Riding a wave of rhythm
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Rajeswari Sainath recently performed in New Delhi.
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ZESTFUL PORTRAYAL Bharatanatyam dancer Rajeswari Sainath PHOTO: K. GAJENDRAN
The Secunderabad-based Rajeswari Sainath gave a Bharatanatyam recital at New Delhi's India International Centre recently. She had composed a new set of dance pieces for this trip to the Capital, where dancers from other regions often get crowded out of the performance calendar during peak season. The hot weather and general lull in dance activity notwithstanding, Rajeswari had a commendable crowd at her performance.
A disciple of Guru Indira Rajan, a redoubtable dancer, nattuvanar and teacher with legendary mathematical abilities, Rajeswari's recitals are generally noteworthy for their tala content. Being the niece and close collaborator of mridangam vidwan Karaikudi Mani is another factor. However, she also takes interest in developing themes and finding suitable lyrics to maintain the balance between bhava and tala for which Bharatanatyam is known.
The principle presentation of the evening was a varnam in Shuddha Dhanyasi, Adi tala. The Tamil varnam, dedicated to Lord Kartikeya had the refrain "Aadum mayil mel varuvar". Rajeswari depicted the various dramatic episodes from the Puranas related to this son of Parvati and Shiva with zestful energy. In executing the jatis, rhythmic precision seemed to be given precedence over postural correctness. Thus one missed at times the neatness and finish of the postures one is used to seeing in the performances of this senior dancer.
Besides nattuvanar Srinivas and vocalist K.S. Balakrishnan, Rajeswari was accompanied by Nagai Narayanan on the mridangam, C.K. Vijayraghavan on the violin and Shiva Kumar on the flute.
The high energy level of the recital might have been more pleasing if it had been balanced with quietness. This was especially apparent in pieces like the Tulsidas bhajan, "Thumak chalat Ramachandra" and in the sahitya content of the tillana, where the percussion effect could have been reduced to give priority to melody. However, the dancer also suffered due to an inadequate orchestra, which ran roughshod over tunefulness and lyrical accuracy. (This was jarringly obvious in the bhajan, where Tulsidas' Avadhi poetry was sadly mangled.)
ANJANA RAJAN
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