|
Section Synopsis (December 2006)
NEWS & NOTES
PRATEEK : A REVELATION OF SYMBOLISM
IN FOUR CLASSICAL DANCE FORMS -MEENAKSHI
IYER
On the 10th of December 2005 Nehru Centre, Mumbai presented
a unique performance
'Prateek - Image - Symbolism in Dance'. The renowned dancer-scholar-choreographer
Dr. Kanak Rele had been specially requested to research and choreograph
this highly esoteric but relevant component of Indian classical dance. Thus
it was researched, choreographed and presented through the medium of four
classical dance styles-- Bharatanatyam, Mohini Attam, Kathakali and Odissi.
The music direction was by Narayan Mani.
Kanak Rele's contribution to the field of dance has been a ceaseless effort
over the last 40 years. internationally renowned as a Mohini Attam dancer,
she is also well versed in both the theory and practice of dance. And Prateek
was a culmination of this aesthetic blend.
Eighteen dancers were a part of this production with the senior dancers
like Kalamandalam C. Gopalakrishnan (Kathakali), Vaibhav Arekar (Bharatanatyam),
Madhuri Deshmukh (Mohini Attam) and Daksha Mashroowala (Odissi) taking the
lead roles. The main emphasis was on how the concept of symbolism is used
in Indian classical dance.
Prateek began with the soulful chanting of Rig Vedic hymns by Manoj Desai
followed by a brief introduction of each dance style. The performance by
Kathakali artist C. Gopalakrishnan instantly transported the spectators
to a divine world, creating an ambience of grandeur. This was followed by
beautifully synchronised movements of the dancers in Mohini Attam, Bharatanatyam
and Odissi.
The Aryans were worshippers of nature who personified the forces of nature
as 'God'. Madhuri Deshmukh portrayed Ushas-- the Dawn who is depicted as
a young maiden in the Rig Veda; followed by Vaibhav Arekar as Soorya-- the
golden resplendent deva; C. Gopalakrishnan as Rudra-- the storm god; and
Daksha Mashroowala as Prithvi-- Mother Earth. The heralding of Soorya was
done by the soulful rendering of Rig Vedic hymns. A pleasantly surprising
element was the use of the Soorya Namaskar from yoga, to depict the arrival
of Soorya at dawn; which is unconventional in a classical dance performance.
With the passage of time, the Vedic deva-s came to be transformed into gods.
Rudra becomes Siva. The two tandava-s of Siva were depicted-- the ananda
tandava was danced by Shrikant Subramanian, a student of Nalanda Nritya
Kala Mahavidyalaya. Madhuri Deshmukh depicted the lasya aspect as Parvati.
The samhara tandava was danced by Kaleeshwaran Pillai, another student of
Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya and Daksha Mashroowala played the role
of Chandika.
Later, Soorya, Indra and Narayana Himself get transformed into Vishnu. As
a sustainer of the Universe, two of His ten incarnations (avatara-s) were
depicted. Rama-- the "maryaada purusha" was depicted by Vaibhav Arekar;
Seeta-- the embodiment of tolerance by Madhuri Deshmukh; and Ravana-- the
symbol of adharma by C. Gopalakrishnan. The battle scene between Rama and
Ravana was vibrant and electrifying. This scene was danced to the original
Sanskrit verses taken from sage Valmiki's Ramayana.
This was followed by the episode of Geetopadesa. Vaibhav Arekar as the devastated
Arjuna who shrank from performing his Kshatriya duties was very eloquent
not only with his superb emotive capacity but also his excellent vachika
in chaste Sanskrit. The verses were taken from the Bhagavad Gita. Shrikant
Subramanian as Lord Krishna was very impressive.
The second act began with the interpretation of Bharata's Natya Sastra,
the standard text for most Indian dancers. The ashtarasa-s were enacted
by C. Gopalakrishnan. The elaborate treatment normally given to ashtarasa-s
in a Kathakali performance was specially condensed by Kanak Rele to encapsulate
the essence of each of these rasa-s, giving the audience a taste of each.
Based on the technique mentioned in the Natya Sastra, the concept of 'nayanabhinaya'
was explored as much as possible by Kanak Rele in her choreography of the
various emotions of Parvati. When Parvati looks at Siva for the first time
she expresses sringara; pity at His garment made of elephant skin; bhaya
at the snake around his neck; adbhuta at the half-moon in His jata; asuya
at Ganga flowing from His matted locks; karuna at the skull in His hand;
and love when she unites with Him. These emotions were superbly brought
out by the expressive eyes of Madhuri Deshmukh who has been meticulously
trained by Kanak Rele for two decades.
The production then moved on to 'hastabhinaya'-- the complete language of
hand gestures which replaces spoken words in dance. The entire gamut of
symbols in Nature was explored through the idiom of Bharatanatyam, Mohini
Attam and Odissi. The idea that Nature danced to the changing season was
brought out by the depiction of three seasons-- Greeshma (summer), Varsha
(monsoon), and Sarad (autumn).
Then followed a feast for the eyes and the mind. To emphasise that gods
too have emotions, a subhashita was selected which depicted the quarrel
between the two children of Parvati-- Ganapati and Skanda. The delightful
choreography by Kanak Rele, the superb abhinaya by Vaibhav Arekar representing
alternately the naughty children and the doting mother Parvati and the melodious
rendering-- full of bhava by Ambika Vishwanath were all thoroughly enjoyed
by the spectators. More was to come in the form of 'Kailasoddharana'-- the
episode of Ravana lifting Mount Kailasa, in Kathakali by C. Gopalakrishnan.
Ravana was on his way after his victory over his brother Vaishravana. Suddenly
his way was blocked by the gigantic mountain Kailasa-- the abode of Lord
Siva and Goddess Parvati. Ravana ordered the mountain to move aside. He
decided to dig it up and toss it away. Before tossing it, he played with
the mountain as a ball. Seeing Ravana's arrogance, Siva pressed the mountain
with his toe and crushed Ravana. Ravana immediately prayed to Siva and pacified
him by playing the raga Sankarabharanam on the veena. The powerful mukhajabhinaya
of the veteran dancer was brought out when the arrogant Ravana was estimating
the height of the great mountain. The entire visual imagery was created
by C. Gopalakrishnan to the accompaniment of the percussion instruments,
revealing a Kathakali dancer's astounding ability to bring alive the myths
and symbols of India. The production concluded with the ashtapadi-s of Jayadeva
where Vaibhav Arekar played the role of Krishna and Daksha Mashroowala,
that of Radha.
The entire production was enjoyable and enlightening, appealing to both
the initiated and the lay person. Excellent vocalisation by Ambika Vishwanath,
Kalamandalam Gireesan and Manoj Desai, good orchestral support, aesthetic
lighting and well-trained dancers did justice to the fully researched and
thoughtful production. With four different dance styles in one production
one would ordinarily expect the music ensemble to be disjointed at times.
But Narayan Mani's expertise resulted in an extremely well organised and
beautifully synthesised music ensemble adding to the grandeur of the performance.
The various stages of development of symbolism were like various gems beautifully
strung together to form a coherent garland of well-worded, beautiful but
short introductory pieces. The introductory pieces in English were well
written by Dr. Kanak Rele and spoken with excellent diction. Normally, when
fully researched presentations take place they tend to become pedantic,
they enlighten but do not thrill. But in this case, the commentary was well
thought out, not rambling in nature but very concise. In fact when one was
leaving the auditorium one could hear some members of the audience saying
that Prateek endeavoured to demystify Indian classical dancing.
Click to read more
SEMINAR IN MUMBAI ON RESEARCH IN MUSIC
IN INDIAN VARSITIES
-NEERA GROVER
A 'National Seminar on Research in Music in Indian Universities'
was organised and hosted by the Department of Music (Post Graduate Studies
and Research) of S.N.D.T. Women's University, Mumbai on March 22-23. This
was a sequel to the 'National Seminar on Music Education in Universities'
jointly hosted by the Indian Musicological Society (IMS), Baroda and S.N.D.T.
Women's University, Mumbai in December 2003, which had recommended the initiation
of a forum of University music teachers to hold comprehensive discussions
on a periodic basis on all forms and styles of traditional Indian music.
Dr. Neera Grover, Head, Dept. of Music, S.N.D.T. Women's University and
the Coordinator of the 2003 seminar, took the initiative to plan and host
this seminar on 'Contemporary Topics of Research in Music in Indian Universities'
at Mumbai. It was a coming together of registered Ph.D. guides, M.A. and
Ph.D. students in Music and music teachers at S.N.D.T. Women's University,
music teachers and research scholars from other Indian universities, along
with eminent artists and musicologists associated with teaching and research
as Visiting Faculties in the University system. Music departments in Indian
Universities are typically not large, and classical music is considered
a performing art. The notion of academic research in music in the universities
is not as deep rooted as it is in other areas of Social Sciences and Linguistics.
However, studying for a Ph.D. in Music has emerged as a norm in recent decades.
The recent seminar fulfilled the need for an academic platform, where research
scholars and Ph.D. guides could present papers on the topics of their expertise,
exchange notes, share experiences and gain peer appreciation.
The seminar attracted participants from the universities where Hindustani
classical music is well entrenched. Speakers were invited from universities
located in Delhi, Agra, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Allahabad, Pune and Mumbai.
More than a hundred delegates participated in this seminar.
The seminar was formally inaugurated by Prof. Chandra Krishnamurthy, the
new Vice Chancellor of S.N.D.T. Women's University. She affirmed her support
for the enrichment of music education and research in her institution. The
chief guest Arvind Parikh, who is the President of the Indian Musicological
Society and the Music Forum, stressed the need for proper grounding and
learning of traditional classical music before embarking on research in
music. The keynote speech on the theme of the seminar was delivered by Prof.
Vidyadhar Vyas, Vice Chancellor of the Bhatkhande Music Institute, Lucknow.
The main programme of the seminar envisaged two sessions of "invited talks"
by senior University teachers, a special session for paper presentations
by Ph.D scholars, a Music and Technology Session, and a Panel Discussion
session on `Enrichment of Performing Aspects by Research in Music'.
Another significant feature of the seminar was the conduct of three lecture-cum-concerts
in different classical vocal forms by three eminent contemporary women artists
of India:
l Asha Khadilkar's concert was titled 'Hori Rang Rangeeli', in which she
presented a well-knit variety of select compositions from the wide range
of Hindustani classical vocal forms like dhrupad, dhamar, khayal, tappa,
tarana, thumri, dadra, jhoola and bhajan.
l Veena Sahasrabuddhe dwelt on the intricacies and nuances of the tarana
style, and captivated the audience with the depth of her concert presentation.
l Dhanashree Pandit-Rai, one of the foremost disciples of the late Shobha
Gurtu, presented a thumri concert, before which she exemplified its different
forms and styles and brought out the charm, aesthetics and nazakat of this
genre through her brilliant exposition.
The invited speakers at the seminar included Dr. Sruti Sadolikar (Visiting
Professor, S.N.D.T. University, Mumbai and ITC-SRA, Kolkata); Dr. Pankaj
Mala Sharma (Punjab University, Chandigarh); Dr. Neera Grover (Convenor
of the seminar); Dr. Vikas Kashalkar (Pune); Dr. Suhasini Kuratkar (Pune);
Dr. Suneera Kasliwal (Delhi University); Dr. Jayant Khot (Bhatkhande Music
Institute, Lucknow); Prof. P.K. Pandya (TIFR); and Dr. Punita Singh (Delhi).
