Reviews
Natya Kala Conference 2022
REMINISCING ON
ASPECTS OF THE 40TH NATYA KALA CONFERENCE
Leela
Venkataraman
It was, by any
standards an extremely successful, painstakingly curated, 40 th Natya Kala Conference
by Krishna Gana Sabha - and a feather in the cap of the Convenor, Rama Vaidyanathan!
It was a well-curated
40th Natya Kala Conference by Krishna Gana Sabha, with each day
celebrating weaves from one part of India as optional dress code. Stage design
by Thotta Tharini was in tune with the theme of Roots, and highlighted fabrics
and textures by textile revivalist and sartorial consultant Sandhya Raman. The
manner in which the five-day marathon event was conducted and managed, (not
forgetting the valuable details in the
printed brochure for the five-day calendar with Aalaap’s Akhila Krishnamurthy
as Editor also assisting in conducting the festival), and the kind of audiences it drew, the conference
marked a high point in the Chennai cultural calendar.
One cannot
forget the contribution of Indian dancer settled abroad, Rajika Puri, whose
generous support enabled the kind of spread of subjects dealt with in the
conference, which the central government assistance alone could not have accommodated.
In keeping with her wishes, the conference was dedicated to the the memory of
her mentor, Indrani Rehman, one of our earliest dancers to make the world aware
of India’s rich dance traditions (in her performances lay the roots for awakening a curiosity in
India’s dance heritage), in tune with the festival theme.
The proceedings began with homage to the old familiar faces - now no longer with us - scholar Kapila Vatsyayan, irrepressible critic Sunil Kothari with his loud laughter spreading good cheer, Kathak maestro Birju Maharaj,who had so frequently taken the Krishna Gana Sabha stage to treat audiences to the finer aspects of Kathak and Astad Deboo the modern dance performer who had taken part in so many conferences and discussions. The Natya Kala get together also missed senior gurus who always made it a point to attend – Prof, C.V.Chandrasekhar and V.P.Dhananjayan, not forgetting the ever present figure of V.A.K.Ranga Rao who was also out of town. As a matter of fact very few of the senior-most dancers from Chennai could be seen. The packed hall though, comprised groups from other cities – Bangalore, Kerala, Mumbai, Pune, Baroda and so on. That the conference is attracting a lot of young people from outside, is a welcome development. Other thoughtful attractions included a book stall where one could order books on dance.
The
idea of vachika abhinaya as a
start to the theme of Roots was
extremely thoughtful, for dance in India with its interconnections, has its
inspiration in the vak or word – with poetry marking its ideational
take-off point. Three well-known Bharatanatyam dancers, combining their talents
the musical ability, slowly making their way to the stage, singing the poetic
word, heralded the start, after the inaugural function. First came Ragini Chandrasekhar, singing Sant
Kabir’s words, with suitable hand gestures, about the roots of all creative
activity lying within us - Isi ghat undar Bagh Bagicho Anahad Baaja,
followed by Uma Satyanarayanan
who entered with her gestural interpretation, while singing words of an Abhang
by Saint Tukaram, Janmase tu mura passhi shonu, philosophising on the
root of all suffering, in the eternal cycle of Karma’s deeds and rewards: and
finally Sridhar Vasudevan
singing Periyazhwar’s Pallandu on the continuity of consciousness for
generations through its lineage. Having ascended the stage entering from the
outside, the three performers combined together, with a metaphor on roots
concerning the spread of knowledge, based on a verse from the Gita, about the
Aswatha tree growing upwards, its inverted roots travelling deep within the
soil, pointing to beginnings with an incomprehensible future. The leaves from
branches are the sacred mantras and he who knows them is the knower of the
Vedas.
