Vanita

Padmini Ganesh

“Sa visrayuh sa vishvkarma sa vishvdhayah indrasya twa bhagam somen aatrachmi vishno havyan raksh” — Yajurveda

An enigma called ‘woman’, her attributes and characteristics have always been written, discussed, and pondered upon. Well-known impresario and curator Usha R.K., who has been the driving force for many thematic presentations, brought to Bangalore a thought-provoking, beautiful two-day samvaada delving into the characteristics of exemplary women in Indic wisdom on 22-23 May 2024, at Seva Sadan, Malleshwaram.

 On 22 May, Usha began the programme by introducing the concept of Vanita, which would showcase viveka (intellect), vinaya (humility), veerya (intellectual courage), and vicharaka (debate, scholarship) over two days, featuring eight upcoming and talented dancers. Each presented a strong portrayal of a woman through lyrical choreography and their understanding of the character in 20 to 25 minutes.

‘Maha Saraswati’, who epitomises spiritual intellect, enables us to learn without discrimination and bestows us with viveka. Shreyasi Gopinath gracefully portrayed this. Viveka, also considered one of the main requirements for one’s spiritual journey, was portrayed very aptly by Soundarya Srivatsa, who captured the essence of Maitreyi’s character with effective music and choreography.

Humility or Vinaya, a form of temperance neither having pride nor self-deprecation, was showcased by Nandini Ganeshan through the character of Radha Rani, who is skilled yet humble, dexterous yet full of compassion, and the love of Lord Krishna. Sita, an embodiment of knowledge, a daughter of Mother Earth but full of humility, was aptly portrayed by Arundhati Patwardhan, who brought forth the character in a subtle yet effective manner, adhering to the beauty of the dance form. The four attributes and characters were beautifully woven, and Nikhita Manjunath introduced them to the rasikas.

Day Two 

On 23 May. Usha began the evening with an invigorating conversation with dancer Padmini Ravi and yoga therapist Suchitra Kaul Mishra, who gave their insights into art and its health aspects.

Veerya, or fearlessness, often considered a male characteristic, was captivatingly presented by Keerthana Ravi through the interesting portrayal of Mandodari, who shows immense courage while being mindful of her convictions and values. A powerful character like that of Panchali, who remains unwavering against all odds, who stands up to injustice and shows great courage, needed a confident and strong dancer like Navia Natarajan, who left an indelible mark portraying the veera aspect of Draupadi.

Gargi, an ancient philosopher who inspires everyone to think and speak and one who participated in royal court debates, was wonderfully portrayed by Sayani Chakraborty, who brought out the vicharaka aspect of this strong character. Vicharaka, which was manifested in the brilliant character of Ubhaya Bharati, who is considered an Amsa of Goddess Saraswathi and who stood her ground against the great Adi Sankaracharya, was aptly portrayed by Shivaranjani Harish. Divya Bhat, a talented dancer, beautifully introduced the aspects of Veerya and Vicharaka through her dance that evening.

With so many characters and attributes to portray, the brilliant team of musicians consisting of Vasudha Balakrishna on vocal support, Sharath Suryanarayana on nattuvangam, Bangalore S.V. Balakrishna on mridangam, and Raghunandan Ramakrishna on flute put in hours of tireless efforts and brought the choreography of the eight talented dancers to life.

Usha R.K.’s thought-provoking concept was brought together with her elaborate and insightful compering, and her vision was brought to life by the whole team in a remarkable manner to the rasikas.