Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Women in love

A doyenne of Bharatanatyam teaches an ancient art through the latest technology

LANDMARK Kalanidhi Narayanan's labour of love

In an age of specialisation, we have increasing numbers of people who know more and more about... well, you know what they say. Seriously, though, not all specialists could be called people who know more and more about less and less. Anyway, if every field has been affected by society's seeming need for intense specialisation, why should the classical dance world be exempt?

For long now, we have had a phenomenon called Kalanidhi Narayanan, a doyenne of Bharatanatyam, whose skills in abhinaya (the technique of emoting and storytelling in classical dance) have conferred on her the status of an iconic teacher in this aspect of the art alone. As an abhinaya specialist, this benevolent teacher attracts students from across the world, and not just Bharatanatyam dancers but those from other forms as well.

But Bharatanatyam and Kalanidhi Mami — as she is fondly known to her disciples — did not stop there. Classical dancers may look quaint to city slickers, but they are comfortable rubbing shoulders with technology at its hottest. No wonder Kalanidhi Mami and her disciples have come out with the most advanced audiovisual medium available today to share this specialisation with the world: a series of DVDs, produced by Swathi Soft Solutions, a Chennai-based software company, on the theme of Ashtanayika, the eight classical heroines of the ancient scriptures of dance. The company, though, is at pains to assure artistes that technology can never replace a realtime guru.

States of being

The eight nayikas could be described as moods, or states of being of women in love. The first is Swadheenapatika, a woman confidant and secure in the love of her husband. Then there is Vasakasajja, who eagerly expects her lover's arrival, adorning herself and her house to receive him. Virahotkanthita misses her beloved so much she wastes away in sadness. The Abhisarika nayika prefers to go out in search of her beloved, rather than sit coyly at home. Vipralabdha is deceived and disappointed by her (two-timing) lover but still pines for him. Khandita is angry and unforgiving. Kalahantarita is the woman in a state of distress after quarrelling with her lover. The eighth, Proshitapatika, is the heroine who is alone because work has taken her lover far away.

Indian poets down the ages have written reams of poetry, weaving innumerable situations featuring these eight basic nayikas, from sources including mythology, legend and sheer imagination.

Each DVD of the set, which is part of Swathi's Sanskriti series, is dedicated to one heroine, and features classroom discussions and explanations, demonstrations by the senior students, guidelines for students and teachers, as well as demonstrations of traditional compositions — padams and javalis — that highlight that particular heroine.

While VCD are available as well, what is special about the DVD format is that the viewer can select any of three angles to view the demonstrations. Thus it goes beyond the `glass wall' approach of watching a class in progress.

Combined effort

While Guru Kalanidhi's well-known disciple Priyadarshini Govind has guided production work, the doyenne's other senior students, Shobana Bhalchandra, Bragha G. Bessel, Jayanthi Subramaniam, Ramya Harishankar and Roja Kannan appear with their guru in the series.

While Swathi Soft Solutions is yet to open an outlet in Delhi, the CDs and DVDs can be bought online by visiting the Internet site www.kalakendra.com and going to the Bharatanatyam section under `Store'. Information can also be had by emailing solutions@swathigroup.com. Meanwhile, in other metros like Chennai and Bangalore, the Ashtanayika series is available in the market.

ANJANA RAJAN

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail