Innovations marked by profound originality is the hallmark of Vasundhara Doraswamy’s Bharatanatyam recital. Consequently, each performance turns a phenomenon providing enough material for an analytical study for both rasikas and dance fraternity.
Vasundhara’s two-hour recital at Payyannur recently started with ‘Melaprapthi’. Traditionally performed behind the curtain as part of the ‘Poorva ranga’ prescribed by Bharatha in Natyashastra, its purpose is to create the right ambience for the performance and also to inspire both artistes and audience.
A rare flourish of vadya belonging to the ‘tatha’ (string), ‘avanadha’(membrane), ‘sushira’ (wind) and ‘ghana’(solid ) variants based on cholkettus in Adi tala, the number was really a sublimation of pure dance. The audience had a taste of Vasundhara’s abhinaya as she presented the ‘Aandaal Kauthuam’. A composition of Dwarakai Krishnaswamy in Madhyamavathy and Adi, it describes the ardent devotion of Kothai, daughter of the temple priest Vishnuchithar, to Lord Ranganatha.
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It was her practice to wear the garland made by her father every day and look into the mirror to see whether she was beautiful enough to be accepted by her Lord. One day, a few strands of hair on the garland infuriated Vishnuchithar who scolded Kothai for polluting the garland. He made a fresh one for the deity.
But in his dream, the Lord revealed to him that his daughter was the incarnation of Mother Earth and further, his bride. So she was named Aandaal, which meant redeemer of the world.
Portrayal of Aandaal, especially her antics while wearing the garland was very remarkable.
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Vasundhara turned an archetypal ‘khanditha nayika’ in the famous Valachi varnam composed by the late critic Subbudu. The leitmotif is Devayani’s predicament owing to her husband Muruga’s relationship with Valli, daughter of a hunter. Devayani tells her sakhi about this in detail. The emotional outburst of the character received a vivid delineation by the dancer that brought to the limelight the best of her abhinaya skills.
As for the nritta part, the highly complex jathis executed with commendable finesse and the prolonged theermaanams added an extra grace. The adavus were rich in variety and not even a single one was repeated.
In the post-varnam session, she presented a Devarnama composition of Purandaradasa in ragamalika and Adi. ‘Narasimhavatharam’and ‘Draupadi vasthrakshepa’ appeared as sanchaari in this relatively short number. Sringara was at its height in the Javali, ‘Madhura nagare’, a composition of Chittur Subramania Pillai in Anandabhairavi and Adi. Thulasidas bhajan, ‘Sree Ramachandra’ in Yamunakalyani and Mishra chap evoked serenity.
Vasundhara wound up with a thillana, also in Valachi and Adi. While her virtuosity in rhythmic precision was evident, in the charanam she enacted the story of Mahishasuramardini.
The denouement of the thillana was partly spoiled as the pre-recorded music to which she was compelled to perform failed to play properly to the disappointment of the audience.
The performance was organised by the Lasya College of Fine Arts, a community college under Kannur University.