Hailing from Kalpathi in Palakkad, Rekha Raju’s mohiniyattam performance for Brahma Gana Sabha was as gentle as a breeze. It was a well-packaged 60-minute presentation.
Rekha began with a cholkettu, composed in Reethigowlai, which was preceded by the sloka ‘Gajananam’, obeisance to Vinayaka. The next piece, Muthusamy Dikshitar’s Nattai kriti ‘Mahaganapathim Manasa smarami’ saw a seamless flow of bhavas.
The dancer next took up Sadasiva Brahmendra’s bhakti-soaked composition, ‘Pibare Ramarasam’ in Ahir Bhairav, where Ahalya sapa vimochanam was dealt with in the sanchari line, ‘Janana marana bhaya sokha’. This was a simple depiction of Indra in the guise of sage Gautama enticing Ahalya and Rama giving her moksha by his divine touch. The essaying of the different roles was restrained yet effective.
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Rekha moved on to present an Ashtapadi ‘Sakhiyae keshi madhana udharam’ in Suddh Sarang, melodiously tuned by Kalakshetra’s K. Hariprasad. This piece gave the dancer ample scope for abhinaya and her subtle expressions augured well for the piece. The bhajan in Malayalam, by poet Chavalur Krishnankutty was a poignant presentation. ‘Oru neramengilum kaanadhe nee ente Guruvayurappa nin roopam’ in Dwijawanthi, spoke about the longing of the bhakta for Krishna. Rekha conveyed well the philosophy of the composition that included a few scenes from Krishna Leela. For the line ‘Hari naama keertanam’, she portrayed the bhakta preparing to enter the temple after the holy bath.
Rekha concluded with a Pahadi thillana on Siva by maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman. In Bharatanatyam, the thillana is a brisk piece with jumps and leaps, in Mohiniyattam, though it is a dance of joy and exuberance, it is marked by soft footwork and gentle moves.
Rekha sincerely acknowledged the contribution of her guru Janardhanan of Kalakshetra.
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The dancer had the brilliant support of the orchestra that included vocalist Praveen, with nattuvangam by Baba Prasad, mridangam by Sivaprasad and violin by Muruganandam.