The Parampara fest, in its 20th edition, offered a dramatic legacy in the
form of Bhagavadajjukeeyam , a dance drama choreographed by Guru Raja Reddy, revisiting it after a hiatus of more than two decades. The three-day fest offered a varied platter where Manipuri and Creative dance, Carnatic and Hindustani music met on the same platform.
Day one was home production, a re-conceptualisation of an early Telugu adaptation of Bodhayana’s (12th century) Sanskrit farce, Bhagavadajjukeeyam . Sketched out on Kuchipudi Bhagavatha mela canvas, this farcical comedy had all the elements that went with a Kuchipudi dance drama from Pravesha daruvu to tera (customary entry-exit behind a hand-held cloth screen) to comic relief in the character of Shandilya, a negative character (Yamadhoot) and a redeeming character (the Buddhist monk) and finally, the moral of the story and the protagonist, here the heroine Vasantasena. The lyrics of the songs set to classical raga were reminiscent of the traditional Bhama Kalapam; the only difference lay in the subject and its treatment. Aesthetics have always been the forte of Raja Reddy be it the backdrop, aharya (hairdo, make-up and costume) or the scenes and even the dance. So it was with this crisp dance drama.
The introduction to principal characters was through silhouettes on manually placed framed screens. The group of young girl dancers with ‘kalasam’ in hand and a leaf in the other sprinkling water as prokshana, circling the stage in dance was creative. The story in a nutshell: Courtesan Vasanta Sena is bitten by a serpent sent by Yamdhoot as her time is up on earth. She falls dead, only to be resuscitated to life by Parivrajaka, a Buddhist monk of great power and wisdom to appease his grief-stricken, love-lorn disciple Shandilya. The ancient Indian practice of ‘Parakaya (another body) pravesam (entry) has been revoked by the monk to breathe life into the maiden. The chant for this ‘prana’ (life force) swap provided a realistic touch. The farcical element comes to the fore when the Yamdhoot realises he had made a big mistake in walking away with the life force of the wrong candidate (Vasantasena) and tries to rectify. The comic element got compounded with Vasantasena’s soul being put in the dead monk and the hilarious behaviour of both characters that follows. Finally, all’s well that ends well. Bhavana Reddy as Shandilya with shaven hair, probationary monk costume and looks turned out to be a marvellous actor with her histrionics. Her natural mirth gleaming in her eyes; the candour and comfort with which she slipped into the role of an infatuated boy — a lampoon on immature boys taking to Buddhism — underlined her potential and immense talent.
Yamini, a gifted dancer with a keen sense of rhythm and intrinsic vivacity with footwork to the most complicated mnemonics, was tailor-made to the role of courtesan Vasantasena. While Rashmi Vaidyanathan as Yamdhoot oozed energy.
The artiste of the evening was Raja Reddy himself who played Buddhist monk Parivrajaka. He stole the show with his virtuosity, more so as a monk with the heart and behaviour of a courtesan which sent the audience into peals of laughter.
Hyd Brothers in concert
Hyderabad Brothers (D. Raghavachari and D. Seshachari) Carnatic concert in the second half of the evening was superb. Their accompanists were also brothers from Hyderabad, namely D. Srinivas on the veena and DSR Murthy on mridangam. The foursome made for an enchanting evening of music with some of the most melodious kritis and padams that enthralled the audience. Two kritis from Mutthaiah Bhagavatar’s arsenal – Himagiri tanaye Hemalathe in Shudda Dhanyasi and the other, Ambavani nannu aadarinchave in Keeravani (21st melakarta), interlaced with a Thyagaraja kriti, Korina varamosagu maiyya Kodandapani in Ramapriya and Sarasa sama dana... in Kapi Narayani and packaged with a couple of rare padams like Charumati upacharamulelane ... (Kanada ragam) and the Varali padam Valapu dacha nerene ..., the concert was a delectable fare.
Established as puritanic vocalists whose pitch and rhythm are not prone to swerve, Hyderabad Brothers’ recital leaves nothing wanting. For one, they have their fingers on the pulse of their listeners and tone down or accentuate their virtuosity. This time around, catering to a Delhi audience, they kept themselves to brevity, be it in the alapana or swarakalpana or neraval without deviating from the kacheri dharmam.
The opening Himagiri tanaye with a crisp alapana extolled the mother goddess, the Thyagaraja kriti got a full-fledged treatment with the alapana exploring the contours of Ramapriya which the duo shared between them. Srinivas on veena replayed it in gayaki style, vesting the raga with his inimitable touch. The neraval at sari vari lona nannu.. was a superb interpretation of the emotion stressing it at different points as they displayed their vidwat. D.S.R. Murthy came out as a subtle percussionist who went with the gentle tones of the duo, displaying his virtuosity in the tani avarthanam to the Keeravani. While the Kapi Narayani was a straight rendition full of emotive appeal, the Keeravani, which formed the centrepiece of the concert, was given its due. A fairly elaborate alapana by Seshachari scaled the heights of the raga as it delved into its depths too, followed by Ambavani nannu..., an imploring kriti. The sangathis flowed melodious and the kalpanaswara at Paradevi ninnu... was in keeping with the tone of the kriti. There was never a gimmick play nor a heavy shower of racy swara to impress the audience.