Secret of dance lies in breath
The
root of all dance activity is the breath and in learning how to control it. It is
the secret life force of dance, underpinning perception, at the root of performance
and all dimensions of meaning. Referring to this knowledge base, mentioned in Yoga Sutra and even Agastya’s Varna Sastra, implicit in the Natya Sastra, and which has been a
valuable part of indigenous knowledge from the time of Kunjunni Tambiran of the
Kodungaloor royal family of Kerala. Sreenath
Nair, in his talk, concentrated on this largely forgotten knowhow (thanks
to the influence of western methodologies). As the ‘invisible other’ between
body and mind, determining the evoking
of rasa, this discipline is fortunately still in practice among some Chakyars,
with Koodiyattam artists trying hard to
revive the knowledge. Rajaneesh Chakyar
working in the Ammanur Gurukulam in Trisoor (boasting of ancestors like late
Mani Madhava Chakyar) with Kalamandalam Ravikumar on mizhavu and Bhadra P.K.M on tala, depicted ashta rasas.
How the invisible breath control, with breath travelling from the nabhi to the
eyes, could fill eyes with water (without overflowing) in karunya, and the control over
breath leading to the mukha ragam
in raudra with a red face, were
an eye opener for many. The methodology of practice alone can explore this
organic relationship between breath and rasa.
Unseen
training behind kathakali performer
Dealing
with the unseen part of the work that goes behind the grooming of a Kathakali
dancer, writer Kaladharan Viswanath spoke about the gruelling body massage of
the angopanga pratyangas and how the facial organs and muscles are
trained to move in aiding the evoking of satvic emotions. Kalamandalam Adithyan
provided the demonstrations.
Movements and meanings -how east and west think alike
In
one of the most enlightening sessions of the five-day presentation, the conference
presented Ramaa Bharadvaj who,
in an articulate, well-researched talk, brought out how two centuries ago, in
the west, a French oratory coach Francois Delsarte evolved a demonstrable system of aesthetics in which body, mind and
spirit are not mystic ideas but tangible forces with specific corporeal
locations in which they express themselves. The researched part
of the talk pertained to Rama’s decoding of Delsarte’s principles viewed
through the lens of Indian dance and theatre where sound, voice, breathing and
body are all involved. Delsarte discovered the relationship between motion and
emotion through his own experiments. Seeing how children moved their bodies to
music, he formulated his own theories, and the surprising parallelisms with
Indian thought which were highlighted by Rama, as the findings of persistent
research, need to be published. Among the surprisingly similar ideas, are the
thought of God as one, with man in his image, the law of macrocosm and
microcosm, the belief in beauty, goodness and truth corresponding to Satyam,
Sivam, Sundaram, the togetherness of
body, mind, spirit similar to the Kathopanishad
which talks of the physical body as chariot, self as lord of the chariot,
intellect as the driver, mind as reins, and the senses as the horses. Everything
is in threes – rhythm, melody, harmony, - ease, precision, balance of the physical, spiritual and intellectual.
Above the head is the supernatural zone, with nose and cheek forming the
emotional zone.
Delsarte through his experiments discovered the importance of breath and the relationship of gestures with emotion. His deep research into behaviour of the body in different emotional states, such as hand gestures with the thumb (whether open and held straight as in an ardha chandra hand or collapsed), head and shoulder movements, connecting each of them with specific emotional states – is very close to Indian aesthetic concepts, and fascinating to hear. Art, he finally discovered is not imitation of nature but illumination of nature – very much like the theory of ancient commentator Abhinavagupta who defined art as Anukirtana and not anukarana!
Dance
absorbs several art disciplines
That
India’s dance traditions did not evolve in isolation, but with roots entwined
in several other disciplines like painting, music, sculpture, architecture,
illustrates the cross influencing, which is central to the cultural ethos of
the country. The story of King Vraja in the Vishnu Dharmottar Purana, has been
quoted countless times, exemplifying how the King wanting to learn dance was
instructed to go through all the other art disciplines starting from
literature, and going on to music, sculpture, painting, before going on to
learn dance. Choodamani Nandgopal, who has figured many times earlier in the conference
deliberations, read a paper supplemented by visuals, to explain the inter-disciplinary
approach – with varied examples. Starting with Yagna rituals,(visuals from IGNA
documentation) poetry of Alwars, Haridas, Sankeertanas, Agamas written in Tamil
and Dakshinaatya temples, references from Pattadakkal, Ellora, Viroopaksha temple,
the statue of Aadavallaan, Chamba painting, Shodasha upachara (16
offerings and services offered to the deity at temples) of which dance was of course
a part, she also quoted from inscriptions on temple walls. That architecture
and sculpture had the closest relationship with dance was strongly brought out.
