It was an evening dedicated to the mighty Ganges at the Kalabharathi auditorium as Hyderabad-based dance duo Rajeswari Sainath and her daughter Vyshnavie Sainath presented a Bharatnatyam ballet titled Swaccha Ganga. The two-hour long ballet documents the journey and the many moods of the river through her course.
Staged by a troupe of 13 dancers, the ballet opened with the dancers enacting scenarios from mythology that uphold the importance of the river. Vyshnavie, donning the avatar of Lord Krishna is seen romancing the gopis on the banks of the river. The performance then moved on to trace the rivers journey from her origin in Gangotri, a town in Uttarakhand to her confluence in Bay of Bengal.
Vyshnavie Sainath dons the avatar of Lord Krishna during her Bharatanatyam ballet "Swaccha Ganga" Photo : K.R. Deepak / The Hindu
The opening acts had movements and footwork which were choreographed to recreate the illusion of the turbulent flow of the river in the Himalayas. As the performance proceeded the footwork eased to represent the calm nature of the river which serves as a source of life to the mankind. Apart from the synchronised footwork, Vyshnavie and Rajeswari held the audience in thrall with their expressions. Anger, helplessness and the urgency to act was conveyed through raising of brows, narrowing of eyes and curling of lips.
Renowned Bharatnaytam dancer Rajeswari Sainath along with her daughter Vyshnavie Sainath during a dance performace in Visakhapatnam
The performance also highlighted the polluted state of the river where Vyshnavie and Rajeswari were seen appealing to the audience to save the Ganges and not immerse ashes or throw garbage in the river. “The idea of Swaccha Ganga was conceived when Vyshnavie visited the Himalayas for a mountain climbing expedition in 2013. She was moved by the beauty of the Ganges and hence as a tribute to the holy river, we choreographed the ballet,” says Rajeswari.
- The Ganga holds a religious significance in the country. But the alarming levels of pollutants and sewage waste discharged in it is a cause of concern.
- Over 1100 industrial units and several towns along the course of the river discharge their waste into the river.
- A recent report by Central Pollution Control Board declared the river unfit for bathing.
- The national Green Tribunal directed Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal to desposit ₹25 lakh each for not taking adequate steps to curb pollution in the Ganga,
- Several clean up plans like the Namami Ganga and Ganga Action Plan I and II have been sanctioned but little groundwork has been done to save the river.
It took over six months for the duo to form a script, get the background score ready and choreograph the ballet. The performance seamlessly fused with other dance forms like Kalaripayattu, Odissi, contemporary dance and other dramatic elements. “Apart from the change in the pace of the dance, we also use lights and music to convey the clam and fierce nature of the river,” she says.
The ballet has travelled to Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Chennai and New Delhi. “In order to suit audience of different linguistic backgrounds, we have created the narration in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu,” adds Rajeswari. Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Rajeswari started training in Bharatnatyam at the age of six. She is trained in the Pandanallur tradition of Bharatanatyam by Indira Rajan of Chennai.
In a career spanning over 48 years, Rajeswari has choreographed over 25 ballets that are themed around mythology, social issues and medical . “I have staged ballets on women empowerment, organ donation and environment. We have performed these ballets in the United States and several European cities,”she adds.
Rajeswari was recently conferred the prestigious ‘Kalaimamani’ award by the Government of Tamil Nadu. She was presented the award by Chief Minister E K Palaniswami for her services in the field of classical dance.
