My favourite raga
Anita Ratnam: Choices aplenty
When a trained Bharatanatyam dancer is asked to talk about ragas, he or she will invariably choose the gana ragas. But not me,” is how dancer Anita Ratnam begins. “Today I enjoy the gems composed by the Thanjavur Quartet more for their musical value than as choreographed dance pieces.
Thodi, Bhairavi and Dhanyasi remind me of my learning days when these pada varnams held great excitement. Over the years, as you travel deeper into the art, moods and moments that a raga evokes, become more significant than the technical features.
“Revathi holds a special appeal for me because it sounds so much like the Vedic mantras that I enjoy chanting. I feel it when I chant the Vishnu or Lalitha Sahasranamam,” says Anita.
Powerful Hindolam
“Another raga is Hindolam. In 1967, my music guru Madurai N.Krishnan composed a Devi tillana for me in Hindolam. I am emotional whenever I perform it. Likewise, Kapi is the raga my grand aunt Ambujam Krishna chose for her composition ‘Chinna Chinna Paadam’ to which I danced in 1969. A mention of the raga makes me walk back in time,” reminisces Anita.“I cannot do without talking about Brindavana Saranga, which has the ability to make any composition sound grand. When I performed Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Rangapura Vihara’ recently, I felt my connection with this raga is a lifelong one.
“At present, I am working on a new solo piece that has singer O.S. Arun rendering Behag and Amritavarshini. I would not mention these two ragas, but Arun’s emotive voice gives me the inspiration to improvise every time I hear him.
“It’s in the hands of an artist to put a smile on the listeners’ faces or move them to tears through her rendition of a raga,” concludes Anita.
CHITRA SWAMINATHAN
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