These "invited talks" brought out a wide range of topics on which the research
in Hindustani music has been conducted in recent decades in India and/or
are being pursued by Ph.D. students in the Universities. Many of the speakers
also included a short performance on the topics/styles of their expertise
as a part of their presentation.
In the session on 'Music and Technology', Prof. Paritosh Pandya of the School
of Technology and Computer Science, TIFR gave a formulation of several questions
in Indian musicology which can be potentially analysed using the machine
learning approach on computers. He presented an overview of a raga recognition
system built by his group for classifying note sequences into raga-s. Dr.
Punita Singh presented an overview of the field of auditory pattern research
under the title 'Music, Physics and Psychology'. She attempted to focus
on why certain sounds cohere together to produce a melodic, harmonic and
rhythmic structure of music.
The topics on which Ph.D. students read their papers also spanned a wide
range from conception of new compositions in rare raga-s of Hindustani vocal
music, to pentatonic scales in folk music of Hungary, India, China and Indonesia.
A very lively Panel Discussion chaired by Prof. R.C. Mehta, Convenor of
the 2003 Seminar on Music Education in Indian Universities, concluded the
proceedings of the very intense but crisp two-day programme of probably
the first ever research seminar in classical music in the University system
at Mumbai. Prominent panel members who presented their viewpoints on the
theme included Dr. S.A.K. Durga (Chennai), Prof. Kamlakar Naik (Goa), Prof.
Lovely Sharma (Dayalbagh), Dr. Mukesh Garg (Delhi), Prof. Vidyadhar Vyas
(Lucknow), Dr. Charushila Divekar (Mumbai), Dr. Sudha Sehgal (Dayalbagh)
and Dr. Neera Grover.
This seminar was initiated with a grant from UGC and it also received partial
support from the Tata Trusts, Mumbai. Prof. Vidyadhar Vyas shared the information
that the UGC is likely to make available substantial resources for the organisation
of research seminars in music and other areas of the performing arts on
a regular basis at the Universities located in different regions of the
country.
Click to read more
Opinion
Column
Are Padam-s Facing The Fate of 'Senior Citizens'?
-S. SIVARAMAKRISHNAN
The present trend of senior citizens preferring to take up 'Vaanaprastha
Ashram' in the form of settling down in 'homes for the aged', is fast catching
up. (Unfortunately, the 'vana-s' of today are but concrete jungles available
for a price!).
Similarly, in the family of Carnatic music compositions, padam-s appear
to have been graciously permitted to occupy the status of 'senior citizens'.
The majority of the present day practitioners are too busy catering to the
so called 'popular tastes'. They turn to padam-s only for reference. Javali-s,
on the other hand, have fared better in the bargain, but they too have to
do tightrope walking!
The Hindu (special supplement to Chennai edition dated 4 January 2006) carried
a report on a panel discussion by a few women vocalists noted for their
considerable mastery in singing padam-s besides profound devotion to the
tradition. "Padam-s may not fit well into this age of impatience"-- they
observed and indicated that padam-s may be best suited for chamber music,
confined to connoisseurs.
As an 'one man army', for quite some years now, I have been literally 'pestering'
artists having a good repertoire of padam-s and javali-s to include at least
one item in their concerts. N. Ravikiran-- a committed votary of the tradition
has been ever ready to oblige rasika-s making such requests. The efforts
of Nirmala Sundararajan and her daughter Subhashini Parthasarathy (also
noted for their thematic presentations such as kriti-s based on 'nayika-nayaka'
bhava for wider coverage of padam-s and javali-s), Rama Ravi, R. Vedavalli,
Geetha Raja and many others who have benefited by the legendary 'Dhanammal
- T. Brinda, T. Mukta school' (which some refer to as the 'T Series' in
sporting parlance), are equally laudable. Among youngsters, S. Sowmya, Savita
Narasimhan, Kiranavali, etc. are working in related areas. Possibly, as
padam-s are outpourings of nayika-s, few men singers of today have evinced
interest in this segment of compositions.
The predominance of sringara rasa, quoted by many as the major stumbling
block in popularising padam-s, appears to be a bit overplayed. Annamacharya
and Jayadeva too have liberally employed the rasa with aesthetic outcome.
'Intoxicated' (like several other padam fans) just by the musical content
in the compositions-- particularly those of Kshetrayya-- for quite some
time now, I have been listening to recordings of padam-s and javali-s and
obtaining the views of musicians and experts on the subject.
I could gather diverse information in the process, such as:
* Padam-s and javali-s were extremely popular during the golden era of classical
dance and music.
* Such compositions originally meant for classical dance, were adopted by
vocalists in music concerts for the purity of raga bhava and spontaneity
in articulation of words (that require an innate grip over laya). They were
welcomed for the sheer poetry contained in the lyrics and apparently no
stigma was attached to the message conveyed.
* Historically, padam-s have been the forerunner of the 'kriti format' which
later established itself in the concert circuit.
* This category of compositions has been the subject of numerous theses
and dissertations.
* A number of padam-s and javali-s are available in gramophone records of
yesteryears but the renderings are very brief due to restrictions on duration.
* Archives of recordings are largely underutilised. Music lovers will, however
be thankful to AIR for its unique programme in its national network in June
2004, wherein a collection of select padam-s, javali-s and tillana-s by
various artists from AIR archives, was broadcast.
* The issue of "changing audience preferences"-- quoted as the main reason
for scarce use of padam-s in concerts, needs to be re-examined. It could
be true that the abhinaya aspect would be a limitation in the selection
of highly erotic themes in dance performances. But, it has to be noted that
often wise adages are woven into the verses in lilting melodies.