Earliest
references to dance in Sangam age
Roots
travelling a long way underground, changing directions, spout qualities flowing
from the cultural soil they live and grow in. And so it is with any legacy,
travelling through time, its nature coloured by the cultural ambience in which
it lives and thrives. Scholar S.
Raghuraman’s talk on the earliest dance footprints in Tamil literature,
took one back to the Sangam era. What is
commonly known in the Silappadikaram, as the Arangetra Kadai chapter,
spells details of dance and Madhavi’s performance in Indira Vizha.
In ancient Tamil texts, the terms referring to dance are Aadal and Koothu. Aadal refers to the victory celebration which follows killing an enemy, the victory dance, an untaught and instinctive expression of triumph, not based on any aesthetic principles. S. Raghuraman stressed in his talk that Aadal, performed by Gods and Goddesses in the war fields, was a victory dance (vettuva vari) in celebration, while Koothu referred to a group dance. Aadal, was not art dance as understood today. Kotram meant victory and the Goddess presiding over victory was Koravai and one danced praying for strength to defeat the enemy. Out of Santhi Koothu or Seviyal Koothu emerged the margam type of dance of today, with what was presented for a different purpose, perhaps sublimating as temple dances later on, during the bhakti movement.
It
was interesting to see Apoorva
Jayaraman, (with Vanati
Raghuraman’s vocal support), Veda Krishnan (mridangam) and Kalaiarasan (violin), perform quick, simple numbers meant to
highlight points brought out in the talk, starting with song 85 from Purananooru
showing the root of the word Aadu. Tunangai Koothu from Tirumurugatruppadai
was of ghoulish images feeding on the dead bodies in the battlefield! Vettuvari,
in praise of Korravai the Goddess of victory, from the Silappadikaram,
encouraged people to do their dharma by coming out to fight the enemy. Muvulagam
Eeradiyan from Aychiyar Kuravai of Silappadikaram, was a
group dance moving in a circle to dispel bad omens. The notes in the raga
change according to the positions of the dancers in the circle. From Kundrakuravai, Seerkezhu
Sendilum a war dance, was in praise of Muruga, (which also included kavadi and kudam aadal).
Back to the roots for Mohini Attam
Traditions,
while spreading, spout with sudden reminders, of their root identity - and so
it was when Mohini Attam, expanding in a certain direction, was jerked back to
its regional identity by Kavalam Narayana Panicker. A concert format, largely
built on music from the Carnatic tradition (with one of the greatest of
Kerala’s composers from the royal family, Swati Tirunal) for Kavalam, meant
that the dance was foregoing its regional identity and rounded grace, which were
better defined by Sopanam music. It was at this moment that Bharati Shivaji, largely known till
then as a Bharatanatyam dancer with some knowledge of Mohini Attam, was chosen
by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, for a proposal to work on this Kerala dance form
and expand its frontiers. And therein hangs a whole story, highlighted by
Bharati Shivaji in her talk.
Hesitant
and not very sure of how she was going to be welcomed in Kerala, to which
region she did not belong, Bharati came to the research wing of Kavalam, and
evolved into the supremely graceful dancer who worked on, and performed to the
music creations of Kavalam. Having heard Kelucharan Mohapatra talk of how he
had gone back to the Orissa’s past for a close look at indigenous art forms
from which he could take aspects for the building of a neo classical Odissi dance form, Bharati Shivaji went to
Kerala’s art forms to look for inspiration. And with her closeness to Pallavu
Appu Marar the tayambaka specialist,
she was greatly educated on how rhythm
in the Kerala dance forms and tala systems worked. Taking vaitaris (rhythmic syllables) from
different forms which she incorporated into Mohini Attam adavus, she added
another dimension, of not just grace, but enhanced the regional identity and
repertoire of the dance form, which given the base of Sopana music compositions
of Kavalam, was set on a different course. Many Mohini Attam specialists, like
Kanak Rele, who came later, worked with Kavalam Narayana Panikar.
