A scintillating dance ballet ‘ Seetha Raghaveeyam ’ in the gestural vocabulary of Bharatanatyam and several other concerts marked the 24th edition of a six-day Thyagaraja Aaradhanotsvam under the aegis of Thyagaraja Aaradhana Trust and Visakha Music and Dance Academy at Kalabharati Visakhapatnam.
Noted exponent of Bharatanatyam and principal of Sri Saranya School of Fine Arts Kakinada, Avasarala Rukmaji Rao, conceived and choreographed the ballet in a captivating manner. The narrative delineated Ramayana through select compositions of Thyagaraja in an aesthetic manner. Interspersed with Sanskrit verses of Valmiki Ramayana, the narrative captured the quintessential aspects of the epic from a string of 20 compositions of Thyagaraja.
The ballet opened with the composition Naadasudharasambilanu narakruthi aayera in raga Aarabhi, that unfolds Thyagaraja’s vision of the Lord describing him as a personification of the ambrosial naadam. The narrative then softly meandered across the vast expanse of the epic touching upon its salient aspects starting from the ‘putra kaameshti’ yagam that king Dasaradha performs praying for springs to perpetuate his dynasty to the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, his subsequent coronation with all its attendant celebration. The ballet captured the epic in all its emotive intensity. Episodes like Yaga rakshna, Sita swayamvaram, abduction of Sita, Jatayu’s fight with Ravana in a bid to save Sita, Sabari’s poignant interaction with the Lord, Hanuman’s voyage to Lanka in search of Sita and other events stood brilliantly executed with precision in perfect sync with apt expression and foot work.
A disciple of renowned Adayar Lakshman, Rukmaji Rao imbibed the finer shades of expression in the style of his mentor. Known for his eye for detail, he wove it taut and his ingenious artistry writ large in every frame of choreography.
Both in group and in individual performances, a troupe of more than 20 artistes did exceptionally well. From baby Nritya to senior artiste T Suguna, each dancer in the team performed with exuberance reflecting the sound training imparted by Guru Rukmanji Rao. In short, it was celebration of epic through classical dance.
Rukmaji Rao provided nattuvangam, while G Aruna (vocal), M Edukondalu on mridangam, BS Sarma on flute, Ganapathi on violin and TN Chaitanya on morsing and kanjira lent good orchestral support. On the inaugural day, noted vocalist Malladi Suribabu’s talk on life and works of Thyagaraja was noteworthy for its lucid elucidation.
