incorporates all the aspects of her dance in a seamless way. Details such a small jerk of the hand, when showing frustration, at ‘podu pogavillaiye’, added lovely touches.
She also had an impressive orchestra — S.R. Veeraraghavan (vocals), K. S. Balakrishnan (nattuvangam), G. Vijayararaghavan (mridangam), Easwar Ramakrishnan (violin), Vishnu Vijay (flute), Bhavaniprasad (veena), K. R. Sruthiraj (tabla) and Sujith Shridhar (keyboard and sound engineer). The visual appeal was enhanced by V.V. Ramani’s stage setting and costumes.
As the chief guest Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam aptly put it: “Uma’s ‘Sivamum Tamizhum’ was indeed a holistic experience.”