Banyan
tree of Bharatanatyam takes roots all over india
Dancer-scholar, Parul Shah traced the spread of Bharatanatyam in India, starting fromits days in the 17th and 18th centuries of Prabandhas and Nirupanas, practiced in the temples of South India, particularly Tamil Nadu. By the 19th century, it was Sadir performed by the devadasis. In 1882, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III married to the Tanjore princess Laxmibai, took the dance to Gaekwad. Bhanumati (Kumbakonam), Gowri Amma and Kantimati Amma were famous names. By 1916, nine artists had increased to forty eight! Parul Shah referred to the Kalavant Karkhana and how twice a week, items like kite flying, mythological episodes and the Radha/Krishna dance were performed for Sayaji Rao. Gowriamma was the court dancer for forty years. Kubernath Tanjorkar came from this line, and Kubernath’s choreography was also influenced by Hindustani music.
Parul
Shah referred to A.T.Govindarajan Pillai at Bombay and how with the Rajarajeswari Bharatanatya Kala Mandir, the
Bharatanatyam story in Bombay began. Maharashtra had guru Parvati Kumar’s
detailed work on the nirupanas and from his students Sucheta Chapekar and
Sandhya Purecha, U.P. had the Benares University with Prof Chandrasekhar, an alumnus of Kalakshetra and Haryana today boasts of fine Bharatanatyam teachers,
building institutions like Ganesh Natyalaya, Natya Vriksha and several others.
Guru
Thankamani Kutty and Shantiniketan spread Bharatanatyam in Bengal while Gujarat
had the famous Mrinalini Sarabhai. Punjab too spouted a Bharatanatyam exponent
in Navtej Singh Johar. Assam in the North East has its Indira Bora trained at
Kalakshetra. In every one of these regions dance choreography has been
influenced by regional poetry.
While
Bharatanatyam is the most prolific form and has the maximum number of dancers
today, there is one interesting point the speaker did not mention; in regions
which have strong traditions of their own, such as in Orissa, Rajasthan, Kerala
and Manipur, Bharatanatyam has not made inroads.
Dance
patronage today
That
art cannot thrive without patronage is a truism. In an overview on the history
of art patronage, Anita Ratnam who led the discussions, referred to the ancient
saying that women, creepers and the wise need support to survive. The peculiar
challenge of the present times, is that while artists are proliferating, art patronage
is shrinking. Even the Sangam age, had its aatruppadai, which was the
guide or pathway, informing poets and artists about philanthropists who would
assist with money and gifts helping project their work. Kings in South India
vigorously fostered the growth of art.
Anita
mentioned A.I.R which emerged as one of the greatest supporters of music. Today
in Tamil Nadu, the sabha culture is doing a lot of work to help and project
performing arts.
While
Bharatanatyam dancer Zakir Hussein spoke of government support for the arts,
Ananda Shankar Jayant put the emphasis on information technology providing the
knowhow for support. She mentioned a portal like Narthaki.com providing information on pockets of patronage and
support, and maintained that knowing where and when to apply for help was also
very important. She also emphasised that no artist could grumble about the
paper work and formalities called for when government assistance was sought.
After all the Government had to assure
itself of assistance going to the right place and being properly used. She
continued that pension for medically unfit artists was an area that the entire
art community should get together and demand, for what was now available was a
fleabite.
The Marghazhi season activity was an example of what art lovers, by
just getting together, could accomplish. While the railways had stepped in to
help by providing travel subsidies for artists, other wings of government need
to be nudged to consider different forms of support. As for CSR, it is not Corporate Social Responsibility as
much as Cultural Social Responsibility that one needed to
stress and pursue.
Natya
mandir to proscenium
One
of the most moving sessions of the conference pertained to a presentation
designed by Aruna Mohanty with Orissa
Akademi, on the temple dancer of Odisha - the mahari - who had ceased to be, except in references during
discussions, by the time the neo-Odissi form crystalised. Madhura bhakti in the Vaishnavite culture, with the
Jagannath Mandir as nodal point, is said to have looked upon the mahari serving
the Lord in the temple, with great favour.
Jagannatha Swamy nayana patha gami bhavatume, the devotee poignantly
sings asking the Lord why his hands are tied, and why he is made of wood? Is your
heart made of wood? My sindhoor (vermilion
mark) thrives only in the darkness. Let me be with you.”
