Greatness of Tulasi depicted
Uma Ramesh...
UNDER THE auspices of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Kala Kendra, petite-looking Lavanya and Mrinalini, disciples of Radhika Surajit, chose to present a thematic dance-narrative on the divine herb Tulasi, with suitable compositions, some traditional and some contemporary (scored by Revati Sankaran). Hariprasad, the main vocalist, had composed melodious music for the lyrics. Radhika's choreography for this narration revealed her sincere approach to the theme, which has not been presented in a similar format. Radhika has taken the efforts to collect interesting, fresh lyrics and arranged them in the order of a traditional Bharatanatyam format.
The opening Mallari was followed by the kriti of Saint Tyagaraja, "Tulaseedalamulache," giving an apt devotional touch to the narration. The Sabdam (by Revati), focussing on the birth and growth of the divine Tulasi Devi, was crisp and brief. The mainstay of the recital was the varnam, "Naan Vanangum Deivame Vana Tulasi" by Revati Sankaran set in a lively Ragamalika, commencing with Vachaspati and rendered well by Hariprasad.
The choice of `Krishna Tulabhaaram' gave ample space for the dancers to portray the idea. Lavanya and Mrinalini made a lively pair on the platform, and danced with commitment. Their neat hasta-s, proper delineation of the sancharis along with their co-ordinated movements was impressive. However, the presentation till this part, lacked vigour and spirit which resulted in a dull note, pervading through the recital, which otherwise reflected the hard work that had gone in. Radhika Surajit conducted the programme assisted by Vedakrishnan, Kalai Arasan (violin) and Sankaranarayanan (flute).
Wholesome
Uma (Balasubramaniam) Ramesh, who performed for the Natyarangam of Narada Gana Sabha recently is a talented disciple of Keeranur Govindaraja Pillai and Kanaka Srinivasan of New Delhi. Based in Chennai, Uma has worked with Nityakalyani Vaidyanathan and is currently a student Roja Kannan. Uma was supported by Roja Kannan (nattuvangam), Nandini Anand (vocal), Gopi (mridangam) and M. S. Kannan (violin).
Uma presented a couple of items in her recital, although not beginning in the traditional way, revealing her inner strength and composure in her art.
Lavanya and Mrinalini...
Coming back to the stage after a gap has made her more mature with intense internal orientation which is a crucial factor in moulding an artiste into a refined performer. Uma has good grip over the aspects of pure dance. Her footwork is firm and confident. Her hand gestures and linking them with appropriate looks to give that touch to the message conveyed, proved her command over the nuances of abhinaya.
There was a very appealing quality that was coated with subtle, sensitive, non-dramatised touch that was to be seen in the abhinaya skill of Uma which made it seem very different in the present scene, especially among the dancers of her age and experience. A clear stamp of the training from a traditional nattuvanar like K. G. Govindarajan was evident in all her movements. Uma knew well to maintain the aspect of spontaneity with perfect control, adding more dignity to her renderings. However, she needs to concentrate on a perfect Araimandi and execution of Adavu structures. Uma's recital could have gained more momentum with a regular format. Instead, she chose to commence with Ganesa Vandana, which did not generate a vibrant note.
Again, instead of varnam, Uma performed the well-known item, "Nitya Kalyani" (ragamalika), a composition that describes the different facets of Devi. It was smoothly portrayed with jatis interspersed, all of which came out well in Uma's depiction. However, there was not enough scope for the dancer to dwell on the subtle interpretation as found in a varnam. and thereby bring forth her skill in full measure.
With some work on abhinaya and sustained training in technical aspects, Uma is bound to reach great heights.
NANDINI RAMANI
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