A variety of fine arts were staged on the fifth day of the Tamil Isai Festival – vocal, veena, violin, mrudangam and Bharathanatyam – were performed by the students of Rani Lady Meyyammai Achi Thamizhisai College. Ten Vainikas played “Ramanukku mannan mudi” and “Enna thavam seidhane.”
Second year students sang great Tamil compositions such as “Asaindhadum mayil,” “Villinai otha” and “Malmaruga.” The violinist played “Raghuvamsa sudam,” and the bharathanatyam comprised Pushpanjali, Thodayamangalam and Abinaya of Annamacharya kritis. It was a great opportunity provided by the college to the students to exhibit their talents in this great hall.
The dance drama “Sri Krishna Parijatham” by Priya Karthikeyan and her troupe of accomplished, enthusiastic dancers, was a linear narrative in graceful rhythm, about how the Lord treasured bhakthi above all. The dancers began with a Pushpanjali in Gambira nattai. Each of the main characters made a separate entry and used their abinaya to express the unique qualities of the divinities they represented. Charulatha Kumar as Narada came first and acted as a catalyst throughout the dance. Priya Karthikeyan portrayed Krishna with a streak of mischief, apparently pitting his consorts against each other, yet teaching a lesson through the vain Satyabhama for all mortals: that the Lord cannot be won over with vanity. Priya Vikram entered as the pious Rukmini, accompanied by her trusted sakhis, played by Vaishali and Abhirami. She personified devotion, just as the brilliantly coiffured Satyabhama, played by Gayathri Chandrashekar, embodied pride. The rivalry created between the two through the machination of Narada, led to a fight for the Lord’s affection, and elicited laughter from the audience. These scenes were handled by all the characters with maturity and energy. The introduction to the scenes also helped to clarify the storyline. The last scene showed the union of the mortal with the divine as Krishna danced with the Gopikas. The choreography succeeded in giving the philosophy of union with the divine through piety, through everyday situations, with a lot of realistic scenes and humour. An enjoyable portrayal of mythology by Natyaranjana, Chennai.