British
rule diminished the power of royalty and the temple, with temple dancers too
losing their support and place. When dance historian, late Mohan Khokar had
tried to get some direct knowledge of what mahari dance was, what he got was so little that he could not
arrive at any conclusions. Most of what Odissi has by way of items rendered by
the mahari, comes from late guru
Pankajcharan Das, who grew up in a mahari
household.
The
moderator cum presenter, Aruna, quoted from the Madalapanji temple records which describe the qualities
of one aspiring to be a temple dancer. Referring to the Indra Dhwaja Puja
celebrations when the King sat in the Chamber, Aruna spoke of how along with
important personages concerned in temple administration, the mahari was selected. After obtaining the permission of the devukarana, the chanting of
marriage mantras solemnised the
formal ceremony of the mahari being wedded to Lord Jagannath, with the King
regarded as chalanti pratima (procession
idol) of deity. Joodha bandino, the main item signified the formalising
of the ties between the mahari and Jagannath. The presentation of the song Nahin
ke kari dela followed by abhinaya, brought back to mind, for those familiar
with the birth of classical Odissi, the
stir this item had created when first presented by Kelucharan Mohapatra’s wife
Laxmipriya.
Aruna
mentioned the bahar and bhitar Gaonis (singers) and nachunis
(dancers), categorising maharis
into those who performed inside the temple, and those who danced in front of
the dhwaja stambham at
appointed hours and during festivities outside, but were not allowed to partake
of special sevas – like
the night pooja when after the day’s temple activities ended, the Lord was put
to rest for the night by the bhitar mahari.
By
the time of the revival of the dance as classical Odissi, Srutakamala kucha
mandala druta kundela and Pralaya prayodhi jale dritavanasi vedam on
the dasavatar were the only Geeta Govinda
songs sung by whoever was left of the mahari
community, even in Puri with the temple diktats for only singing and performing
Geeta Govinda. From the 16th
century onwards, the gotipua boy dancers took over in festivals
like the Chandan
Jatra celebrations with the maharis dancing on the boat on its way to the pakhori
( a body of water with a small structure at the centre where the boat
pauses and the idols are ceremonially bathed and anointed with sandal
paste.) Songs with dance connected with
the Jhoolan Jatra with the Lord
on the swing Jhoolanti Sange, and
other compositions connected with the mahari like, Bansi Teja Hela, were all taught by guru Pankajcharan Das to the Odissi students. The
compositions attributed to the maharis
have all come into the Odissi classical performance repertoire.
Aruna’s
entire concept of the presentation with her students proved to be extremely
moving and evocative. And her
explanations built into the presentation spoke of how the Jagannath
consciousness with grace and movements in classified Odissi technique of today (Utha,
baitha, thia, chali, buda, bhangi, pali, bhasa, bauri and bhanga) had incorporated whatever the mahari had used in her minimal
dance. Accompanied on the violin by
Agnimitra Behera, Nazia Alam as singer, Bijay Kumar Barik on mardala and a
group of extremely well trained students, the entire session was very
evocative.
Prerana’s sensitive session on
Jaipur gharana Kathak
What a perceptive idea it was to have a dancer like Prerana Shrimali present a session on Jaipur gharana Kathak. Normally a Kathak dancer cannot resist going into the virtuosity of fast footwork to impress the audience. Not so Prerana, who despite the ability to out dance any competitor in footwork, stuck to the theme of bringing out the salient features of Jaipur gharana Kathak. Beginning by describing the roots of Kathak in Rajasthan, in haveli sangeet where dhrupad was sung and devotional songs on Krishna were rendered by the pushtimargi sangeet devotees, she made the observation of the Kathak dance emerging from the combined artistry of other forms of art like poetry, music, miniature painting, Pichwais.
