Noyyal learns how to become a good river from her older sister Cauvery and other bigger rivers. The little one is not someone who can be easily tamed. The big rivers groom her to be gentle to humanity and the environment around her. Noyyal just can’t wait to grow into one of them. She calls her friends, her fellow tributaries, to join her. And, together they run through the terrain of Kovai, yet untouched by pollution or traffic.
Dancers of Bhakthi Natya Niketan (BNN) are recreating the happy days of a young Noyyal river for a presentation themed on rivers, organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. They practise on the rooftop of the Anand Veli building.
The ambience in the rooftop is a striking contrast to the bustling and noisy shops downstairs. Kolams and floral motifs decorate the floor and the sound of salangais , mridgangam and violin fill the air. Ear-splitting Diwali crackers and blaring horns do not deter the dancers or musicians who wait patiently for calm to return. The violinist even tries to sync his violin string’s ‘Pa’ notation to an auto horn!
The dark future awaiting the river is hinted at in the early stages of the presentation, when the chirpy young Noyyal encounters an old, bitter lady. Noyyal asks her who she is and the old woman lashes back, “ Naan Neen Thaan (I am you).” The soothing music becomes sinister. Other dancers enter the stage and stand with their feet wide apart, with their hands on their thighs. They represent the industries and the profit makers who drag little Noyyal into their circle.
Karunasagari, the founder of BNN, hopes the dance will make an impact. “Noyyal is the only river that fills the tanks and then waters everything else. That means not even a drop of rain water is wasted. But, look at the state of the river now.”
Karuna’s dancers worked with ecologists, bird watchers and activists and even went on bird watching trips with experts from Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History. There is a part of the dance drama where dancers represent spoonbills, peacocks and cranes. Says Gorriesshaji Varghise, one of the dancers: “We had to observe minutely the way these birds flew, walked and lead their squad. Some of them would take turns to be the leader. And, they came from distant lands. It was fascinating.”
They learnt how Noyyal offers a home to diverse species. “For instance, a crane will always find a place on Noyyal’s river bed where it can walk easily.” Dancers also realised how important the trees on the banks of the river were in preventing floods.
Gorriesshaji says working on this presentation has been an eye-opening experience for him. “In order to do justice to the dance, I had to be convinced about the subject. It hit us so strongly when we went to the river and witnessed its sorry state. The thought of my generation abusing a water body filled me with guilt.”
Fourteen-year-old Yamuna is imbibing lessons about the river that even her school text books have not taught her. “When I saw the river, I was driven to tears. It was dark in colour, filled with waste. I never knew the river was in so bad a state.”
The choreography is pegged on PerurPuranam and a few other myths. Karunasagari had to comb through difficult Tamil literature, sit with Tamil historians and translate the inputs into the language of dance. They have woven a fascinating story of Sundarar, one of the saints, into the performance. It has the saint spotting Lord Shiva cultivating the land, side by side with the farmers in Perur. There is a charming interlude where the saint and Shiva play hide-and-seek to the accompaniment of folksy music.
The performance is not just about the vanishing of Noyyal, but also the disappearance of the lives it nurtured. “It was a favourite spot for elephants to enjoy a dip. Festivals were celebrated here. Kings built temples. They treated Noyyal as their daughter. Now, people turn away, covering their noses and mouths as the river smells so foul. That’s why I wanted to incorporate the mythological bit to convey that a river which was once frequented by celestial beings is now being used to dump plastic bottles and conduct last rites,” says Karunasagari. But the final tillana in the dance performance is a harbinger of good times and acknowledges the works of activists in the city. Noyyal is smiling again, nourished by rains and the breezy company of the dancing trees. Karunasagari explains, “We believe art is for communication. Every action begins with feeling uncomfortable about something. We hope the dance production creates some empathy in the audience.”
(The performance is on November 5 at 6 p.m. in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Entry is free for all).
Photos: M.Periasamy
