A zestful show

Vyshnavie Sainath proved her mettle at a recent performance in New Delhi

May 28, 2015 06:57 pm | Updated 06:57 pm IST

Vyshnavie Sainath in performance

Vyshnavie Sainath in performance

Hyderabad-based Vyshnavie Sainath gave an Odissi recital as part of the Horizon Series of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations the other day. Vyshnavie, trained in Odissi under Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, began her dance adventures at the early age of three with Bharatanatyam. Her mother, well known Bharatanatyam dancer Rajeshwari Sainath, was her first guru.

Vyshnavie has also learnt the Kerala martial art of Kalaripayattu, a complex discipline that seems to be rather popular with dancers who wish to train their bodies rigorously and explore movement beyond the conventional classical nayika motifs. In addition, she has delved into Contemporary Dance.

All the zest this varied training points to was in evidence in her recital. The programme was planned in a conventional manner, and in such a presentation, it is a challenge for any dancer to stand out in the crowd. Young artists in today’s trend-driven, mass production oriented world more than ever run the risk of being forgettable performers if they simply walk the path as taught without making it their own journey.

Therefore, let’s start with the presentation that stood out for the genuine verve with which it was executed. This was the abhinaya piece, Kelu sajani keli kadamba moole. The song, in raga Khamas and Ek tala, is about a young milkmaid smitten by Krishna.

“Who is that handsome man under the kadamba tree playing the flute so beautifully,” she asks her friend. Here, Vyshnavie’s dance came perkily to life because of the freshness she brought to her depiction. Though the abhinaya was set in a conventional manner (whose dance compositions she performed was not specified), with the usual Radha-Krishna banter, it came off naturally, with vitality and real joy. This, one felt, was because she executed her role with conviction, which is a key requirement of theatre arts.

The depiction included simple rhythmic compositions (jatis) that were set to abhinaya instead of dance steps. There was the familiar Radha-Krishna teasing (he grabbing hold of her hand, her pulling it back, the chase ending in embrace), as well as Krishna playing the flute, with celebratory drums, etc., all within the restricted space of a jati, culminating in the sam. Reaching the sam is always delightful, no matter how many millions of times artists may have reached the sam in the past! So using jatis in such a way always has charm.

Vyshnavie had begun the evening with a mangalacharan, the traditional invocation of the Odissi repertoire. The composition was dedicated to Goddess Kali, the “dark mother” with whom devotees have a loving bond despite her fierce appearance, as she was described by Rajeshwari Sainath, who compered the performance. The one with ten heads, ten arms and ten legs, the slayer of the demons was depicted by the dancer using poses and abhinaya.

The pallavi that followed, set to raga Kalavati and Ek tala, gave the dancer a chance to depict ornamental and rhythmic movements with the flow of the music as the composition moved to a crescendo. Moksha, set to ragas Bilahari and Bhairavi, was the concluding piece. It ended with a prayer to Devi, “Sarva mangala maangalye”, which emphasised the Mother’s fierce demon slaying aspect rather than her benignity. This went against the serenity one associates with the concept of moksha.

The spirited and sometimes rustic quality of Vyshnavie’s nritta adds an attractive cheer to her dance. This made the moksha composition joyous. And joy is no doubt an ingredient of spiritual liberation through dance – the meaning behind this closing piece of the Odissi repertoire. However, the dancer’s performance would benefit from a more internalised approach rather than an externally oriented one. This may come with age and experience.

About the organisers, the less said the better. One can only conclude that there is a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the ICCR to publicise this series that seeks to project young artists on its panel. Seeing a full hall gives encouragement to an artist. Delhi has acquired a reputation for not turning out in large numbers for classical dance performances. But for a government-funded organisation, whose mandate is promotion of culture, to fill a fairly small auditorium, for programmes planned months in advance, should not be all that impossible. Delhi-based artists might try to invite their own crowd. Out-of-towners find it that much more difficult.

Surely the other government departments dealing in areas such as tourism and education can cooperate to bring these unticketed performances to a larger public.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.