Chaste and classical

Kalyana Krishna Nritya Sangeeta Utsav in Kochi showcased memorable performances by reputed dancers, Kathakali artistes and musicians.

December 17, 2015 12:24 pm | Updated March 24, 2016 10:27 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Margi Vijayakumar and Kalamandalam Shanmukhadas in 'Usha Chitralekha', an episode from 'Banayudham' Kathakali

Margi Vijayakumar and Kalamandalam Shanmukhadas in 'Usha Chitralekha', an episode from 'Banayudham' Kathakali

The tenth Kalyana Krishna Nritya Sangeeta Utsav opened to much fanfare with veterans in the field of Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattom presenting an unforgettable artistic experience to the audience in Kochi.

Kathakali

The fete opened with a Kathakali recital of ‘Usha Chitralekha’, an episode from the ‘Banayudham’. Margi Vijayakumar, a veteran in female roles, portrayed Chitralekha’s efficiency and skill in realising her friend Usha’s deep love for Anirudha and in helping Usha to unite with the man of her dreams. After many attempts Chitralekha successfully sketches the image of Anirudha who had appeared in her friend’s dreams. Kalamandalam Shanmukhadas portrayed the coy and anxious Usha effectively. As much as the play, what delighted the audience was the extraordinary melody in the singing of Kottakkal Madhu. As the famous padam ‘Kamopamaroopan kamanan’ moved to the delectable strains of raga Durga in the lines ‘Anneram’ and the padam ‘Bananandane’ in Yamuna Kalyani, it struck a chord in every heart.

The Dhananjayans

The second day of the festival saw dancer-couple V.P. Dhananjayan and Shanta performing to a full house. A masterpiece of the Dhananjayans, the Telugu varnam in Atana raga ‘Ninne nammi nanura Krishna’ by Turayiyur Rajagopala Sharma took the audience by storm. Dhananajayan and Shanta took turns in depicting the pranks of Krishna in neat and clear sancharis and the pure nritta sequences were marked with precision and variety. The madhyamakala time span was just apt and gave much scope to abhinaya. And a striking aspect of this varnam was Dhananjayan doing abhinaya for the the swara segments. For instance, through angika abhinaya, the episode of Krishna playing in the mud was delineated with the swaras and soon after the dancer depicted the mudras with the lyrics.

Another Dhananjayan masterpiece ‘Varugalamo’ in Manji raga from Gopalakrishna Bharati’s ‘Nandanar Charitam’, which once again was evocatively performed, narrated the tale of Nandanar and his anxiety and trepidation while entering the temple of Chidambaram.

Sans any frills or melodrama, Dhananjayan could inhabit the world of the downtrodden Nandanar, his sense of inferiority and his deep devotion. Shanta portrayed the enraged heroine in the ashtapadi ‘Yahi Madhava’ in which the nayika sees signs of infidelity and asks Krishna to leave her and join the other woman. A tillana performed by the Dhananjayans and their disciples Shafeequddin and Shabana brought alive the chaste nritta aspects of the Kalakshetra style.

Jugalbandhi

A Kuchipudi-Odissi duet by Chandralekha and Abhayalakshmi was a show stealer. The ashtapadi ‘Sritakamala’, which was chosen as the ‘Mangalacharan’, presented the ferocious aspect of Krishna as the vanquisher of Kaliya and demons like Madhu and Mura and his benevolent form as Lord Rama. Primarily of Odissi repertoire, the Mangalacharan saw perfect technique and grace in the presentation of Abhayalakshmi whereas Chandralekha adapted to the Odissi idiom with ease even while keeping within the framework of Kuchipudi. Chandralekha’s stage presence and histrionic skills further came to the fore in the popular javali ‘Parulanamatta’ in Kapi raga in which the nayika urges the lover not to listen to the words of others and be indifferent to her.

Another item in which the two dancers shared the stage was a tharana by Ravishankar where chowkas and tribhangis of Abhayalakshmi vied with Chandralekha's dance on the brass plate.

Temple music

Eloor Biju began the evening with ‘Neelakanta Manohare' in the typical Kerala raga Samantha Malahari. ‘Mayaneekum’ was a head to toe description of Lord Krishna and his ornamentation. The music programme was noteworthy for its wide selection of ragas and lyrics. The clarity of enunciation, rich emotion and a sonorous voice all went in favour of Biju. ‘Aarum Ambili thellum’ (Nattakurinji), ‘Chembattuduthu ketti’ and the aAhtapadis ‘Sancharadadhara sudha madhuradhwani’ and ‘Pashyati dishi dishi’ were the other pieces that were rendered.

Mohiniyattam

Smitha Rajan’s Mohiniyattam performance was testimony to her artistic legacy and professionalism. ‘Paramapurusha Jagadeeswara’, a keerathana in Vasantha raga, was an obeisance to Lord Vishnu and the sancharis briefly mentioned his koorma avathara, churning of the ocean et al.

The pure dance pieces in between were done gracefully and the jathis in three speeds were choreographed well. The Ashtapadi ‘Yahi Madhava yahi Keshava’ was presented as a monologue of a khandita nayika and she rebukes Krishna for having spent time with another gopi. The twist is when Radha further taunts him for having slain the demoness Poothana and this was performed with drama, akin to the ‘Poothanamoksham’ episode in Kathakali. Saptham is a dance item unique to the Kalyanikutty Amma style of Mohiniyattam of which Smitha is a torch-bearer. The ‘Durga Saptham’ saw the dancer transforming into the fierce aspect of the goddess who takes many forms before killing Mahisha.

The festival was organised by Kalyana Krishna Foundation in memory of Kathakali doyen Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Mohiniyattam legend Kalyanikutty Amma.

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