Between
1778-1803, in Rajasthan, Sujangarh and Churu forming the Shekhawati region, had
many Kathak families - Prerana’s guru, Kundanlal Gangani comes from one of
these families. The Gunijankhanas
with the best of artists, were highly patronised during the rules of Raja
Jaisingh, Pratap Singh and the Radha Govind Sangit Sar was
written during this time. The Gunijankhana
is said to have had 161 artists and out of this came Narayan Prasad, who was
paid two rupees a month! Pichwais (paintings) of Rajasthan depict the typical Kathak
postures. Showing the kalais and
wrist movements of Jaipur
gharana Prerana spoke of these as being the influence from folk
expressions such as ghoomar and
other forms of Rajasthan. It is from these popular forms that the ‘chakkar’ craze has come into Kathak.
And Jaipur gharana delights in different ways of performing pirouettes.
Referring to the subtlety which Jaipur gharana Kathak gets from miniatures,
Prerana spoke of the landscape
with deserts and treading on sand or travelling on a camel on sand, which is a
tediously slow process. And it is not surprising that Rajasthan Kathak glories in its vilambit laya, (which in the
present day,in the hurried presentations, seems to find little place). Jaipur gharana delights in kavits
(poetic compositions in Kathak), where nritta incorporates in its rhythmic
base, the expressional element too. Typical
to Rajasthan Kathak is the Ganesh
paran.
After
showing the thata her guru Kundanlal Gangani had created, she spoke of
the raga Maand as the
contribution of Rajasthan to Hindustani music. Prerana presented Kesariya
baalam and the golden voice on the
tape along with her performance, evoked sheer poetry. She also presented Rangila
Shambho as an example of the bhakti sangeet of Jaipur Kathak. Meera bhajans
are a treasured part of Rajasthani culture.With just a passing footwork rendition,
Prerana’s presentation ended; it’s masterly under stated artistry,
characterising the hallmark of her Kathak.
Mehfile-e- raqs -tawaif repertoire from Mughal era in Lucknow gharana Kathak
TThe Lucknow gharana had a worthy representative in Rani Khanam, trained under Fattan Khan, Reba Vidyarthi and Birju Maharaj. Speaking on the tawaif culture with the influences during the Mughal period on Kathak, Rani, speaking of these women as the highest tax payers of the period, pointed out, that referring carelessly to them as ‘naach’ girls, was born out of gross ignorance. She mentioned how ghazal poets were never invited without a tawaif to demonstrate what the poetry said. She herself spoke in the most poetic Urdu, captivating the gathering. Quotations of Urdu poetry fell like flower petals every now and then.
Rani demonstrated the different ways of nigah (of gaze or look) and followed this
with a quick demonstration of alingan,
kasak-masak, dora, – all
delicate movements of wrist and neck typical of Lucknow gharana Kathak and very
much a part of the subtleties of abhinaya. So too was the demonstration of nazar, and how the eyes
looking up, down, sideways, in front could convey so many different messages. Tawaifs, she said, were even
connected with the Benares temples and they were very much in demand for
participating in the ‘sehra’
- a significant ceremony in marriage celebrations across
North India. Out came poetry associated with the sehra,
“Laao
ri malan sehra gunthe pariyaan
Here
motiyan ki chun chun kaliyaan,
Hamari
atariyan par aao savariya.” (It is a bride’s invitation to the groom,
and the poetry in the sentence, particularly the line on atariyan made
into a metaphor, - interpreted in several different ways, all suggesting the
idea of an invitation, was shown). And herein lies the depth of abhinaya in
Lucknow Kathak.
Speaking
of the parikhana with all the paris in the time of Wajid Ali
Shah, the ruler of Oudh, Rani mentioned how Kathak acquired another dimension
under the Mughal rulers, as the dance in the court. It was wonderful to watch
people congratulating her after the show, struck by the poetry of her spoken
language, combining explanations with the performance part. For her
accompaniment she had Sherrad Hassan on vocals, Nasir Khan Saheb on the sarangi and Fateh
Singh Gangani on the tabla.
