Victory of the veterans
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
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Stalwarts of the stage gave Delhi audiences food for thought at Sangeet Natak Akademi's Awardees' Festival.
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EXEMPLARY PORTRAYALS R. Rhadha presenting Bharatanatyam
Glimpses expressive of the spirit of a lifetime spent in the dance are what audiences expect in the annual Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards Festival. But at the Meghdoot Theatre, R. Rhadha, to whom recognition has come late after years spent in the shadow of her sister the great Bharatanatyam Kamala, at the age of sixty-five put youngsters to shame with the araimandi, the muzhumandi (complete squat with the out-turned knees) and sarukkal adavus in the marathon Shankarabharanam varnam "Karunai seididal aagaado?"
The musical mould was a replica of the Tanjore Quartet's "Manavi Cheko" varnam. Engrossed in her pet peacock, Parvati rouses the ire of Shiva who curses that she be born a peacock. But the reverence for the Shivalinga, even as a bird, lifts the curse, and Shiva marries Parvati.
The unsullied Vazhuvoor bani preserved through the vivacious teermanams and stances, with the reposeful quality of the dance had the support of an excellent team of musicians. Nandini Anand's soul stirring, tala-taut singing, N. Srikanth's spirited nattuvangam, Sigamani's violin (the alap cameo in Maand earned special applause), Dhananjayan whose mridangam playing made each mnemonic a clear-cut jewel, made for a rare combination. Even for a contemporary composition like Lalgudi's tillana in Maand, Rhadha's dance remained vintage Vazhuvoor.
Immaculate
Strictly in the sabda/swara/patha approach of late Odissi Guru Debaprasad Das, awardee Durga Charan Ranbir's new sthai based on Ramahari's score featured two of his best male students, Rahul Acharya and Debashish Pattanaik. The duo combined immaculately in the rhythmic display, featuring Durgacharan's prolific inventiveness, the bhramaris clockwise and counter-clockwise and the chauka well etched. Poet Banamali's Oriya song "Mohane deli chahigo" in the rendition by Sangeeta Dash had that stillness in emotive depth she excels in. As for the dancer's Sooryashtakam set to Bairagi raga, Jati tala, it was all internalised power — nritta in alternating shades soft and vigorous, linking passages of prayerful quietude to the Sun God, with exemplary musical support.
A Kathakali performance by Gopinath as Damayanti and Sadanam Balakrishnan as Nala.
Poetic narratives
Tirath Ram Azad, the Kathak veteran apologised for what he deemed was his over-70's lack of agility. What he showed as the contemporary changes with thaat baandhana becoming thaat vistaar, the rare kavits where Sundarprasad's Makhanchor or Krishna/Radha chhed-chhaad became poetic narratives knit into rhythmic metre, the ghunghat andaz, the gats were all vintage bandishes emerging from a lifetime in Kathak where each shabda and word (like "Haav Bhaav" for example) was given full weight in compositional placing and execution. Fateh Singh Gangani on the tabla was charged. For padhant was ex-awardee Rajendra Gangani.
Only in Manipuri can minimalism speak the way it did in Chaotombi Singh's dance drama Meghdoot presented by the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Academy, Imphal. The love and separation of the Yaksha from his beloved wife, the clouds, the birds, the greenery, the dancing girls - all expressed in superbly restrained aesthetics and grace-abounding dance. Just the tiptoe walking was a delight. Elegant taste in costuming and the eye-catching parasols and banners with the Shiva Puja scene in Alakapuri having dancers wielding exquisitely designed staffs — the trident on top, the half-moon emblem, tassels with cloth in tiger-skin like print. Music - alap and as played on the pena was restrained like the dance.
Powerful depiction
Even at 70, Kuchipudi Guru Korada Narasimha Rao made a powerful Bhasmasura that the young son, in later Mohini Bhasmasura scenes, could not match. Kuchipudi Yakshagana's deterioration could be glimpsed from the rather pathetic singing with few dancers to match Korada Narasimha. Ardhanariswara by Venkat was neat. But granddaughter Swati, like a programmed doll presenting Alamelu Manga, was prematurely featured.
P.K.G. Nambiar as the Kutiyattam Vidhooshaka presented Rajaseva, "more difficult than licking the sharp edge of a sword from top to bottom, embracing a tiger which has killed an elephant or kissing a poisonous she-snake."
Emaciated to the point of stomach touching the backbone, Kaundin chosen by the villagers to do Rajaseva, pleases King Yudhishtira despite lack of talent or education, with his adroit malapropisms.
The Prakrit, Sanskrit, Manipravalam, Hindi blend tried by Nambiar to communicate to North Indian audiences was a brave effort if somewhat stilted in style.
Nothing in the festival could match the Nala-Damayanti scene in Kathakali with awardee Gopinath as Damayanti and Sadanam Balakrishnan as Nala. Under Kali's curse, Nala unrecognised by Damayanti is enraged, though finally persuaded to accept her love. Gopinath made a strong Damayanti, expressing the anguish of the "Is he, is he not" doubts, with Nala's whip-lashing anger, creating unsurpassed abhinaya.
Particularly noteworthy was the dramatic singing and percussion playing by the International Kathakali Centre professionals.
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