The second phase of the Puthur Sreethirupurakkal Nritha-Sangeetotsavam featured a mélange of concerts and dance recitals. After bhajan king Anup Jalota's mesmerising concert, Priyadarsini Govind, an accomplished exponent of the Vazhavoor-bani in Bharathanatyam, set the stage on fire with her nuanced performance.
Opening with a vibrant Mallari in Gambheeranatta, set to Thisrathriputa tala, she moved on to a vivacious Kavuthvam (lyrical passage on Lord Karthikeya) ‘Varukuthu varukuthu' in Shanmukhapriya, which showcased her skill in nrita, nritya and abhinaya. In ‘Nithyakalyani,' a ragamalika in Kalyani, Thodi, Kamboji, Bhairavi and Bhoopalam, Priyadarsini portrayed different forms of the Goddess Meenakshi. She was the personification of Roudrabhava when she depicted the Goddess slaying the demon.
Quick transformation
In the two compositions of Oothukkadu – ‘Madumekka kanne' and ‘Ninranra mayilendru' – her transformation from the mischievous Krishna to the loving mother Yashoda and the complaining Gopikas were skillfully essayed with her expressive eyes and gestures. Equally impressive were a thillana of Balamuralikrishna in Kadanakuthoohalam and an Abhang of Bhanudasa.
The next concert was by tabla player Bikram Ghosh, guitarist Sumeet Ramachandran and vocalist Ambreesh Das.
Usha Suresh Balaji was donning her dance costume after 24 years. On hand to lend her moral support was her guru Kshemavathi who herself rendered the Nattuvangam. Jayashree Rajeev's bhava-laden vocals enriched the performance.
A raga-talamalika cholkettu, choreographed by Kshemavathi, in Begada, Simhendramadhyamam, Reethigowla and Revathi was the opening number. A varnam in Hameerkalyani depicting the lovelorn Usha revealing her heart to her ‘sakhi' Chithralekha gave the dancer ample opportunity for bhavabhinaya. The dancer's delightful presentation of a bashful Usha watching her beloved's portrait unfolding on Chitralekha's canvas was a high point of her recital.
Irayimman Thampi's ‘Omanathingal kidavo' was evocatively depicted by her and she concluded the evening with a lively thillana of Balamuralikrishna.
The cultural programme came to an end with Lakshmi Goplaswami's Bharatanatyam recital. A Thotayamangalam in Gowla set to Misrachappu was followed by a Kavuthvam on the Goddess. She skillfully promoted environmental awareness through the medium of dance by showing mother earth creating eco-friendly cosmic powers to destroy agents of pollution. The varnam ‘Adisivanai kana' of Dandayuthapanippillai in Thodi, in praise of Lord Siva, followed. Lakshmi concluded with a lilting thillana of Veena Seshanna in Behag.
