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Photo: R.Shivaji Rao

Couched in the abstract: Purushartha

Though the theme was inspired by the ancient spiritual concept of the ‘Purusharthas’ as Hinduism defines it, ‘the objectives of human life — dharma, artha, kama, moksha, — the production was a futuristic one. There were no overt references to philosophy; the allusions, if any, were couched within the abstract movement vocabulary that was loosely based on Kalarippayattu, yoga, Bharatanatyam mudras and contemporary movements. The rest was purely techno-driven, including the digitally created sound, the digitalised images and the minimalist lighting.

The work came together as a series of impulses, set against a dramatic all-white floor and screen with LED sticks (they look like glorified tubelights) placed on either side of the stage providing a visual boundary. The lighting was predominantly white with overhead blue spotlights that beamed from the rafters. The costumes were mostly white and almost gender-neutral — pyjamas and tunics asymmetrically layered. The overall effect was of a monochrome palette that was severe yet dramatic, threadbare in ostentation yet rich in artistic impulses. The sheen of professionalism ran through every aspect; ‘Purushartha’ was in essence ‘new age’ artistry.

There was no storyline, no beginning or end, no chronology. Life in a crowded station or bus depot leads to a solitary nothingness and this is where the production begins. Through an exploration of the five elements and other human experiences of trust, love, marriage, parting, death, tragedy, meditation, reaffirmation, the ideas were fleeting, encapsulated in ‘catch me if you can’ moments, unrelated and unfamiliar. There was no happy ending either, no ‘moksha’ or any such blissful state. It ended with a no-nonsense ‘Stop!’

The huge screen filled with graphics of live action or digital images were perhaps the only clues in the maze. The larger than life pictures were sometimes overwhelming when they seemed to scoff at the tiny human dancers.

At other times, they complemented the dancers creating powerful imagery. The background score was a mixed bag of trance music and electronic sounds that was not always pleasing to the ears. In fact, there were moments when one was not sure if it was a faulty sound system playing up, or the original soundtrack! An underlying sense of urgency was conveyed through a threatening countdown like ‘Time left 46 minutes; 10, 20,.’ that was repeated over and over as its refrain. Pleasant or not, the work did not have one dull moment.

The collaborators for this bold venture include the dancers from the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bangalore, Naoki Hamanaka, Set and Light Design, Mitsuaki Matsumoto, Music Arrangement, Thomas Dotzler and Shymonchelad, lighting execution and Hidden Harmaony, costume design.

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