Shivaji’s ideas artfully conveyed

Vaibhav Arekar’s ‘Shrimant Yogi’ was on the emotional journey of the Maratha King

May 24, 2018 03:55 pm | Updated 03:55 pm IST

Shrimant Yogi, a presentation by Vaibhav Arekar, at the Sindhu festival, Mumbai, which is also spearheaded by him

Shrimant Yogi, a presentation by Vaibhav Arekar, at the Sindhu festival, Mumbai, which is also spearheaded by him

The annual Sindhu Mahotsav, spearheaded by Vaibhav Arekar and Sushant Jadhav, provides an artistic space for veterans and promising dancers to spread the joy of creation.

The festival started at Kashinath Ghanekar auditorium, Thane, with Manipuri by Rina Debi and group from Imphal. They opened with ‘Taanam,’ a nritta piece, followed by ‘Basanta Raas,’ depicting the eternal love of Radha and Krishna.

Vaibhav Arekar presented a traditional margam, opening with a Pillayar stuti of Kadirvel Pillai followed by ‘Shree Vignarajam Bhaje’ (Gambheera Nattai, Khanda chapu, Oothukadu).

The swarajathi ‘Sarojaakshiro,’ (Yadukulakhambodi Roopakam, Ponnaiah Pillai) choreographed by Kanak Rele, depicted the nayika pining for a union with Lord Brihadeeshwara. The sancharis traversed a gamut of rasas like bhakti, sringara and hasya. Following the swarajathi was a ‘Subhashita,’ Sanskrit text by an unknown composer, set to ragamalika, a rare piece choreographed by Kanak Rele, which evoked the hasya rasa. The recital ended with a fast-paced tillana (Purvi, Roopakam, Vaidyanata Bhagavatar). Kalishwaran Pillai on nattuvangam, Raghuraman on vocal, Satish Krishnamurthy on the mridangam and Anantharaman on the violin comprised the ensemble.

An aesthetic blend

Moving next day to Yashwantrao Chavan Natyamandir, Matunga, the festival featured ‘'Pratibimba’, a thematic Kathak performance by Ashim Bandhu Bhattacharya from Kolkata. It was an aesthetic blend of traditional and current ideas in Kathak, set to beautiful music, incorporating thumris and contemporary music.

‘Pratibimba,’ a mirror where man finds his myriad identities reflected. Born alone, he pines for human bonding. He is both masculine and feminine, good and evil, creator and destructor, puppeteer and the puppet. One complements the other.

This performance was followed by Sujatha Nair's thematic Bharatanatyam, titled ‘Krishnagatha’. After invoking Lord Ganesha, she moved on to pieces on Krishna, the baby and mother Yashoda, as a toddler , then as a young and attractive Krishna, ending with ‘Krishna nee Begane Baro.’

The third and concluding day was at Sheila Gopal Raheja auditorium, Bandra, featuring ‘Shrimant Yogi,’ by Vaibhav Arekar and Sankhya Dance Company.

From ‘Shrimant Yogi’

From ‘Shrimant Yogi’

‘ It was a saga of sacrifice, conflict and dharma. It did not merely chronicle historical details but was an artistic attempt to record the emotional, cultural and social journey of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Rather than trying to match the physical appearance of Shivaji, Vaibhav emphasised his principles and ideas through visuals.

The premiere of ‘Shrimant Yogi’ happened in Chennai as part of Tyaga Bharatam in Natyarangam festival with live music, composed and sung by Manoj Desai and Karthik Hebbar. For the Mumbai and Pune premieres, the music was pre-recorded.

Lyrical content was adapted from verses of Kavi Bhushan, Sant Ramdas, Kusumagraj, Subramania Bharati and Zaverchand Meghani. Choreography and direction was by Vaibhav Arekar, concept development by Pradnya Agasti, rhythmic design, music inputs and percussions by Satish Krishnamurthy, light design and execution by Sushant Jadhav.

Ruta Gokhale, Swarada Bhave, Sachhidanand Narayankar, Eesha Pinglay, Mrinal Madhura and Gautam Marathe were the dancers.

Vaibhav’s solo segments detailed the emotions of the injured Baji Prabhu (Shivaji’s general), who died after a prolonged battle with the enemy, and the conflict within Shivaji between duty of a king and a divine calling.

The opening Vedic chants overlapped by the Azhan, symbolising the invasion of the Moghuls, death and destruction were conveyed through the mridangam tempo, slogans of ‘Har Har Mahadev, Jai Bhavani Jai Shivaji,’ tapping of palms on stage to denote sounds of horses’ hooves, clanging of swords and spears, sounds of the Tutari, a traditional Marathi instrument, and the Marathi narration all added to the local flavour.

Simple additions to the costume, such as a mantle covering the head depicting Jijamata, or a kurta conveying the sword wielding Shivaji as the son, a saffron and a silk shawl tossed around Shivaji’s shoulders denoting the duality of his persona as a wealthy king and a detached ascetic, subtly represented the characters.

The sequences such as the royal palanquin march, Shivaji’s back and forth movements indicating his dilemma between earthly duties and spiritual quest, imposing shadow images looming large on the white backdrop, waving flags and synchronized steps all added to the visual appeal.

Vaibhav has an eye for detail, his creativity sharpened by experience and his tall stature made for an imposing stage presence.

The presentation was an artistic tribute to a mighty king who instilled the pride of Hindavi Swaraj into a society oppressed by foreign invasion and rule. The radiance on Vaibhav’s face said it all.

A traditional thillana executed with pace and perfection, listed the virtues of Shivaji using alliterative adjectives, in the closing lines.

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