Having been a student of eminent gurus, Krishnakumari Narendran, Kalanidhi Narayanan and Seetharama Sharma, Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala is well-positioned as a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher. She is a mature performer with certain strengths and limitations. Her beautiful eyes act as mirrors of emotions that are subtle and well-thought out. Her nritta on the other hand is very restricted; barring clear footwork, there is not enough movement.
The jathis were therefore more for their aural beauty than their visual appeal. Between N.K. Kesavan (mridangam, kanjira) who entertained with fillers in varying tones on the mridangam during jathis and using the kanjira’s stereophonic vibrations to enhance some sancharis in the varnam and the musician-mridangist Kaushik Champakesan (nattuvangam) who kept accurate rhythm despite occasional aberrations with the dancer, each jathi sequence was enjoyable.
As an extension, the music was the best part of the show. Preethy Mahesh (vocal) was in fine form and scored with her niraval especially in the navaragamalika varnam (‘Samiyai azhaithodi vaa’, adi, K.N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai). Giving her inspiring melodic support was an enthusiastic J.B. Sruti Sagar (flute) and Kalaiarasan (violin) who also highlighted the dancer’s narratives as during Gajendra moksha in the Purandara Dasa kriti, ‘Neenyako ninna’ (Sumaneshwara Ranjani, Vasanthi, Hamsanandi).
There is however much to write about Parvathi’s histrionics. The sthayi bhava of a nayika longing for Siva’s company and requesting her friend to act as messenger, was well-established throughout the padavarnam — the pallavi had the dancer establishing the request and the friend’s indifference; after the mukthayi sahitya, the friend is flattered with jewellery and coaxed to go; after the last charanam, the nayaka does arrive and the couple walks out hand-in-hand, with the dancer alternating between them. The extra abhinaya robbed Keshavan of his mridangam solo before the charanam, but it seemed for a greater good.
Parvathi’s mime is always restrained. In the Dasarnama, even while portraying Shakuni’s evil intentions of humiliating and destroying the Pandavas, and perhaps the entire Kuru clan, Yudhishtra’s desolation when he loses yet again, Dushasana’s maliciousness and Draupadi’s humiliation in the Kaurava court, the line of acting and overacting was never crossed.
Along with the inspired music, Parvathi’s devotion to Ranga carried forth with conviction. In future, Parvathi ought to put in more effort in her nritta or concentrate on her abhinaya and present an abhinaya-centered performance. The present situation is untenable.
Parvathi performed as part of Kala Pradarshini’s 18th Natya Festival
