Full many a gem of purest ray
serene
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air
T homas Gray’s words ring true of some our own dance treasures that remain unexplored or worse still, have vanished without a trace. The Kuchipudi dance répertoire contains several invaluable temple ritual dances which are rarely performed. Hence, it was heartening to see the extraordinary restoration work by Vasantalakshmi Narasimhachari, who has spent more than three decades researching and restructuring the beautiful Simhanandini natyam.
Also known as Chitra Natyam or Tala Chitram, Simhanandini is a unique art where the dancer sketches a lion, the Simhavahanam or the mount of the Mother Goddess Durga, while dancing on a white cloth spread over red coloured powder.
The virtuosity and skill required to create this marvellous piece of art with mere footwork never fails to amaze. It was guru C.R. Acharya who witnessed a Devadasi performing it and spent ten years researching and brought to light this rare Devalaya Aradhana Natyam and passed the legacy to some of his direct disciples like his daughter Voleti Rangamani, the Narasimhacharis, Korada Narasimha Rao, and Mallika Sarabhai.
Vasantalakshmi delved deeper and explored the full potential of the dance. The result was the holistic presentation of Simhanandini along with her daughter and disciple Lasya Mavilapalli, recently at the Kalakshetra Foundation’s 64th Annual Art Festival, before an elite audience of dancers, scholars and rasikas. In September last, Lasya had presented Simhanandini but that did not reflect the entire work that went into the restoration, according to Vasantalakshmi.
What exactly prompted her to reinvent Simhanandini? Vasantalakshmi says: “It is a crest jewel of extraordinary beauty, and my husband and I had the honour of learning it from our revered guru in 1981. When we performed it the world over, we felt two aspects needed to be explored further to enhance the intrinsic beauty of this dance. The lay audience knew the Tarangam as the ‘plate dance.’ Simhanandini received accolades as the ‘lion-drawing’ dance.
Natya yagna
“While the drawing of the lion with the feet was indeed spectacular, we felt that it was important to highlight the significance of what preceded it, just as the oblations in a Yagna. I choreographed the dance movements as an offering in supplication to the Divine in this Natya Yagna. I used the Angikabhinaya concept of Bharata that requires communicating an idea with the entire body, and added vachikabhinaya for the desired dramatic effect.”
Did she seek guidance, especially after the demise of her husband?
“My MFA course under the guidance of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam and her ‘Karana Prakaranam’ helped tremendously in giving me a clear insight to structure the Karana aspect of the dance along with its three components, sthaana, nritta hasta and chari,” replies Vasanta.
“Secondly, I elaborated the Simhanandana tala segment to display the full potential of its technical brilliance and application to dance, music and rhythm and reduced the duration of the drawing to the shortest possible time, a single avarta lasting just two minutes, without altering its angas in any way.
“It was a marathon effort and required a lot of practice to achieve precision, which is vital.”
The entire process has been documented in a DVD, “Simhanandini – the Dancing Lion” to propagate this rare art form and as a guide and inspiration for the young. The research should be taken forward, she feels. “It is a poignant moment for me. What began as a venture by a couple has turned out to be a solo mission, However, I felt his constant guidance in every step of this work,” sums up Vasanta.
Evocative lyric
The ambience of The Kalakshetra auditorium took the audience to another realm even before the performance began. Lasya commenced with ‘Amba Paraku, a song traditionally sung before the dance recital invoking the blessings of Balatripurasundari, the presiding deity of Kuchipudi. The evocative lyrics, set in Nattai and Khambodi ragas in Misra Chapu and Adi talas, had inspired her father, the late M.V. Narasimhachari, to choreograph it as a dance in the quintessential Kuchipudi style. Lasya's dignified and graceful rendition of this dance was an apt prelude to Simhanandini.
While the stage was being set for the drawing, Vasantalakshmi gave a comprehensive explanation about her delineation of Simhanandini. She had retained the original framework as a tribute to her guru and added layers to it through lyrics, music and dance that were cohesively divided into three segments. The first extolled the virtues
of Goddess Durga who vanquished the demon Mahishasura. Lasya’s eloquent portrayal of Mahishasuramardhini created a strong visual impact.
The second segment was a six-fold oblation to the Goddess through music and dance comprising auspicious ragas, traditional talas, karanas and its dance components. Lasya offered each and every movement of her dance to the Divine Mother with the customary Avadhaaraya. She executed the intricate jatis, sculpturesque poses and maintained the predominant emotion of bhakti.
Longest tala cycle
The last segment starting with the line Atha Simhanandana talaha prarambaha was set in the Simhanandana tala, the 37th and longest of the 108 Ashtotra Sata Tala. Each cycle or avartana has 128 aksharas with six independent talas embedded which Vasantalakshmi codified using short Sanskrit verses. Lasya performed three avartanas, the first being a Sanskrit verse, ‘Sri Lalithe Subhacharithe’ in Bhairavi ragam, penned and tuned by Vasantalakshmi. With every component conceived as a dynamic build up to the grand finale, the imaginative choreography to invoke the Goddess was performed with poise and maturity by Lasya.
The final segment performed on the white screen with intricate foot movements corresponded to rhythmic patterns set by the renowned percussionist guru Bharadwaj. Lasya used pada bhedas or different foot positions and variations of tempo with pauses to sketch the different parts of the lion. It was remarkable to see the magic she created with her feet to draw a spectacular Simham in just one rhythmic cycle.
Vasantalakshmi’s fascinating live rendition of the complex Simhanandana tala along with the dance added a classic touch. The performance concluded with a Durga Gayatri mantra where the dancer became personified as the Goddess sitting on a pedestal.
Lasya Mavilapalli’s sparkling performance combined with the creative synergy of Vasantalakshmi’s music, choreography and nattuvangam to make it an unforgettable experience. Veeraraghavan’s evocative singing with excellent orchestral support from Guru Bharadwaj on mridangam, Bhavani Prasad on the veena and Sruti Sagar on flute was enhanced by Sai Shravanan’s soundscape. Murugan’s imaginative lighting created an aura of divinity.
Popular Natyam
Dance luminaries including Swapna Sundari, Ananda Shankar Jayant, Uma Murali and students of Rangamani Voleti perform Simhanandini and mesmerise audiences across the world.