Sampradaya: a rare source
* There is an excellent collection of padam-s and javali-s in audiotapes
at Sampradaya in Chennai, including some rare recordings of T. Balasaraswati,
T. Sankaran, Brinda-Mukta duo, and their disciples.
* Despite the absence of a subjectwise catalogue, it is possible to locate
the recordings going by the general index.
* The recording of concerts held at Max Mueller Bhavan (dated September
1984 as per information in the catalogue) by Dr. Manchala Jagannatha Rao,
the legendary vainika-gayaka for whom sangeetam was a 'tapas', deserves
special mention here. Some of the exquisite and very rare Kshetrayya padam-s
vocally rendered by the maestro to his own veena accompaniment (at an incredible
4-1/2 pitch) would transport one to a world of celestial music. Soulful
vocal support has been provided by one Jogulambal. Some of the compositions
rendered by Manchala (and not handled by others) are (the titles are subject
to correction):
** Iddarivale - Saurashtram (the Sa Ni Dha Nee Dha Pa prayoga commonly used
in the raga is eschewed in this rendering).
** Sudinamaye - Todi (a 'great Todi' this!).
** Endukupagajeseno - Asaveri. In this padam, we come across the word 'Chandamama'
(meaning - the moon) couched in a beautiful phrase of Asaveri that reminded
me of Dikshitar's navagraha kriti Chandram bhaja manasa. Doesn't the raga
aptly depict the comforting disposition of the moon-- the 'seetakirana'?
** Manchidinamu - Anandabhairavi, * Adariney - Kapi, * Namana suvandite
- Mukhari, * Manasuninneda - Sree, * Intaprodayya - Varali.
I would be thankful if vidwans and vidushi-s could throw more light on these
padam-s!
A padam of Annamacharya Itadeharudi in Sree has also been rendered by Dr.
Manchala.
Customarily though, most of the padam-s are in Tisra Triputa! It is not
known whether any exclusive study has been conducted on the choice of tala-s,
for ninety five percent of the pada-s are in Tisra Triputa or its variations.
It's a 'deceptively simple' tala, often posing challenges to beginners!
I have noticed amateur mridanga artists literally struggling to accompany
padam renderings.
Another collection of seven cassettes titled Tamil Padams, a compilation
from vintage gramophone records, reportedly donated by a well-wisher, contains
a host of compositions-- popular as well as unfamiliar ones, but not all
of them padam-s. No index is available and that makes the task rather challenging
to the listener. While the voices of S.G. Kittappa, N.C. Vasanthakokilam,
Ariyakudi, Semmangudi and D.K. Pattammal are easily identifiable, several
songs challenge the discerning rasika.
** Mayandi (Kambhoji), Mayilmeedu varugiraanada (Kalyani) with an interesting
Tisra gati, Yedukkithanai modi (Surati), Sambhoga singara (Todi), Pratapa
mayilvahana (Shanmukhapriya), etc. revive old memories.
** Ivanaaro ariyene sakhi in Kambhoji identifies the hero thus: 'paadattiloru
mangai', 'pakkattiloru mangai', 'tirumarbiloru mangai', Emberumaney!
** A Kharaharapriya song in a male voice has the heroine exclaiming: "Sonnadellam
marandaaro, ennai sodanai seyya tunindaaro".
** In another Kambhoji padam, the hero-- Tiruttani Murugan is asked by the
nayika to explain "raattiri pozhudengey poyirunthu vareer? Nadandathai solluveer"!
** Other songs include Adikkadi kaiyil pidikkukiran, ivan yaaradi sakhiye,
Yennadi sonnaar en sami (Behag), etc.
In brief, the area of padam/javali needs to be examined from several angles
like:
* Strategies to restore the original glory of padam-s in music / dance recitals.
* Reasons for the 'lag phase' in padam singing.
* To finalise a project to document all available padam-s and javali-s.
Sampradaya has recorded most of the programmes for their projects at the
Max Mueller Bhavan, yet another 'sangeeta sthalam' in Chennai. The quality
of recordings is excellent and that is evidence of the ideal acoustic environs
at the venue.
And a word of appreciation for Govindan, staff member at Sampradaya who
is ever willing to help music lovers in their pursuit.
Click to read more
What Ails Bharatanatyam
?
-N. RAMANATHAN
Sometime last year Chennai had the good fortune to be chosen the venue
for conducting "Nritya Pratibha"-- a `Festival of Young Dancers',
organised by the central Sangeet Natak Akademi. Young dancers apart, the
main worth of the festival was the featuring of many genres of Indian
dance-- Bharatanatyam, Koochipoodi, Mohini Attam, Odissi, Kathak,
Kathakali, Nangiar Koothu, Sattriya, Manipuri, Chhau from Seraikella and
from Mayurbhanj. As one witnessed the wide spectrum of dance styles, one
also began to feel proud that in comparison, Bharatanatyam / Sadir stood
out as a very sophisticated and highly evolved art form. The way
movements of the various limbs and sub-limbs of the body-- the eyebrows,
eyes, cheeks, neck, shoulders, down to the toes-- have been conceived
and that too presented beautifully, this genre seemed unparalleled. The
way music and drumming have been integrated to provide support for the
rhythmic movements and at the same time helping to hide complexities,
this dance style looks very grand and dignified. The translating or
verbalising of movements into `non-sensical' syllables and cymbal (talam)
strokes and their expression through nattuvangam is a very sophisticated
feature of Bharatanatyam, shared, perhaps, only by the Koochipoodi dance
form. In contrast, the other dance forms seemed deficient. In fact it
was difficult to decide whether Nangiar Koothu and Kathakali and the
Koochipoodi presentation of Usha Parinayam should be called dance or
drama (literally, `natya' in the sense in which Bharata used it). Some
items of Chhau-Seraikella looked more like martial art.
