Salient features of Natya Veda
B. RAMADEVI
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The dance presentation on `Understanding the Natya Veda' by the Narasimhacharis was a good learning experience for those interested in this divine art.
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PHOTO: M. PERIASAMY
DEMONSTRATION: Vijayakumar, disciple of the Narasimhacharis (left).
"Every problem in life is a challenge," observed dancer M. V. Narasimhachari during the three-hour lecture-demonstration on `Understanding the Natya Veda' that he presented along with his wife Vasanthalakshmi at Bhavan's auditorium, Coimbatore. He was referring to his decision to present a TV programme as per the request of Kamalini Dutt, the then Deputy Director of Doordarshan.
When Kamalini Dutt asked him to prepare something different, he decided upon `Natya Veda' as his title without realising how much work it would involve.
But once the couple involved themselves in the preparation, they learnt discovered much and came out with an excellent programme winning great critical acclaim.
The Narasimhacharis were awarded the title, `Nritya Ratna' by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Coimbatore Kendra, in recognition of their remarkable contribution to dance as part of its seventh dance festival.
Varied roles
The varied roles of a practising dancer, guru, choreographer, composer, concert musician and nattuvanar sit lightly on Narasimhachari's head and he obviously enjoys what he is doing.
With a positive attitude towards life, he could transform the bitter past into gems to adorn his crown. If his mother had initiated him into dance with love, his task-master-father Satyanarayanachari and his other gurus Shanmukhanandam Pillai and Professor Sambamurthy had trained him rigorously giving him shape and polish.
By the time Narasimhachari touched the subject, `Natya Veda', he had won over the audience and they were ready to listen to and digest the treatise of Bharata Muni.
"Bharatanatyam is just an imitation of life in a stylised manner," he began, and soon glided into its role in giving peace of mind and imparting values. That was the purpose for which Natya Veda was created, he said.
`Panchama Veda', as it is known, is the quintessence of the four Vedas. The seven styles of Indian dance, viz: Kathakali, Mohiniyattom (Kerala), Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Odissi (Orissa), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh) and Manipuri (Manipur) are based on Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra, though they have evolved into individual dance styles incorporating their regional flavour. He explained this with the analogy of the dhotis and saris, which are basically the same garments but worn differently in different regions.
The eleven basics of Natya Shastra such as rasa, bhava and abhinaya, were dealt with in great detail during the lec-dem.
The following were some of the observations he made:
Bharatanatyam has three components - natya, nritya and nritta.
While `natyam' should have a storyline, nritya consists of abhinaya and footwork interpreting the meaning of the song and nritta is a series of rhythmic dance steps.
A dancer should not dance for the elite alone. Everyone in the auditorium should be able to enjoy dance and any performance on the stage should be entertaining.
Pauses in dance are a godsend to the dancers and a choreographer should know where and when to give the pauses and ease the strain on the dancer. An orchestra can consist of stringed instruments ( veena and violin), metal instruments (cymbals), percussion instruments (mridangam) and wind instruments (flute).
The stage can be in the shape of a square, rectangle or triangle. `Siddhi' indicates the final success of the performance, which includes spontaneous appreciation from the spectators as well as the spiritual fulfilment attained by the dancer and the viewer.
Crisp presentation
Vasanthalakshmi gave a crisp and clear talk on `Pancha Ganam'. The song should help in the five important activities of the dancer on the stage — entry, explanation of her/his mood, establishment of the most important emotion, facilitation of dance movements and exit. She was grace personified while she gave a sample of `Bhama Kalapam,' a famous item in Kuchipudi, with the excellent vocal support of Narasimhachari.
Their disciple, Vijayakumar, demonstrated `chakrabhramari' movement while he danced for the song, "Sri Chakra Raja Simhasaneswari." Later, the visual presentation that explained the salient features of Natya Veda was screened to the viewers. It consisted of dances by Narasimhachari and Vasanthalakshmi as well as practising artistes from the various styles of dance bringing out the similarities and distinguishing features in their dance forms.
With excellent special effects, the visuals offered a gist of what is found in Bharata Muni's Natya Veda. It was a good learning experience for those interested in this divine art.
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