Priyadarshini Govind and T. M. Krishna, two names that bring to mind visions of classical ebullience, gave Kochiites an ‘adippoli' evening to remember Thursday last, courtesy Dharani. The jugalbandi of dance and Carnatic music, though truly classical, was enjoyed as a popular art form in combo. Though purely classical, it had the draw of pop even to the uninitiated in Carnatic music or Bharathanatyam.
What sets this duo apart is their good willed tenacity to move away from the beaten path and prove that classical arts can grow and imbibe a lot else without sacrificing the essential classical elements. At the lec-dem a day earlier, Priyadarshini Govind said, “I have no style now”. A loaded artistic statement this, coming from a classical dancer. Delving further into it, she elaborated that after having different gurus, choreographing several dance items, improvisations, the style matures or changes. “It is on the move, always. Fifteen years ago, I did not dance like this,” she says, giving an apt example. But it is after years of disciplined work that you reach a point when you can infuse it with your input, she cautioned. She told the students of Dharani School of Performing Arts that breathing well while dancing is of paramount importance.
T. M. Krishna spoke to the students on the concepts of ‘tala', ‘laya', improvisation in Carnatic music and respect for tradition, while stressing that music evolves with time and rules also happen over time. He was of the opinion that theory dominates practice today, which he feels is a mistake. Tradition is intact in the youngsters on the classical music scene, and unlike light music, classical music is for all time, he told the students.
V. R. Devika enlightened the group on some history of classical dance, music and spoke of how Odissi is the youngest classical dance of India, having been declared so only in the 1960s, making it seven in all. Yakshagana and Sattriya are waiting to be included into the group, she told them.
The demonstration of how Bharathanatyam and Carnatic music as a jugalbandi can be done mesmerised the small crowd at the lec-dem in Ashirbhavan. While Krishna sang ‘Jagadodharana…' with just the ‘sruthi' and Priyadarshini danced, those few minutes showed how serious classical arts can percolate to the masses, given the right direction.
Wonderful package
This was just the tip of the iceberg. A bigger edition of joy awaited the audiences at a packed Kerala Fine Arts Hall the next day when, with creative lighting, a tastefully dressed Priyadarshini and Krishna in his element, got a standing ovation at the end of the two-hour show, the first of its kind in the city. Also on show was innovation, classicism in two streams blended imaginatively, a road less taken by artistes, but what the ‘via media' audiences crave for. It was as if Onam and Vishu had been marked on the calendar on the same day, a wonderful two-in-one feast, when one did not know which image to take home, whether of Krishna's resonant voice singing with emotion or of the beauteous Priyadarshini, so much in control, yet with infectious emotions, movements and footwork that made you long for several encores.
Those who contributed to making the show a memorable one were Shaktivel Murugadas and Arun Prakash on the mridangam, Balakrishnan nattuvangam and Shriram Kumar on the violin. What stands out in the attitude of these artistes, who are popular in their own right but are willing to be accompanists, in the course of re-writing the rules of classical arts and the modes of presentation.
