Retelling the Ramayana
EPIC SAGA A sequence from Valmiki Ramayana
The epic of Ramayana occupies a special place for the people world over. Valmiki Ramayana has been translated into various languages of the globe.
Many versions
Among such translations "Ramacharita Manasa" by Saint Tulasidas is extremely popular in the North. The late Rukminidevi adopted Valmiki Ramayana into a dance-drama form for the first time. The entire epic is divided into six parts namely "Sita Kalyana", "Paduka Pattabhisheka", "Rama Vanagamana", "Shabari Moksham", "Choodamani Pradhana", and "Mahapattabisheka". It is matter of pride that Mysore Vasudevacharya and his grandson Rajaram have composed the tunes for all these episodes.
Rukminidevi choreographed these six episodes decades ago and presented them world over. The traditional costumes and the compositions in rare ragas is its unique character. Artistes are trained and rehearsed for several years and it is the strict disciplinarian in Rukminidevi that has kept these ballets evergreen.
The inaugural show "Choodamani Pradhana" followed by "Mahapattabisheka" on the following day were presented by the artistes of Kalakshetra for the 29th annual dance dramas festival Natyanjali-2005 under the aegis of Sri Lalithakala Academy Foundation at Kalamandira, Mysore.
The story of Choodamani begins from Sri Rama's search for Sita after her abduction by the King of Lanka, Ravana. Sri Rama (P.T. Narendra) meets Sugreeva (Arun Shankar) and helps him to get back to his wife Ruma and the kingdom of Kishkinda. Hanuman (Haripadma) takes the lead in helping Sugreeva in his search for Sita.
High point
The high point of the show was the impressive abhinaya of Haripadman as Hanuman Narendran (Rama), Shijit Krishna (Ravana), and Ganga as Sita. The intricate adavus in sanchari of Hanuman were breathtaking.
The melodious sublime rendition of vocal by Hariprasad stole the hearts of the audience and it was evident that music plays greater role for the success of dance. The stunning choreography and inspiring portrayal of the characters elevated the performance to divine heights. Availability of adequate sound and proper lighting effects for want of basic structures at the venue were the prime setbacks for the spectacular scenes like the Lankadahana and the bridge construction to Lanka.
B.S.S. RAO
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