Although gifted with such a beautiful conception, one felt very
disappointed at the unaesthetic manner in which many of the
Bharatanatyam performances came to be presented in the festival, which
also seems to reflect the popular trend in the Bharatanatyam world.
First of all, Bharatanatyam seems to have bid farewell to 'vilambitam'
(slow tempo) or sent it on 'deputation' to Mohini Attam. I still vividly
remember the Anda Rama saundaryam performed beautifully by Dhananjayan
some years ago, in an almost 4-kalai Adi tala, supported by the
excellent smooth singing of Aravindakshan not indulging in briga
phrases. Slow paced dancing is also commonly met with in Bhagavata Mela
natakam. When a composition is set in vilambitam it is possible to
exhibit movements in madhya and druta laya too. But once the basic laya
itself is 'madhya', then it is not possible to change to vilambita and
hence, in the performances, slow graceful movements of hands, neck,
torso and legs were totally absent. In one performance, when the varnam
was being rendered in 2-kalai Adi tala, the mridangist right through
kept playing the 'mel-kaalam' (second speed), thus robbing the dance of
the beauty of the basic kalapramana, besides creating a loud disturbing
noise. On the other hand, beauty of slow graceful movements enhanced the
performances in Odissi, Mohini Attam, Sattriya, Chhau-Mayurbhanj and
Manipuri. Although these dance styles do not appear to have been built
on very complex ideas, they excelled because of the visual spectacle, a
basic requirement that Bharatanatyam seemed to lack or has sacrificed.
Although the Chhau-Mayurbhanj ensemble initially looked a bit rustic,
Lok Nath Das-- the dancer portraying Siva was exquisite in unfolding
each pose, especially the poses that required standing on only one leg
and the transformation from one to the other was very slow, steady and
graceful and held the attention of the audience throughout. In contrast
one of the Bharatanatyam dancers, within one avarta of the tala,
presented three different poses of Siva standing on one leg, with none
of them achieving a reposeful stance and the whole attempt ending in a
fiasco. Even the Koochipoodi dancing seems to be obsessed with madhya
and druta laya-s.
Should Bharatanatyam relegate 'vilambitam' to only viruttam or to the
so-called dance-dramas? In fact today we see that all dance forms in
general have begun to rely more on 'theme'-based dancing or on
associating dramatic elements and seem to be giving less importance to
nritta or 'pure dance'. Nritta is seen to be confined to teermanam-s and
to arudi-s in varnam-s and these are being regarded as avenues for
exhibiting virtuosity. And we also observe that the 'sawal-jawab' feat
of Kathak is being borrowed by Bharatanatyam and Koochipoodi. Whatever
little 'nritta' element is presented in a Bharatanatyam performance is
being executed at jet speed, whether it be alarippu, jatiswaram, tillana
or the teermanam-s. Why cannot slow, graceful, abstract dance be
developed in Bharatanatyam and the proportion of the 'representational'
element be gradually cut down?
Another aspect that makes the Bharatanatyam presentation a bit
unaesthetic is the role of the music ensemble. Nangiar Koothu, although
representational in content, had no songs and no melodic instrumental
playing and only a mizhavu was there which coordinated with the
gestures. Kathakali had two singers and for instrumental support there
were chenda, edakka and suddha maddalam along with ilattalam and
chengala, but there were no melodic instruments. The music for the Nala
Charitam presentation, I felt, was the best in the festival. The Todi
raga based song was very sensitively rendered, modulated to suit the
context. Although the melody was repetitive, the singers did not indulge
in any distracting niraval and kept the music subservient to abhinaya.
And even when the second and subsequent lines had to be rendered to the
same melody, the singers made only subtle changes in swara-emphasis and
shifts in eduppu-s to suit the new text and meaning. The chenda and
suddha maddalam, despite being high decibel instruments, were played
with great restraint and never over-shadowed the abhinaya or the
singing.
In one of the performances of Kathak too, for the entire nritta portion
the singer was quiet and only a sole sarangi was playing the lehera. And
when the tabla artist was reciting the bol-s for the nritta portion, the
sarangi player reduced the volume. Again, when the abhinaya part
commenced, the sarangi became subdued and the melody and words of the
singer were clearly heard and enjoyed as background for the dance
In contrast, in the Bharatanatyam performances, the ensemble from the
wings did not really play a subservient and subdued role and
consequently it did not blend with the dance and, as a result, a
homogeneous 'Alaata-chakra-pratimam' performance did not transpire. In
one performance, when the nattuvangam artist was reciting the jati for
the teermanam, the singer kept on singing the refrain of the pallavi and
consequently the melodic instruments too joined in and adding to this,
the mridanga was rendering the strokes for the teermanam and the
combined effect of all this was chaos and commotion. The dancer's
movements naturally became secondary. One wonders whether there is
really any need for melodic instrument support in a Bharatanatyam
concert. They are more decorative in function and quite often become
distracting
Bharatanatyam, in the early half of the 20th century, emerged as a very
sophisticated and dignified art form and was sought after by students
from all parts of India and from other countries. And it is
Bharatanatyam that made many a North Indian student of dance learn
Carnatic music, something which the Carnatic music artists themselves
could never achieve. Bharatanatyam has been the mother, exemplar and
model for the solo-format performance of all the other dance genres--
Koochipoodi, Odissi and Mohini Attam, to name a few. But serious thought
has to be given to the quality of its presentation format today, so that
its reputation as an aesthetically refined art form is not lost
Click to read more
Perception Of
Padachchedam -B.R.C. IYENGAR
Letters published in the Sruti Box clearly show that the issue has been
blown out of proportion. It is not so easy to comment about the subject,
either for or against and much less through short and opinionated
trepidation. There are many related matters that need elucidation and
the issue has to be examined holistically; it can, to some extent be
responded to as an extended article.
