‘Azhi Mazhai Kanna’ sang Andal, invoking the blessings of Lord Vishnu for plentiful rain. Dr. Vyjayanthimala Bali’s lec-dem opened with this evocative song where she described the torrents of rain, the sharp tipped arrows and the strong shoulders of Lord Narayana in the Tiruppavai. Sure enough by the time the talk concluded, the city was blessed with another round of showers!
Years of experience and total commitment meant that one could ‘see’ each nayika, with the differences in age, temperament and personality. The unselfish wish to please the hero with sweet words and music, the subservient woman, the haughty one… each one was sketched with the same dexterity by Vyjayanthimala.
Sringara was handled with sensitivity. Humour was a strong tool which the dancer employed in her talk to outline the lyric. This was the revisiting of an earlier show, but on this occasion, the dancer dealt with some varied illustrations and emphasis.
Situations in love were central to Vyjayanthimala’s presentation. She built upon each scenario with ideas that were in keeping with the traditional nayika bhava. While one nayika was pictured as a wise woman, another proved to be a fickle heroine. In the Ghanam Krishna Iyer padam in Thodi, the female protagonist retained her loyalty towards her erring husband and only wondered which wily woman had ensnared her Lord. But the one in ‘Maane Bhushanamu’ who rashly turned him out only felt deep regret the next instant.
Vyjayanthimala’s tongue-in-cheek aside -- ‘The nayikas always have this problem, but how can they help it when the nayaka is unfaithful?’ -- sparked laughter from the audience.
The knowing expression to highlight the clever nayika, catching the hero slipping into another’s house on the sly, was a lesson in subtlety. A nod of the head and the “Aha!” expression at the sighting the hero, completed the poet’s visualisation in ‘Arivenayya,’ Atana. Innumerable customs of indulging the nayaka were brought up in ‘Modi Jesenura’ in Khamas. Bedecking him with garlands, serving up the choicest ‘paan’, alluring veena play, all were depicted with lithe grace by Vyjayanthimala. It also left one wondering how would these images fit into today’s life of texting and e-chat!
Anahita Ravindran, Shaktivel Muruganadam, Gayatri and Chaitanya provided admirable orchestral back up.
