Delhi in tune, in step
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
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Pratibha Prahlad's annual festival that used to be held in Bangalore, came to Delhi with a bang this past week.
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ALL GRACE Rani Khanam's students performing at Sharad Vaibhava PHOTO: Deepak Mudgal
It was a significant shift in locale for the annual event hosted by Prasiddha Foundation (dancer Pratibha Prahlad's brainchild) from Bangalore to the Capital. Mounted at Habitat's Stein auditorium, the three-day festival revolved round a socially relevant theme "Two Tales. One Story - Om to Bismillah". The curtain-raiser was a colloquium with high-profile personalities from different fields sharing thoughts on how pursuit of a unified goal reaching beyond grammar and technique of different art disciplines makes for a bond transcending religion, caste and gender boundaries. Rather than just speeches, a subject like this could stir up healthy interaction with audience participation.
The dance evening had one participant too many and with Pratibha Prahlad's opening recital taking up all of an hour and a half, timing went haywire with Kathak dancer Rani Khanam slated to perform, presenting only her students before the depleted audience, for by the time her group got its turn, it was past 9 p.m.
Pratibha for her Bharatanatyam wisely opted for a metaphysical theme, abstract subjects treated with creative imagination lending scope for communicating messages at a more unified level, which the explicit details of myth make more difficult, unless resorting to didacticism. The invocation was based on interpreting quotes from the Natya Sastra - Brahma's creation of a fifth Veda combining essences from each of the four Vedas. As artistic communication and enlightenment, Natya through the rasa theory involved audience participation, going beyond mere objective enjoyment. The "Bhaavaanaamcha Rasaanaamcha... " line had vignettes of mukhaabhinaya representing the nine evoked moods, and footwork in different rhythmic patterns, though there was little room for expansive treatment. The centrepiece structured in a varnam format was based on Balamurali Krishna's composition in Shanmukhapriya on the primal sound of Om, the Pranava mantra with its resonance and vibrations permeating the entire creation of the cosmos with the five elements with Prana the life force and the five senses, from which flow sruti, laya and swara. The lyric in the charanam part revels in the 3,3.5,7 and 9 arithmetic in the structuring of solfa passages. With the wonderment of creation (adbhutam) as the central rasa, Pratibha's interpretation became somewhat dry, lacking variety and sparkle. Leaving aside what looked like a missed cue in Sringanesh's nattuvangam resulting in some faltering, what was missing in the dancer's nritta, despite Siva Kumar's strong mridangam, was the assertive rhythmic stamp.
Story of Vavar
Tailor-made for the theme of Sufi and Islamic influences in our art forms, is Kerala's story of the Muslim warrior Vavar, and Manikanthan - the inevitable choice for Kathakali presentation led by Guru Sadanam Balakrishnan in the main role of Vavar. The warrior's initial reactions to a glimpse of Manikanthan in all his effulgence are soon replaced by his battling belligerence in keeping with his Robin Hood motto of robbing the rich to give unto the poor. Vavar's pugnacity contrasted against the sagacity of Manikanthan enacted by Tiruvottiyur Jagadeeshan making for a riveting performance studded with quicksilver Kalasams and rhythmic virtuosity, Unnikrishnan's chenda and Muruga Jyoti's maddalam keeping pace. A tight and well-knit performance!
Kathak recital
In the Kathak recital on Expression of Mystic Quest, Amir Khusrau's poetry with Rani Khanam's expressional sensitivity would have been ideal. Instead were the students, who lacked the stature to carry off a bhav batana presentation. Rani's concept of flower as the body and its fragrance, the soul called for more experienced abhinaya elaboration. The three students in attire and presence were charming and graceful. But one had reservations about the way movement and music interwove in the choreography. The rabab, lute and guitar music, with the duff (with the tabla coming in much later with its articulated rhythmic syllables) with all the Iranian flavour, had a flow which would ideally have suited thaat and gat with the different walks bringing out the nazar, kasakmasak, dora and andaz that Kathak has imbibed from Persian influences, which was the aim of the entire exercise. Rani's choreography of crisply articulated rhythm did not gel with the musical mood, set in the seven-matra cycle. When the frenetically paced musical finale cried out for tatkar type of footwork, the dancers were doing graceful chakkars!
The opening "In the name of Allah" had slow minimal movement, the three girls, veils tied round the head, moving gracefully concluding with slow dervish-like chakkars.
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Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