Carnatic music is perhaps the most arduous of the fine arts and this is
conceivably one of the reasons why it is not as popular as other forms
of music. It is a science and is strictly governed by some established
norms like the structure, construction, grammar, spirituality, emotion,
synthesis, metrical beauty, modulation, rhythm and many more elements.
Lyric (padam) in a musical thesis is the masterly work of a vaggeyakara;
a vaggeyakara is both a musician and a composer. As I commented
elsewhere-- to mention one such vaggeyakara-- Tyagaraja is first a
musician and only later, a composer. In the present context, he is of
particular interest. What I say further applies equally well to the
other recognised vaggeyakara-s including Dikshitar and Syama Sastry.
Imagine the ingenuity of a vaggeyakara if he has to compose a song
bearing in mind all the constraints mentioned above. This inventiveness
is particularly evident in Tyagaraja's compositions. In his piece of
music, besides the other norms referred to above, the lyric plays a
unique part. For one thing, it is in the spoken language. He converts
spoken melody to musical melody. This is the first reason why
padachchedam is noticed, because the language is easy to understand for
the listener; it is equally so with Syama Sastry.
Every listener does not notice padachchedam. It is more often the common
rasika who notices this. His interest differs from the connoisseur's;
the latter, being a knowledgeable rasika, listens to music while the
former looks out for the padachchedam! He feels that he has scored a
point if he picks up one such and makes a mountain of a molehill.
Carnatic music, as is well known, can broadly be divided into two
sections: kalpita (created) music and manodharma (creative) music. Songs
(compositions) with accompanying sangati-s are worked out and framed
sections of music. Depending upon the message in the song, they are
cased and constructed strictly on the well-laid principles of sangeeta
sastra. The choice of the raga, laya, kalapramana, chhandas, grammar,
selection of words, et al are carefully guarded. The sangati-s too are
based on elements like the raga bhava, theme, rhythmic pattern, etc.
taking sufficient care to see that there is no padachchedam in such an
effort. The beauty in this facet of music is that it yet gives enough
room to create fresh sangati-s provided of course that the norms are
maintained. This feature of kalpita sangeetam is thus set. Even in this
experiment, there are several occasions when padachchedam inadvertently
enters, as exemplified by a few examples quoted in Sruti Box.
As is observed, padachchedam is more common in madhyama kala kriti-s.
The number of akshara-s in a single avarta also governs it. If the
akshara-s are minimum, there is scope for extension of the corresponding
vowels and they may seem to give room for padachchedam as the lyric has
restricted time and space in the avarta. One important element is in the
structure of a kriti. Every kriti has a component of 'aridi' or 'padagarbha',
which has its place generally at the half avarta point. This aridi is
generally followed by visranti in the form of an extended vowel. This
visranti more often provides room for padachchedam. In the process, the
lyric seems to give an erroneous feeling of deformation, where actually
there is nothing like it. It is interesting to note that in the sangati-s
of several kriti-s, padachchedam may sound planned. Best examples of
such ill-conceived padachchedam-s can be noticed in the famous ghana
raga Pancharatna-s of Tyagaraja, particularly in those of Arabhi, Nata
and Sree raga-s. These padachchedam-s are striking when Tyagaraja uses
dhatu swara-s in the sangati-s. Should we call them defective and
discard them? On the contrary, if the kriti is set to chauka kala one
can manipulate the vowels cleverly to make the correct sense of the
lyric. Time and again however, the rhythmic limitations often interfere;
however, in the sagacious appreciation of music, these aberrations
generally go unnoticed and rightly so. In kalpita music therefore, every
student or performing artist learns and presents it in a performance; in
this aspect there is no difference from artist to artist.
It is in the manodharma music that the feature of padachchedam is more
evident. I particularly refer to the niraval. In this exercise, the
artist is expected to select a meaningful part of the lyric (song) and
subject it to various modulations within the framework of raga and laya
using all his/her proficiency. In the first part of the niraval, the
artist is expected to present the feature in a slow tempo (chauka kala)
and bring out the bhava to the best of one's ability, adhering all the
time to the set norms of the experiment. Care is taken to see that each
akshara in the selected phrase falls at the right place in the avarta.
It is in the next part of madhyama kala niraval that the predicament
seems to start. As is well known, if the chauka kala niraval is bhava
oriented, madhyama kala niraval is laya oriented. In essence, in the
latter case, the lyric takes a severe beating. In principle, a rasika
should ignore the importance of the lyric in this part of the exercise.
The artist subjects the chosen part of the lyric to various
configurations of laya patterns from tisram to sankeernam and
combinations thereof. It may sound unpleasant to some hardliners but
this is a part of the well-conceived format of a concert; there is no
point in calling foul. If on grounds of ethics this part of the concert
is deleted, it amounts to uppillaada saappaadu".
All in all, padachchedam is a needless controversy and does not deserve
the importance that it is commanding.
Click to read more
SPECIAL FEATURE
KRISHNAVENI LAKSHMANAN
(1942 - 2004)
Krishnaveni Of Kalakshetra
The following is by S. SARADA, more
famous as Peria Sarada, of Kalakshetra
-SUJATHA VIJAYARAGHAVAN
Rukmini Devi and I noticed a girl watching, day after day, from the
window, the dance classes we were teaching in the Mirror Cottage in
the Theosophical Society where Kalakshetra was then situated. The
child did this invariably on her way back home from The Besant
Theosophical High School. Rukmini Devi-- Athai-- called the child
inside and asked her: "Would you like to dance?" The child's joy
knew no bounds and she readily tried to repeat the dance she had
been viewing. Athai immediately arranged for her, Krishnaveni, to
join Kalakshetra as a part-time student. .....
