Three sishyas made a mark this past week. One makes this statement because all three students reflected the rigour, confidence and adherence to what had been taught. The styles might have been different but the technique, the grammar of the dance and the tough hours of practice showed in the way they presented themselves.
At the Music Academy on January 7, Anwesha Das, student of Urmila Satyanarayanan showed her grace and mettle in a Tulsidas bhajan — a beloved one showcasing the vatsalya bhava of Lord Rama as a baby and all that a baby does to delight the mother. ‘Thumaka Chalata Ramachandra’ had all the elements to express the nuances of dealing with a child as well as be with the instinctive knowledge of being in the presence of the Divine — so well brought out by the dancer. This came right after the Dandayudhapani Pillai Varnam, ‘Indha Moham Aahinen’ in Kharaharapriya.
There was nothing wrong in the way the entire varnam was done, but for the lacklustre beginning. The second half, however, was different with the briskness and footwork absolutely in sync with the rhythmic support of the mridangam. Anwesha seemed to be more adept, however, in the abhinaya, playing the nayika pining for Lord Siva. The depth and internalisation of the yearning blurred the lines between the physical reality of longing for the handsome man that Siva is and the ethereal Divine that everyone is seeking in their own way.
There was every bit of the love for the Margam in the recital that began with a Mallari in Gambhira Nattai. A long-winded invocatory song preceded this — a trifle tiresome — but the Mallari with all the elements of devotion and neat footwork made up for this intrusion of sorts. A short Javali, a Patnam Subramaniya Iyer composition that was skilfully rendered, and a Tillana in Dhanashree, a Swati Tirunal composition, wound up the recital.
Showcasing the best
At the R.R. Sabha on January 5, Sanjana Prasad, disciple of Minal Prabhu did a good job of all the pieces she presented. Minal Prabhu, unassuming on stage with her soft and underplayed nattuvangam, has ensured that Sanjana has absorbed the best of the tradition. And for the occasion had chosen numbers which would reflect that. The presentation began with an Alarippu in Sankeerna Jati, signalling the start of a Margam recital in copybook style.
CHENNAI: 05-01-2018--- Sanjana Prasad-Bharatanatyam, at R R Sabha in Chennai. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan
Everything about Sanjana struck a right note — except for the way she pursed her lips that gave her a pout, even when expressing love — it was a bit out of sync with her otherwise balanced footwork and expressions.
A lovely Raga (Ranjani) malika showcased Devi and her attributes. The garland of Ranjani, Sriranjani, Megharanjani and Janaranjini in Adi talam is a composition of Thanjavur Sankara Aiyer. It was done at a gentle pace and Sanjana brought out rather magnificently the different elements of the Goddess.
The centrepiece of the evening was the varnam, ‘Neelamegha Shyamasundara’, a Ragamalika and in Adi Talam, composed by Balasubramaniam Sharma and G. Gurumurthy, where the nayika tells her sakhi to bring the handsome, blue-bodied Krishna to her. She waits, pining for the melody of his flute. She remembers him in the Raas with the gopis and talks lovingly about his lovely eyes and his face that bring out the navarasas — each of the rasa associated with one story of Krishna — such as the Draupadi Vastraharan and Gita Upadesam. It was rendered with so much bhakti and passion that this portion stood out in the entire Varnam.
The costume — in blue, violet and green — reflected the peacock and in turn the plume in Krishna’s headgear. The symbolism perhaps was not intended, but stood out nevertheless.
Gopalakrishna Bharathi’s ‘Satre Vilagidum Pillai,’ in ragam Purvi Kalyani and Rupaka talam came next as a soft and slower-paced number in which Nandanar is distressed because he is unable to see the dancing Siva with Periya Nandi blocking the view. Siva appeals to His mount so His bhakta can see him once. Nandi refuses to move. Siva shows him how sincere his devotee is and finally Nandi gives in. Choreographed by Bragha Bassel, it drew attention to the beauty of anguish and then redemption — something guru Bragha is so good at.
‘Sollavallayo Kiliye,’ a Ragamalika, Rupaka talam, composed by Subramanya Bharati and a Tillana in Sumanesa Ranjani and Adi talam, a composition of Nagavalli Nagaran and Sathavadhani Ganesh formed the final part of the recital. Providing excellent vocal support was Gomathinayakam. On the mridangam was Sakthivel Muruganandam and on the violin, Srinivasan.
Nimble footwork
At the Bharat Kalachar, Chitra Lakshumanan, disciple of Srekala Bharath proved that with passion and dedication, a good dancer can find her niche. Given that she is studying medicine and does not live here and learns Bharatanatyam in summers and through skype, her dance was remarkably astute and engaging. Steady and nimble movements, appropriate abhinaya especially in the ‘Teruvil Varano Padam,’ and good stances (without compromising on the araimandi) — spoke volumes of the good training under guru Srekala Bharath.
Chitra Lakshumanan
Beginning with Thodaya Mangalam, ‘Jaya Janaki Ramana,’ Chitra showed the confidence of a veteran and maintained the geometry required in the dance form. This continued in the Husseini Swarajathi in Roopaka talam — ‘Emayaladira.’ The traditional varnam has the nayika questioning the Lord about the other woman. Why is she so important? And why all this attention being paid to her?
The first half concentrated more on the pangs of love interspersed with impressive teermanams. In the charanam, the dancer displayed even tidier movements aligning with the percussion in a rather austere way.
‘Emayaladira’ had some lovely moments. A Tillana in the haunting Mand, a Lalgudi Jayaraman composition describing the Goddess, concluded the recital.
On the nattuvangam was Srekala Bharath with Randhini Arvind providing vocal support. Randhini took a while to warm up, but once she did, her singing was evocative and inspiring. Dhananjayan on the mridangam and Shikamani on the violin completed the ensemble.
