Creating visual impact
Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy ... highly aesthetic.
TRYING TO capture the exuberance of the two Odissi virtuosos Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy is as futile as recreating a passing rainbow. The dancers from Nrityagram, Bangalore, stormed the bastion of dance at the inaugural of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha festival wowing the knowledgeable audience into a standing ovation at the end. The electric impact of youthful vigour, exacting footwork, precise time-sense, sinuous grace, disciplined body sculpting and flair for expression, was topped by choreography that exploited every moment, however ordinary, to create visual beauty of the highest aesthetic order.
The Mangalacharan, homage to Lord Jagannath and Goddess Mathangi, in ragamalika and taalamalika choreographed by late Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra was given a new meaning with simple changes like a staggered entry and multi-level stances. Even the prostrations of the dancers positioned on the diagonal, bathed in yellow light, created powerful imagery. The 75-minute presentation was filled with such innocuous details that made all the difference to the presentation. Mention must be made here of the lighting by Lynne Fernandez, that drenched the dancers' natural tussars in different hues, energising the dramatic content.
Delightful
The opening bols of the Pallavi `Srimathi' intoned by vocalist Rajendra Kumar Swain and reflected in Buddhanath Swain's pakhaawaj and Shivsankar Satpathy's manjira, to the accompaniment of rich melody provided by sitarist Naveen Kumar Misra, flautist Srinivas Satpathy and violinist Ranjan Kumar Behura, promised excitement that the delightfully vibrant dancing by the duo delivered and more.
Composed by Raghunath Panigrahi in raag Misra Khamaj and Charukesi set in taalamalika, and choreographed by Surupa Sen, the pure dance piece portrayed a woman who is proud of her beauty when young, but as she grows more mature she feels it a waste if not offered to Krishna.
Powerful depiction
Another powerful presentation was the concluding `Sri Devi,' a bit of a misnomer portraying Durga, where rigor and aggression painted the bloody canvas of Goddess Durga's fierce manifestation and her slaying the buffalo-demon Mahisha.
The mood was created with visions of Devi and her fearsome battles with the asuras, her solemn devotees meditating on this form.
The dancers were at once the Devi, the devotees and the asuras, the fluid interplay of roles acting as stimuli.
The Mahishasuramardhini Stotram tuned by Raghunath Panigrahi was preceded by a prayer to Durga.
Memorable
Surupa Sen as Radha recollecting her first passionate encounter with Krishna in `Sakhihe keshi mathana mudharam' from the Geeta Govinda in Misra Pahadi raag, captured vividly the seduction of the unsuspecting heroine. Performed with guidance from Kalanidhi Narayanan, the glimpses of Krishna's passion and Radha's languorous anticipation of another reunion were memorable moments that the rhythmic components unfortunately cut into. Whether the interruptions can be attributed to the style or the choreography remains a moot point. Bijayini Satpathy's easy articulation of Krishna's beauty was a joyous celebration of life and movement in `Murolipani' an Oriya song by Gopalakrishnan Patnaik in raag Jhinjhuti. This spontaneous combustion between the dancers and musicians alike throughout the recital created inspiring memories.
RUPA SRIKANTH
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