Pain distilled, joy unalloyed
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
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The many aspects of the virahini nayika were discussed at the IGNCA's inter-disciplinary workshop.
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The pain of separation in love (vipralambha sringar) is what gives meaning to the ecstasy of togetherness (sambhoga sringar). Hardly surprising then that the unbounded shades and nuances of love in separation should have triggered the creative urge of poets, painters, sculptors and musicians far more than the monochromatic unicoloured tone of fulfilled love. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts' tightly packaged interdisciplinary workshop on the Virahini Nayika along with a concurrent photograph exhibition of miniature paintings, researched and curated by Harsha V. Dahejia and co-sponsored by the Canadian High Commission, lacked space for expansive interaction.
More than the fleeting merging of individual male/female identities in sambhoga sringar, the virahini's obsessive yearning for her loved one reflected in every aspect of life, snuffing out her own persona, is more indicative of pure advaita (non-dualistic state), according to Professor G.C. Tripathi.
In Sanskrit poetry portraying male/female interaction among nature's creatures, the deer (example from Gatha Saptadi), the krauncha pakshi and chakravaka bird epitomise fidelity in love. Early literature is expressive of the pangs of the male in separation, like Pururava's yearning for Urvashi or Rama's agony away from Sita. Kalidasa's Yaksha in Meghadootam set the poetic trend for all time, as did the poet's virahini heroines like Rati and Shakuntala.
Citing Mythilisharan Gupta's Yashodhara as one of the finest poetic statements on the virahini in contemporary literature, the speaker dilated on physical and non-physical manifestations of viraha, represented by Radha and the gopis respectively. Srivatsa Goswami of Chaitanya Prem Sansthan, presiding over the event, referred to the entire Brindavan ethos as symbolising Radha's longing for Krishna.
Professor Rajendera Mishra passionately dwelt on the intense vipralambha expressions existing in non-classical art traditions, like the songs in Avadhi, Khadiboli, Brajbhasha, Bhojpuri and other dialects, lyrics of Banjaras and other lokadharmi expressions. Highlighting another interesting dimension, Anandakrishnan's references were to classical music bandishes set to ragas like Tilak Kamod, Kabir's dohas, verses of Vidyapati and Ragmala paintings. The curtain raiser of Madhusudhan Baul's singing throbbed with the love pangs of Radha rendered speechless, being comforted by the gopis. Dahejia (Carleton University) spoke on the Jain manuscripts of 14-15 centuries ushering in the miniature mode. The three quarters facial profile of earlier miniature figures to the fully profiled face in later work marked an important development in sringar expression. He disagreed with Western critics on what they call lack of awareness of perspective in pre-Moghul paintings, maintaining that this was a deliberate choice in portraying the besotted state of love, which by its very nature was out of perspective. Krishna in Vallabhacharya paintings is not visualised. Later 19th Century Nathdwara and Orissa's Patachitras depict Radha and Krishna together.
Dance alone as a moving image can embellish the vipralambha mood with the `before and after' state of separation, said dancer Geeta Chandran whose concise and proficient singing/dancing demonstration showed how music sets the tone of the canvas enriched by movement. Telling glimpses of the Shankarabharanam padam "Dari Joochi", of "Mogadochi Pilichedu" in Sahana and a Swati Tirunal Malayalam song set to Surati followed.
Corporate patronage
Celebrating the enduring bond between the corporate sector and human creativity as reflected in HCL Concerts, the patrons, in a specially mounted evening, presented Kiran Segal in a performance of Odissi and Shubhendra Rao and Saaskia de Haas Rao in a sitar/cello Sangam.
The Odissi had its high point in the abhinaya based on two Oriya songs - Banamali's "Baata Chhado" and Gopal Krishna's "Sanginire Rasa Ranginere", the subtlety in interpretation catching the joy and banter of the Krishna/gopi exchange in full. In the Hamsadhwani pallavi, the dancer's added weight tends to blur the bhangi contours, even as Kiran's rhythmic prowess has not lessened one whit. Not taking away from Satya Maharana's musical prowess, one wishes his singing voice had more power! In the sitar/cello duet, while the Purusha/Prakrti, `Ardhanari' title, as mentioned would be stretching the metaphor too far, the Hamsadhwani East/West classical/dhun/folk blend in contrasting tones of deep cello and lilting sitar was well conceived and executed.
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