Expressive but wanting
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Although a good show, the rapidity of the artiste's footwork did not allow the audience to savour the moment fully.
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Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
Dr. Madhukar Anand.
It was less of a full-fledged conventional performance, more a lec-dem a la Birju Maharaj. Dr. Madhukar Anand is an established master in his field going by the ease and ιlan with which he handled the abhinay even as he executed the typical technical footwork patterns to perfection. If the audience expected a series of `items' in an order of presentation — it did not happen.
The entire evening was a patchwork of brilliant pieces (barring the Surdas bhajan) that never reached a logical conclusion as promised by the dancer during the briefs that preceded each number. The Shiv Vandana at the start and the Surdas bhajan - Sharan kahe ko, morey shyaam were by far the only ones that excelled in lyrical beauty. Anand was superb enacting the Shiv principle with unique gesture abhinaya. So too in the Surdas bhajan, to the lines Gwalan hai tu he depicted the famous Govardhan leela nartan in Ghath Bhaav sans footwork.
Miming to the accompanying instrumental music, Anand moved with feminine grace alternating lithe movements as he traces the childhood, youth and magic of Lord Krishna beginning with a traditional pooja (diya, phool, prasad and aarti worship) and culminating with the shelter (under mount Govardhan). His expressions gave way to varied emotions tinged with an overall devotion (bhakti bhaav). He was able to bring Surdas to life as he danced with abandon as a blind poet consumed by Krishna bhakti. He surprised the audience with his melodic rendering of a verse from Surdas with a touching voice.
Granting that medieval Kathak (unlike ancient) is full of on-the-spot improvisations and arithmetic chakkars (whirls) the brevity and rapidity of Anand's footwork delineations did not allow the audience enough absorption and appreciation. The display of technicalities like reciting the bhol followed by footwork with hastha abhinaya would have had a telling effect had Anand ended them in a formal note. The dialogue between the tabla and the ghungroo (anklet bells of the dancer) was just about to get into a tempo when the dancer switched over to another type of bhol (bada bhol) and so on, never allowing the audience to savour each.
The audience had no option but to break into an applause every five minutes following a brief demonstration of an intricate footwork pattern. Vivek Deshmukh on the tabla was clarity personified. Surendra on the vocals and Madhusudhan on the sitar made for a matching orchestra. The recital was organised by the Kathak Kalakshetra on the occasion of World Dance Day at the City Central Library auditorium in Hyderabad.
R.K.
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Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