..... Krishnaveni was Kalakshetra's child. She never felt she
belonged elsewhere. Her education was there and she had rendered
yeoman service to her Athai and Kalakshetra. I am certain she will
be with her mentor in heaven, planning a renaissance in dance when
they are reborn!
Click to read more
MAIN FEATURE
INDRA KISHORE MISHRA Dhrupad As It Once Was
-DEEPAK S. RAJA
How much dhrupad is there in contemporary dhrupad? Connoisseurs with
a taste for such conundrums will find plenty of grist for their mill
in the music of Indra Kishore Mishra. While the established dhrupad
lineages re-engineer the mediaeval genre as a global brand, Indra
Kishore (born: 1957) struggles for acceptance of a style zealously
insulated against change for over three centuries in a remote corner
of India. Combating geographic isolation and generations of
oblivion, Indra Kishore has established himself, and his Bettiah
gharana (stylistic lineage) of dhrupad, on India's musical map. The
Indian dhrupad "establishment" treats him with respect. But, the
recent revival in the fortunes of the genre has, so far, left him
untouched. With the visibility gains from CDs published in the West,
he may yet ensure the durability of his unique style
Indra Kishore's ancestors migrated from the Mughal court, in the
17th century, to the patronage of Bettiah (district Champaran in
Bihar) on the India-Nepal border....
The battle against oblivion
Mishra spoke to the author on December 22, 2002
My gharana traces its origins to two brothers-- Jasraj and
Yuvraj Mallik-- who served the court of the Mughal Emperor Shah
Jahan (17th century) as vocalists and rudra veena players. When they
accepted the patronage of Bettiah rulers, they retained "Mallik",
the title granted to them at the Mughal court. Our family name is
Mishra, and family lore claims descent from Miya Tansen, who was
Ramtanu Mishra before conversion to Islam....
Our original patrons, Anand Kishore Singh, and his son, Naval
Kishore Singh of Bettiah, were prolific poets and cultivated
musicians.... After independence, the support of the ruling family
vanished.... Despite great hardship, my father and grandfather
remained committed to our tradition.
The repertoire of bandishes (pada-s/ compositions) in my gharana
includes bandishes by Miya Tansen, his guru Swami Haridas, even his
guru Vyasa Das, and Nayak Baiju, popularly known as Baiju Bawra. My
grandfather reportedly knew 25,000 bandishes. My father knew 2500,
and documented them with the verse, tala, and melodic notation. Of
these, he taught me about 1500, in about hundred raga-s. This is all
that remains of our legacy of compositions....
Our family has taken great pains to ensure that each generation
performs the music exactly as the earlier generations did. Willful
deviation is discouraged, and all change is inadvertent. We are
committed to the original philosophy of dhrupad as devotional
music....
We treat the bandish as the core of dhrupad....
Our raga grammar also remains rooted in tradition, and often ignores
recent changes....
Our family follows a combination of the Gauhar bani and Khandhar
bani styles of dhrupad....
I am training my son and daughters in our gharana's music....
Click to read more
SPOTLIGHT
Sangeeta Sthalam-s - 15
Heritage Landmarks in Music -SRIRAM.V
Leaving the dust of Chennai and its environs behind, let us proceed
to sylvan Nanguneri or Vanamamalai or Tirucheeri / Sree Vara Mangai
Nanguneri-Totadri to give it its full name. This is a kshetram that
is in far away Tirunelveli and a truly magnificent kshetram it is
with a link to Carnatic music as well....
A bus journey from Tirunelveli town to Nanguneri would last around 45
minutes. It is a sleepy hamlet with the temple dominating. For the
Vaishnavites it is said to be such a holy shrine that it is equated with
Vaikuntham itself.... Nammalwar has sung in praise of the deity here and
hence the shrine also qualifies as one of the 108 Divya Desam-s of
Vaishnavite lore....
The names
Why Nanguneri? It is believed that Adi Sesha (naga) did penance here to
become the couch (anai) of the Lord and hence the place was called
Naganaicheri which became Nanguneri later. Yet another explanation is
that the sacred tank here is in reality four (naangu) lakes (eri) which
were combined together. One more explanation for the name is that the 'eri'
caters to four villages (naangu oor). Goddess Lakshmi (Sree Vara Mangai)
is said to have taken birth here as the daughter of Bhrighu and married
the Lord and hence the place is called Sree Vara Mangai. The place was
once full of forests and with the Koorma hill close by which appears to
touch the skies it was also called Vanamamalai (Vaanamaamalai). The Lord
here appeared to be an enormous water bearing mountain-like cloud to his
devotees and hence Toya Adri which later became Totadri.
- The sacred tank
- The sanctum
- The oil well
- The divine consorts
- Utsavam-s and celebrations
- Temple history
- Music history
Now we come to the subject we are really concerned with-- music in
Nanguneri.
Firstly, there was Nammalwar, who included Nanguneri among the few
shrines he sang on.... He dedicated eleven pasuram-s to the Lord
here....
What really puts this shrine on the Carnatic music map is a collection
of around 100 kriti-s which are generally referred to as "Vanamamalai
Jeer Sahityangal". There are two schools of thought as to whether a Jeer
really composed the songs.
As per one school of thought no Jeer of the Mutt has ever been a
composer, though many have honoured scholars and musicians. These songs
were the creation of two brothers Srinivasa Iyengar (1859-1891) and
Azhagappa Iyengar (1861-1915) who hailed from Nanguneri....
