Dance for the dancer...
MANJARI SINHA
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Rama Vaidyanathan's Bharatanatyam recital made an individualistic statement in her programme dedicated to Shiva.
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The Chinmaya Mission, in its Bhakti-Pravaha series, presented `Shivoham' a Bharatanatyam dance offering by Rama Vaidyanathan on the theme of Shivaratri at the Chinmaya auditorium this past week. The meditative opening with the Shiva Sahasranama by Swami Brahmananda in the background of the tuneful mystic drone of the tanpura like the primordial Nada, and the sensitive touches of the bamboo flute, the thousand names of Lord Shiva set to raga Vasanti were recited by Vidya Srinivasan and contemplated by Rama before the name `Nritya priyaya namah... ' came, when the mridangam and talam joined in and Rama switched over to the alaripu set to a 14-beat cycle with the mindboggling crisp jatis composed by Karaikudi Krishnamurthi. Rama's captivating choreography was enlivened with the thoughtfully conceived music, and this combination was evident throughout the enchanting evening.
Varnam
The varnam in Tamil by Papanasam Sivan depicted the devotee who revels in the bhakti (devotion) of Lord Shiva, and prides herself in being a Shaiva-bhakta.
"My whole body reverberates chanting your name and I feel liberated," she says. The varnam also talks about the Ardhanarishvara, the Anand-Tandava and the Sat-Chit Anand associated with the Lord of srishti and samhara (creation and dissolution). Rama brought out vivid images of all these aspects along with the intense abhinaya of the Nayika, weaving in the intricate jatis again composed by mridang vidwaan Karaikudi Krishnamurthi, in the nritta segaments immaculately coordinated.
The lasya and tandava juxtaposition of dance in the Ardhanarishvara were mirrored even in the melodious treatment of the vocalist and the mridangam.
Gopalakrishna Bharati's Nandanar-Charitram was the next piece where Nandanar, the low caste devotee who was not allowed to enter the premises of the Chidambaram temple, yearns to be inside the temple.
He prays to Lord Shiva, "all I want is to be in your sannidhi (presence), singing your praises, are you not the sea of compassion?" The devotional fervour of this song was drenched with the `aarta krandan' the desperate cry of the devotee depicted deeply by Rama.
The Sringara padam, an old devadasi padam in Tamil, came as a beautiful contrast in raga Khamas.
The concluding `Shivoham... ' from the Skanda-Purana in Sanskrit was set in a delightful Charukeshi composed by G.S. Rajan, whose melodious flute touches enlivened each and every item danced this evening.
The essence of the line "Jeevah Shivah, Shivo Jeevah... " is that wherever there is Jeeva there is Shiva too.
Shiva permeates the entire universe.
Using dance as a means of self-forgetfulness, in an everlasting endeavour to try to liberate oneself from the ego and lead to self-effacement, Shivoham attempts to explore the multiple facets of the meditative (still) and active facets of Lord Shiva.
Individualistic
Rama has an individualistic statement and style, strongly expressive of her joy and exuberance.
One saw commendable awareness of the body line, rhythm and spacing of the stage in her dance.
The lucid introductions matched each one of her aesthetically pleasing items.
he had excellent orchestral support with Karaikudi Sivakumar on the nattuvangam, Lalgudi Sriganesh on the mridangam, G.S. Rajan on the flute, besides vocalist Vidya Srinivasan, whose voice pulsated with sur and bhava.
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