'Muvva' is the pet name given to T.S. Subha Rajeswari by Guru Nataraja Ramakrishna, and it has become a popular even in her household. This eleven-year-old's parents are lawyers, and her mother Venkateswari Devi too learned the art under Nataraja Ramakrishna and tasted the greatness of the style of Andhra Natyam. This was the main reason as to why she put her daughter Muvva under the tutelage of Sangeetha Nataka Academy awardee Kala Krishna, Nataraja Ramakrishna's ardent disciple.
Muvva, with good stage presence, gave an Andhra Natyam show at Thyagaraya Ganasabha last week under the aegis of Mega City Navakala Vedika. Almost all the numbers she presented on the occasion were traditional, passed on from one generation to another. They look totally different from what we see in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam shows. The lyrics and the style of presentation were unique.
Muvva opened her show with traditional Pushpanjali in Nata and Vinayaka Kautvam in Sankarabharanam. This part presented the age-old style of entering stage with Kumbha Harati to the presiding deity, holding a flower-decorated round vessel in hand with a lit oil lamp above as part of Aradhana Nrityas (temple dances) of olden days. Vinayaka Kautvam was in Vinayaka Tala.
They followed the text of Bharatarnavam in depicting obeisance to Devatas.
The next number was Ganga Taranga Ramaneeya Jataa Kalapam . Muvva's abhinaya part showed how Lord Siva brings down Ganga from his lock of hair to quench the thirst of lands and people. This ended with the depiction of the Sivalinga in Varansi. This was part of Sankaracharya's slokas Bhaje Viswanatham . Tripurasura Samharam was her major number. Raara Mayintiki Krishnayya in Sama Ragam narrated how a gopika invites Lord Krishna to walk on the flowers spread by another gopika. Dasavataralu was a typical exhibition of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu that Tadepalli Vaidehi and Induvadana, devadasis of ancient coastal Andhra, popularised as part of their Golla Kalapam show. The jatis added by Nataraja Ramakrishna and Kalakrishna glorified the number further.
Sarada Reddy gave vocal support to Balarama Murthy on mridangam, Subba Lakshmi on violin, Duttatreya on flute, and Janardan on ghatam.