Sattriya in changed spaces
Sattriya is the only tradition which has its original monastic version, and its later incarnation on the contemporary proscenium space, existing today, side by side. The symbiosis of the ritualistic with the performative, makes for an interesting study of how a living ritual practice accommodates another version catering to proscenium demands, with women also entering the all-male domain. The source literature of the performance narrative may be the same, but is treated very differently for the proscenium and in this contextualisation and re- contextualisation of text, lies the entire secret. While a disciplined oral pedagogy in Sattriya, (there is no treatise which Sattriya can claim as its own, though the closest is considered to be the Srihasta Muktavali.) has included the female body in its training for the proscenium spaces, there is a prioritisation of females performing in this changed situation. Today females also take on male roles. With Hari Prasad Saikia of the Bhogpur Sattra in Assam, playing on the Kohl and dancing (Dhemali- a preliminary to all Ankia Nat performances), one was treated to part of the original Sankardev tradition, which has been incorporated on the proscenium too. But what took the audience by storm was the Vishnu Dhayana, in Narasimhavatar presented by Anwesa Mahanta.
The
sheer class and depth of emotion, without a hint of overacting, made one feel
that entry of female performers of this calibre could only strengthen the
tradition.
Bharatanatyam
–temple, roots, nattuvanar traditions
Dance all over India had its connection with religious monuments and historian Chitra Madhavan’s talk, on exploring the pan-Indian epigraphical history of dance, supplemented with visuals, had additional support through performances based on these finds by Divya Shiva Sundar. Chitra started with the reference to the Udaigiri, Khandagiri rock cut monuments of Odisha, where a second century BC inscription in the Hathi Gumpha cave in the Brahmi script mentions Jain King Kharavela of Kalinga Nagari, who was well-versed in the arts. She mentioned the Gujarat Maitraka Kingdom with king Shiladitya or Dharmaditya and the Vallabhi University founded by the kings. She also referred to Salluvan Kuppam and the Kanchipuram Kailasnatha temple with inscriptions detailing the king’s titles in calligraphy, as also making a mention of Bharata.
The Bark
to Bough series put the emphasis on nattuvanars and teachers whose heritage
is still carried on by numerous students. Talks on Acharya Parvati Kumar by
Sandhya Purecha, on K.J.Sarasa by Padmini Ravi, performances by students of Rajarathnam Pillai (Ramya Ramnarayan), by disciples
of Adyar Lakshman like Nithyakalyani Vaidyanathan and others, were all part of
the programme. Radhika Shurajit gave an illustrated talk on
cinema and dance in Indian cinema.
The
legacy of Balasaraswati was beautifully brought out by students of her grandson
Aniruddha Knight, who demonstrated how this tradition, while particularly
treasured for abhinaya, was equally well-versed in nritta (as the students
demonstrated in the sankeerna nadai teermanams rendered at speed with such
immaculate clarity). A fine talk on sringara in the Tanjavur tradition by
Lakshmi Viswanathan was typical of her scholarship. Unfortunately none could
even dream that this would be the last such talk from this reputed scholar/artist.
Titled
Moksha, a talk by Usha RK on the
Trinity, was followed by presentations of three artists – Karuna Sagari who
performed Muthuswami Dikshitar’s Maha
Ganapatim in Gaula and Jambu pate. Parshwanath Upadhye who presented
Tyagaraja’s compositions Maa Janaki in Kambhoji and Bhagaya aiyyar ne
mayal ento in Chandrajyoti raga and Pavitra Krishna Bhat who dealt with
compositions of Shyama Sastry, Sankari Sankuru in Saveri – Aadi tisra nadai
and Parvati ninnu, Kalgada raga, Aadi, tisra nadai.
In an event designed around ‘routes’ of a tradition, scholar Avanthi Meduri spoke on the Bharatanatyam trees of Balasaraswati and Rukmini Devi Arundale. A Roots/Routes Perspective is how she called it. This ‘Insider-Outsider’ history had the usual references to ‘Sanskritisation’.
The
ritual repertoire of the Tanjavur traditions, was presented by Nivedita
Aadithya, granddaughter of K.P.Sivanandam and Sharada Sivanandam with
demonstrations by Swarnamalya Ganesh. Her talk clearly brought out the devadasi
as the mediator between God and the king.
Morning
workshops for which students registered dealt with various aspects like hastas,
rhythm, and seeds of abhinaya with Anupama Kailash providing insights into the
Telugu literary and dance traditions.
Altogether a marathon conference well-executed by dancer Rama Vaidhyanathan and her team!