Conceptualised and produced by Chennai-based Churchill Pandian under the aegis of Music Utsav, the dance production “Ganga to Kaveri” was recently presented at India Habitat Centre.
The production was choreography by five Delhi-based senior dancers. They were Geetanjali Lal for Ganga in Kathak, Raja Radha Reddy for Yamuna in Kuchipudi, Geeta Chandran for Narmada in Bharatanatyam, Ranjana Gauhar for Brahmaputra in Odissi and Saroja Vaidyanathan for Kaveri in Bharatanatyam.
The outstanding feature of the production was that the entire music including the shlokas and rhythm, bols, sollus, ukutas were also designed by Bangalore-based renowned musician Praveen D Rao and singing was rendered by one female vocalist.
Indeed it was a novel idea to have one musician visualising the music and offering each choreographer 15 to 20 minutes each to perform to the pre-recorded music.
The opening with Ganga featuring Vidha Lal, Varsha Dasgupta, Ira Dogra and Vikasini Kannan, disciples of Geetanjali Lal, dressed in white costumes stood out for the serenity of the Sanskrit shloka praising the pancha mahabhuta, five elements like water, fire, air, earth and space – akash.
They showed river Ganga flowing from the matted locks of Lord Shiva, running across two banks, through chakkars, pirouettes creating illusion of whirlpools in Ganga. The foot work and movements to suggest flow of the river, the sight of boatmen ferrying the boats on the river, the ghats, the women folk gracefully walking with pitchers, using the Kathak ‘gats’, offering flowers, lamps, and devotion. The final journey meeting with death was indicated showing Dashashwamedha ghat. And then with singing of arati “Jay Gange Mata”, filling the air, and devotees dancing joyously. From shloka in praise of Lord Shiva, the women entering Vishwanatha temple and ringing the bell – all was performed in quick succession with the quintessential elements of Kathak in imaginative choreography by Geetanjali Lal.
Yamuna river was presented in Kuchipudi style. Raja-Radha Reddy’s daughter Bhavana entered the stage in a scintillating manner. She dances like lightening. Describing Yamuna as a daughter of Surya, sister of Yamuna, beloved of Lord Krishna, Bhavana evoked familiar images. What was interesting was the footwork seen prior to placing feet on brass plate, the fingers entwining the toes and taking “vytastha padas”, four accompanying young dancers performed Tarangam with Bhavana. The vision of Rasalila, gopis dancing around Krishna was picturesque. But the highlight was the Kalinganartana. One sees it like a Kathak kavit, Oothakad’s poem describing Krishna subjugating Kaliya serpent and dancing on his hood. Can the banks of Yamuna river be without Krishna and gopis and what Jayadeva sings “Dhira Samire Yamuna” tire? The finale with a tableau of gopis looking at Krishna was conceived as a climax. Raja and Radha Reddy’s choreography highlighted the concept succinctly.
Mythological stories
Geeta Chandran and her disciples of Natyavirksha enacted river Narmada running across Madhya Pradesh to Gujarat, dancing in Bharatanatyam. They brought to fore the mythological stories narrating the high reverence for Narmada river with Narmada Stotra.
Geeta Chandran and her disciples of Natyavirksha staging “Narmada”
Shiva sat meditating and his intense concentration made him break into a sweat, which formed a tank overflowing as Shankari, another name for river Narmada — Shankar’s daughter. The other story was about how Narmada protects one from the fear of snakes. It is said that in Rasatala (the lower regions of the universe), the Nagas were being harassed by the Gandharvas. Narmada, who was given in charity to Purukutsa, promised to save the Nagas. Even Ganga constantly being polluted by people washing their sins in her goes to the Narmada in the form of a black cow and dips into Narmada’s waters to cleanse herself of impurities! Geeta Chandran packed in several references with imaginative choreography. The stotra is sung praising Narmada for removing sins and miseries. A challenging task was transformed into dance suggestively by Geeta Chandran. The disciples performed the various roles for mythological events with ease.
The male river
The fourth river was Brahmaputra, the male river flowing from Assam. Choreographed by Ranjana Gauhar in Odissi, it highlighted the mythological story of matricide committed by Parashurama. The axe with which he had cut off her head, stuck to his arm with blood and could not be separated. Parashurama was asked to go to Assam, break the peaks of mountains to let Brahmaputra flow, the river being son of Brahma, as Brahmaputra river is a male river. Once it flowed, Parashurama cleansed himself and was released from the curse.
The river is also known as Lohita, because of red blood that filled it up when Parashurama washed his arms in the river. It is vast like an ocean on which the boatmen sing while ferrying people. Ranjana introduced subtly the movements of the folk dance Bihu. The river also prays Kamakhya Goddess. Described as Nilaparavatavasi, the river is known for its violent temper with floods and often is silent mirroring different images. The devotees appease her praying and dancing with containers of incense, fragrant smoke to typical local Assamese tunes which reverberate on banks of Brahmputra. It was a difficult task but Ranjana managed well using the Odissi technique with one male dancer playing the role of Parashurama. Her female disciples did her proud.
The finale with Kaveri flowing from Karnataka, Thanjavur, holy places of the saint Tyagaraja, and Srirangam where Lord Ranganatha is seen in reclining pose was choreographed by veteran dancer Saroja Vaidyanathan in Bharatanatyam.
Led by her disciple Gayatri, the other young dancers took the audience to the great temple of Brihadishwara from there to Tiruvarur, the land of Tyagaraja. And in padam “Yen Palli Kondira”, when the devotee asked the Lord why he was looking tired, Saroja used several appropriate sancharis. Kaveri offers water making the region a huge granary, where farmers sow the seeds, it rains and the folk dancers perform merrily. With the final tillana, Kaveri flew magnificently.
In the end five lead dancers appeared on stage emphasising unity within diversity thus conveying the message by this artistic confluence.
