In perfect unison
G.S. PAUL
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A Bharatanatyam recital by Sreekanth and Aswathy was elegant and aesthetic.
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In step with the rhythm: Sreekanth and Aswathy.
As part of its 133rd annual celebrations, Thrissur Public Library organised a performance by the dancer-couple Sreekanth and Aswathy at Regional Theatre. It was for the first time that their piece, `Entharo Mahanu Bhavalu,' was being staged in Kerala.
When Navaneetham Cultural Society had organised a programme a year ago, they had different roles to perform - Sreekanth was the guru and Aswathy the disciple. While explaining the relevance of the title, `Entharo Mahanu Bhavalu,' Sreekanth said: "The recital embraced select kritis of the great vaggeyakaras and therefore it was a pranamam to them."
The duo complemented each other from the very beginning. The first three numbers brought to the fore Sreekanth's skill as a choreographer as he was able to explore his own terpsichorean talent and that of his spouse. While the combined movements demonstrated a perfect understanding between the two, marked by a high sense of tala, individual ones spoke of their creative propensities.
Tamil kritis
The Ganesha invocation began with `Sree Mahaganapthi ravathumam,' a Muthuswamy Dikshithar composition in Goula and Misra chappu. Ostensibly, the fascination for Tamil kritis was a reflection of Sreekanth's moorings. Gopalakrishna Bharathiyar's `Thillaiambalathane Govinda' was an instance. Perhaps it is the only one among the myriad compositions of the vaggeyakaras to invoke both Saivite and Vaishnavite deities. Even as the contrasts of the two are brought out in full measure, the poet establishes finally that both are essentially the same. Composed in Surutty, the dancers' delightful interpretation of the number enhanced its aesthetic appeal.
The kriti, Harikesanellur Muthayya Bhagavathar's composition in Kamas, `Maathe malayadwaja,' described at length the various facets of the mother goddess. The histrionic talent of the two were at their best, as it provided enough occasions for abhinaya.
The meeting of Meenakshi and Siva was captivating owing to the well depicted sringara rasa. Interestingly, the two chose to present the sancharis separately. While Sreekanth dwelt upon the story of Chamundeswari, Aswathy delineated the story of Thiru Gnanasambandar. The nritta sequences were full of verve and the varied adavus were executed with aplomb.
In praise of Krishna
In addition to Sankaracharya's `Bhajagovindam, bhajagovindam' in ragamalika, performed as a solo by Sreekanth during the second half, Aswathy presented a Kavadi Chinthu in praise of Krishna.
The composition of Oothukkad Venkita Subba Iyer marked a departure from songs of this genre, which usually invoke Muruga. Sreekanth's choreographic ingenuity could be discerned in the blending of Swati Tirunal's `Sankara Sri Giri' in Hamsanandi with a tillana. It was well dovetailed and elegantly performed.
Hariprasad's effortless vocal rendition was commendable. Natuuvankam by Roja Kannan, violin by Edappally Ajithkumar and mridamgam by Vijayaraghavan contributed immensely to the success of the dance recital.
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