Nrityaangan, Mangaluru, had recently organised two Bharatanatyam performances with the support of the Karnataka Government’s Department of Kannada and Culture. One was an exquisite recital by Navyashree K N, disciple of P. Praveen Kumar, and the other, an endearing emotional journey ‘Manushi – on a quest’, by Radhika Shetty, founder-director of Nrityaangan.
Navyashree made an instant appeal with her crisp adavus, nimble footwork and fleeting facial expressions. The tasteful costume and jewellery enhanced the effect. She began with T.S. Kalyana Sundaram Pillai’s varnam in Kamboji, ‘Naadhanai azhaiththu vaa sakhiyae’ ( My friend, go and bring my Lord). The love-lorn nayika is unable to bear the separation from Lord Muruga and wonders whether her lord’s heart has turned into stone. Though she is angry, she can’t help taking pride in the greatness of her Lord.
Navyashree’s depiction of the nayika’s passionate love, her longing and the pride she felt when she enumerated the great feats of her Lord, were visually appealing. The interesting jathis, presented through graceful steps and facial expressions, spoke highly of the choreography.
‘Jagadhodhaarana aadisidhalu yashodhe’, the eternal favourite of Purandaradasa, gave Navyashree immense scope for emoting, and the young dancer transformed herself into the quintessential mother, exhibiting love, mirth, playfulness, adoration and amazement.
Radhika Shetty presented a thematic performance ‘Manushi - A Quest’ a the Nrityaagan, Mangaluru. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
On a quest
For her thematic presentation ‘Manushi - A quest’, Radhika Shetty, depicted the eternal search of four women (one of them is a river), born out of their unfulfilled desires and longings, but consistently backed by a strong will.
Radhika began with the journey of River Saraswati, once known as the cradle of Vedic culture, which mysteriously dried up and came to be called ‘Gupta Gamini’ (the one who moves secretly, without being seen by anyone). Radhika depicted with great feeling an alive Saraswati in her halcyon days and her present, insignificant status. She concluded the episode wondering whether Saraswati is alive or not? One could feel a lump in the throat as the tale of the vibrant river ended in a question mark. Arjun Bharadwaj’s lyrics, enlivened by rhythmic inputs by DV Prasanna Kumar, were given life by Rohith Bhat Uppoor, who sang it appropriately in the raga Saraswati.
Next, Radhika portrayed Meerabai’s unquenchable desire for Krishna through three bhajans. Meera begins praising the virtues of Hari, ‘Hari gun gaavat naachoongi’, but when Hari does not appear in spite of a long wait, she becomes frustrated and starts wondering why she loved Him at all (Tum sang kaahe peeth lagaayee). But, she cannot be angry and indifferent for long. Finally, she surrenders to Him (Mhe Tho Charan Lagee Gopal). Did Meerabai find solace? Only she can tell. Radhika transformed herself into Meerabai, in her devotion, frustration and total submission.
Then, it was time to travel with Devaki, who is Krishna’s biological mother. When Devaki sees Krishna as a grown-up young man, she realises that she never had the good fortune to take care of him as a child and all that joy was experienced by the divine lady, Yasodha. She considers herself the last of all mothers (‘Thaayaril Kadaiyaayina Thaayae’). She also feels sad that Krishna pointed out to Nandagopa (Nandhan petranan nalvinai) as his father and not Vasudeva. She calls herself the unfortunate sinner who could not experience the joy of Krishna’s childhood (‘Pillaimaiyinbaththai izhandha paaviyaen’). But, in all these, there is only the sense of deprivation, not jealousy. Radhika brought out Devaki’s pain and the sense of loss through her intensely-emotional depiction.
The stanzas picked from Kulasekara Azhwar’s ‘Perumal Thirumozhi’ (a part of ‘Nalayira Divya Prabandham’), set to music by Sudha Raghuraman, graphically described Devaki’s sorrow and added poignancy to Radhika’s presentation.
Radhika concluded her ‘quest’ with the portrayal of the devotion of Akka Mahadevi through some of her select vachanas, incorporating them in a thillana. Akka Mahadevi’s constant desire to be united with God led her towards liberation. This section had rhythmic inputs by Vidyashree Radhakrishna.
Rohit Bhat Uppoor sang with involvement, fully aware of the impact of the lyrics in various languages. Vidyashree Radhakrishna’s nattuvangam, Vinay Nagarajan’s mridangam and Nithish Ammannaya’s flute came together, making Radhika’s presentation, a memorable one.
