Vintage moments revisited
RUPA SRIKANTH
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‘Rajarathnam Restrospective’ brought back memories of the vidwat of one of the finest Bharatanatyam Gurus.
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Photo: R. Shivaji Rao
Vazhuvur grace: Vidhya Subramaniam.
As the curtains went up on the darkened stage, ‘Vadhyar’s’ voice filled the auditorium with the traditional Thodayamangalam of the Vazhuvur bani, ‘Jayasutha purivasa.’ Almost immediately a spotlight lit up a beautiful oi
l portrait placed on stage. It was a poignant moment when you could hear him and you could see him. Guru Swamimalai S.K.Rajarathnam is surely not gone. The Guru’s eldest son Viji expressed similar sentiments at the end of the three-day ‘Rajarathnam Retrospective,’ when he urged his ‘sisters’ to keep his father’s creations alive.
First, Fine Arts Foundation, India, headed by K.S.Subramanian needs to be congratulated on organising the event. And secondly, the three senior disciples who took part — Ramya Harishankar, Priyadarsini Govind and Vidhya Subramanian — are to be commended for keeping to the spirit of the festival. They used the recordings of their Guru and presented only his choreographies. The festival attempted to relive, reconstruct and renew memories of the musical talent and vidwat of one of the finest natyacharyas of Bharatanatyam. And what better vehicle can a teacher have than his students?
Vidhya Subramanian’s turn was on the last day of the festival. Dressed in an aesthetic costume of dark green and gold, she radiated the legendary grace of the Vazhuvur style. Having learnt from a galaxy of gurus, Padma Subrahmanyam and Kalanidhi Narayanan, besides Swamimalai Rajarathnam, Vidhya has imbibed the best there is. In the early 1990s she moved to California and founded the Lasya Dance Company in the Bay Area. She continues to perform and teach side by side.
Nostalgia took over as one watched Vidhya performing the Husseini ragam, Rupaka talam swarajathi, ‘Ye Maayaladira’ penned by Melattur Venkatarama Sastri. Guru Rajarathnam’s gentle intonation of crisp rhythmic patterns, firm nattuvangam and his bhava-laden music melded into a mosaic of wonderful artistry. It was literally a ‘one-man band’ that provided the support to the dancer.
Soft approach
Vidhya’s dance was instinctive. She reacted to her Guru’s voice and music with natural ease. The dancer was understated as a lovelorn nayika and this soft approach complemented the soft music well. She sailed through the nritta passages with confidence born out of familiarity but whether her footwork may have satisfied ‘vadhyar’ is doubtful.
‘Krishna nee begane’ in Yaman Kalyani ragam, Misra Chapu talam, rife with bhakthi and vatsalya bhava was easily the pick of the evening. Nandanar’s plea, ‘Vazhi maraithirukkudu’ in Thodi ragam was another musical gem from the Guru. The Tilang Thillana in Adi talam by Lalgudi Jayaraman provided a peppy finish to a trip down memory lane.
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