In its 20th edition, The Parampara Series, true to its title, offered a dramatic legacy in the form of “Bhagavadajjukeeyam”, revisiting it after more than two decades. The festival was a varied platter where Manipuri and creative dance, not to talk of Carnatic classical vocal and Hindustani vocal met on the same platform.
Hosted at Kamani auditorium, day one saw Natya Tarangini’s production, a reconceptualisation of an early Telugu adaptation of Bodhayana’s (12th Century) Sanskrit farce, “Bhagavadajjukeeyam”. Sketched out on Kuchipudi Bhagavatha mela canvas, this farcical comedy had all the elements that went with a Kuchipudi dance drama from Pravesha daruvu to tera (customary entry-exit behind a hand-held cloth screen) to comic relief in the character of Shandilya, a negative character – Yamadhoot and a redeeming character – the Buddhist monk, and finally the moral of the story. The lyrics of the songs set to classical raga were reminiscent of the traditional Bhama Kalapam. The only difference lay in the subject and its treatment.
Be it the backdrop, aharya (hairdo, make-up and costume) or the scenes and, of course, the dance form, aesthetics has always been the forte of Guru Raja Reddy. So, it was with this crisp yet complete dance drama. The introduction to the principal characters through silhouettes on manually placed framed screens sucked us into the production . In a nutshell, the story is about Vasantasena, a courtesan, who is bitten by a serpent sent by Yamdoot as her time is up on earth. She falls dead only to be resuscitated to life by Parivrajaka, a Buddhist monk of great power and wisdom to appease his grief-stricken, love-lorn disciple Shandilya. The ancient Indian practice of ‘Parakaya (another body) pravesh (entry) is revoked by the monk to breathe life into the maiden. The farcical element comes to the fore now when the Yamdoot realises he made a big mistake in walking away with the life force of the wrong candidate (Vasantasena) and tries to rectify. The comic element gets compounded with Vasantasena’s soul being put in the dead monk and then it is all’s well that ends well.
Bhavana Reddy as Shandilya with shaven hair, probationary monk costume and looks turned up as a marvellous actor with her histrionics. Her natural mirth gleaming in her eyes; the candour and comfort with which she slipped into the role of an infatuated boy – a comment on immature boys taking to Buddhism – underlined her potential and immense talent.
Yamini, a gifted dancer with a keen sense of rhythm and intrinsic vivacity with footwork to the most complicated mnemonics was suitable for the role of courtesan Vasantasena. Her coy expressive face and darting glances enhanced the character further. Rashmi Vaidyanathan as Yamdoot oozed energy, looking artistically as realistic as her role called for.
The artist of the evening was Guru Raja Reddy himself who was Buddhist monk personified. He literally stole the show with his virtuosity, more so as a monk with the heart and behaviour of a courtesan which sent the audience into peals of laughter. Certain artistic details like the ‘prokshan’ (a group of dancers with pots and leaf in hand sanctifying by sprinkling water) of the stage after the introduction to characters, put the stamp of authenticity to this Kuchipudi ballet.
Day two brought Manipuri dance, “Maha Raas” by the pupils of Wangkhem Lokendrajit Singh. The invocation to Devi Katyayani to bestow a life-partner as perfect as Nanda’s son (Krsna) by a group of gopis and their dance to the chant of this verse as they move in circles and create aesthetic patterns made for an aesthetic beginning. The typical upper body lift and sway was missing in the girls of this group barring one or two but the redeeming feature came in the form of Krsna, a young girl dressed in Manipuri style and Kalindi, a boy dancer. Krsna danced his way into the hearts of the viewers with his light-footed, swivelling movements, his fleeting rear looks and mischievous eye expressions. So was Kalindi though the serpent movement wasn’t actually there, he did gyrate a little and the combat between the two was a wonderful piece of artistry.
The final day saw Samudra group’s creative (contemporary) dance which was simply incredible. The team of dancers led by Madhu and Vakkom used their body kinetics, the choreography as such, the costumes, to create an energetic dance which was in absolute rhythm. Not a hair moved out of place as dancers in twos, threes and fours twirled the floor with gesticulations and artistic acrobatics which kept us engrossed. Postures, muscle movements, piercing looks, rigorous footwork formed the hallmark of this troupe.
Thoughtful lighting, Vedic chants and background music based on classical raga enriched the presentation, “Cosmic dance of Shiva”. Kudos to the choreographer who envisaged a theme that presented an esoteric concept of Shiva rather than a Puranic fable. Madhu as Shiva with his curly mop of hair and bare chest and torso looked the ‘real’ as against the celluloid lord we are used to watching on television and movie screens. The tandavam was exceptional but then so were the Ardhanareeshwar dance and others that followed. A pattern was set that concentrated and consecrated the supreme power and the dance with its vigour and verve fortified the abstract making for a concrete picture. Absence of narration or dialogue or songs was never felt since the dance movements more than spoke the unspoken word.
