Many feathers, myriad feats
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
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From humble beginnings, the International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi has braved heavy odds to hold its 45th anniversary celebrations this past week.
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PROUD MOMENTS A glimpse of the celebrations at the International Centre for Kathakali, where a range of trained disciples displayed their skills PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY
In 1960 a group of Kathakali aficionados established the International Centre for Kathakali in Delhi. Despite many people's doubts about the future of an institution meant for teaching an art form, which outside its Kerala environs has minimal following, the Centre heralded its 45th anniversary this past week through a five-day festival featuring its students. Holding classes both in and outside its modest premises in the Qutub Institutional Area, the Centre today boasts over a hundred students - no mean achievement for an art so physically and mentally demanding. Notwithstanding the Centre's deeply mourned loss in the passing away of one of its greatest enthusiasts, viz. writer Madhavan Kutty, the festival began with the traditional Chempata Melam percussion ensemble. Purappad with Shankaran Namboothiri on the chenda ushered in the Sri Krishna nritta rendered by four young aspirants having their debut (arangetram). While Sudesh Adana's movements showed a body used to dance (he is a contemporary dance practitioner), youngsters Vijay Rawat and Shamsul Mohammad and Divya Dileep acquitted themselves well, their technique projecting a well-balanced physique.
The other arangetram foursome Aditya Nair, Rahul Ravi, Swati Sukumaran and Abhilash T.S. also danced with disciplined coordination. Of the segments this critic was able to see, the Brihannala/Sairandhri combine of Nisha Gopinath and Maya Namadevan in Act III of Uttara Swayamvaram, were expressive. The most impressive rendition came from Deepa Ramakrishnan in Poothana Moksham. The demoness' response to Ambadi and her steeling her heart crushing the motherly instincts roused by the beautiful baby Krishna, were convincingly communicated.
Overall technical ability and control over nritta even in its very challenging segments as Manish Rajappan in Scene II of Kalakeya Vadham as Arjuna enthralled with the gift of the Pashupata, performing the Ashta Kalasam before Indrani, was commendable. Where more work is needed is in the area of abhinaya. Barring ankle bells getting undone as Rahul Nair danced as Ghatodkacha, costuming was immaculate. It was a marathon effort by percussionists Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan (chenda) and Sadanam Muruka Jyoti (maddalam), and main singer Sadanam Radhakrishnan assisted by Kottakal Jayan gave a sterling performance - Sankarabharanam, Todi, Dhanyasi, Madhyamavati, Surati, Kambodhi, Anandabhairavi, Kalyani, Bhairavi, et al. ringing with dramatic intensity.
Presentation drawbacks
A stage freed at the last minute for the HCL Concert after a conference, sporting specks of dust not removed by the hurried cleaning, barren performance area with not even a dash of greenery to brighten it, musty smelling auditorium - presentation standards at the Habitat HCL Concerts need perking up!
Clean yet jerky
Again it was a story of classical dance rendered to taped music - though the recording was excellent. A tall Croatian, Ganga Grace, a disciple of the late Guru Muttuswamy Pillai and later Dominique Delorme, has worked hard on her Bharatanatyam technique. Clean lines and articulated araimandi notwithstanding, there is a jerky quality to some of her adavus.
After alaripu in Mishram, the Dhanyasi Papanasam Sivan varnam "Nee inda maayam" saw the dancer avidly enacting the love-struck nayika's mixed responses to Krishna's disappearing tricks. Peacocks dance mistaking his dark body for the clouds, and nayikas rushing to pluck what they see as the blue flower behold the figure of Krishna! The teermanams linking the interpretative parts while danced with rhythmic accuracy (the movement unit with leaps between beats of the tala in the Hamsanadam tillana was particularly well done), lacked punch at the finishing points. As an abhinaya disciple of Kalanidhi Narayanan, Ganga has a mobile face for emoting. But in the Purandara Dasa ragamalika "Chikkavane ivanu", the hasya and gentle mockery of calling one who indulges in such flirtatious acts a young boy, the main interpretative motif, got lost in the individual scenes.
Rarely does a danced religious message have the kind of joyous lightness and sense of humour one experienced in Sri Ramana Leela put up at Chinmaya Centre by RMCL Bangalore and Rasa from Madras, on the occasion of a two-day event mounted by the Ramana Kendra, Delhi. Dividing the dance drama into segments of the life of Sri Ramana Maharishi at Tiruchoozhi his birthplace, Madurai, Dindigal and Tiruvannamalai (Arunachala), the dance moved on wings of delightful music in multifold ragas, radiating the lilt of joy. Two accomplished young male dancers strengthened the dance fibre with the bhakta participants providing total involvement if not trained mettle.
Sharada, the main participant, whose active performance days are over, made up with the most evocatively expressive face. If delayed formalities and speeches had not made the starting too late, one could have seen the entire dance drama.
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