The brothers were vaggeyakara-s for they set the tune themselves for
their lyrics. Unlike compositions of other duos such as Anai Ayya and
the Sivan Brothers (Maha Vaidyanatha and Ramaswami), it is apparently
possible to distinguish the works of Azhagappa from those of Srinivasa
Iyengar. From the repeated usage of the words Varayogi and Yogivarya in
his kriti-s, it is guessed that Azhagappa Iyengar used them as his mudra.
The brothers composed in Sanskrit on Lord Devanayaka and Goddess Sree
Vara Mangai. There are kriti-s on Nammalwar and poorvacharya-s of the
Mutt. In addition there is a ragamalika set in seven sections which
summarises the Ramayana.
...The second school of thought on the subject asserts that it was
indeed a Jeer who created the compositions and that the two brothers
were merely playing the roles of scribes. The Kritimanimalai of R.
Rangaramanuja Iyengar, in its fourth volume, contains four songs with
notation. These are the four most popular ones, namely Matim dehi,
Dasaratha suta, Janaki ramana and Jaane vina.... I contacted Dr. V.V.
Srivatsa, music scholar and one of the Joint Secretaries of the Music
Academy, who in turn spoke to the present Jeer who is a musician,
scholar and linguist. The Jeer confirmed that it was the 25th Jeer who
created these compositions. He also went on to explain that taking
credit for composing was an indication of worldliness and the then Jeer
having taught the songs to his scribes was not really interested in
getting recognition for the songs.
...Some of the Vanamamalai songs that could be culled out from M.
Visalakshi's article and from Lakshman Ragde's Alphabetical Index of
Karnatak Songs are given below:
Asti jagatam - Bhoopalam
Bhaja Yatirajam - Pantuvarali - Adi
Charanam vrajeham - Nata - Roopakam
Deena janavana - Bilahari - Adi
Guru dehi mama - Chakravakam - Adi
Indivara lochana - Kambhoji - Adi
Kamalalaya - Todi - Adi
Kesava - Kedaram
Manavai Madhurakavi - Nata
Pahi Rame - Gaulipantu - Roopakam
Pahi Sree Varamange - Gauri Manohari - Chapu
Pahi Suresam - Husseni - Chapu
Palaya Balagopala - Saveri
Paripalaya - Kambhoji
Paripalaya - Malayamarutam - Adi
Paripalaya - Suddha Saveri - Roopakam
Ramakamakoti - Vasanta - Adi
Sahitam Sree Varamanga - Arabhi - Misra Chapu
Sarasiruhasana - Sankarabharanam
Sree Dasaratha nandam - Ragamalika
Sree nagari nilayam - Arabhi
Sree Vara Mange - Saranga - Roopakam
Sura vara paripalaya - Bilahari - Adi
Varijadala - Subhapantuvarali
Vasudeva - Anandabhairavi
Of these the song Sahitam Sree Varamanga is said to have a description
of the entire temple. Obviously, there is a treasure trove of kriti-s
waiting to be discovered by vidwans and restored to their rightful place
in the Carnatic repertoire. It is heartening to note that the present
Jeer indicated to Dr. Srivatsa that the songs must be popularised and
hopefully, through the latter, the Music Academy will take interest in
the matter.
Click to read more
BRIEF NOTES
Honoured
JJ Bharatanatyam exponent Malavika Sarukkai with the Vimla Devi
Samman 2005 by
the Vimla Devi Founda-tion Nyas; 7 February in Ayodhya.
Padma Awards 2006
Padma Bhushan
JJAbdul Halim Jaffer Khan (H-sitar); Ghulam Mustafa Khan (H-vocal);
P. Leela (posthumous - playback and C-vocal); Sabri Khan
(H-sarangi); Shanno Khurana (H-vocal).
Padma Shri
Aribam Shyam Sharma (Manipuri); Gayatri Sankaran
(C-vocal & violin); Swami Hari Govind Maharaj (H-music);
Ileana Citaristi (Odissi & Chhau); Kanaka Srinivasan (Bharatanatyam);
Kavungal Chatunni Panicker (Kathakali); Madhup Mudgal
(H-vocal & Principal of the Gandharva Maha Vidyalaya), Delhi;
Pankaj Udhas (ghazal); Rashid Khan (H-vocal); Shobana
Chandrakumar (films & Bharatanatyam); Guru Shyama Charan Pati;
Surinder Kaur (folk); Vasundhara Komkali (H-vocal).
Launched
lMaithri Vidhya Kendram-- a school of fine arts by vainika
Dr. Y. Bhagavathi, to encourage young talent "who do not have
adequate finances and facilities; 9 December in Chennai. Flutist R.
Tyagarajan received the title Nada Kala Nipuna. Two CDs titled
Bhadrachala Ramadas Kirtana-s and Mind Over Fingers were released.
Died
Prof. S.K. Ramachandra Rao, musicologist; author of books
including the Kannada version of the Sangeeta Sampradaya Pradarsini
and Prathamaabhyasa Pustaka; painter and sculptor; professor of
clinical psychology; scholar of eminence in Kannada, Pali and
Sanskrit; recently in Bangalore.
G.N. Dhandapani (90), vainika; music supervisor in
AIR-Madras, in-charge of Jantra Sammelanam programme; 20 March in
Chennai.
A.S. Panchapakesa Iyer (91), Carnatic musician and teacher;
music scholar; served as Principal of the Rasika Ranjani Sabha
School, Mylapore and as Principal of Bharatiya College of Music,
Mumbai; was associated with Kalakshetra; compiled and published
books on primary lessons in Carnatic music, varnam-s, kriti-s and
the theory of music; 24 March in Mumbai.
Click to read more
|
sruti.com