A flair for the dramatic
ANJANA RAJAN
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With bhakti as her theme, Uma Muralikrishna danced with clarity and grace.
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FOCUS ON BHAKTI: Uma Muralikrishna. Photo: Chella
Uma Muralikrishna's Kuchipudi performance on Saturday at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium was a feather in the cap of Kartik Fine Arts, which has scheduled a number of young dancers as part of its festival. Uma, also trained in Bharatanatyam under Gurus K.N. Dhandayudhapani Pillai and Adyar K. Lakshmanan, has learnt Kuchipudi from the doyen, Vempati Chinna Satyam. She dances with ebullience, clarity and grace, overcoming her petite stature that can be a disadvantage on stage.
Uma chose bhakti as the theme for a well-planned performance. After an invocation to Lord Ganesa, she went on to "Siva Siva Bhava Bhava Charanam," the highlight of which was the depiction of the coming of the celestial river Ganga to the earth. Uma proved her flair for the dramatic in her portrayal of King Bhagirata who is desperate that the holy river wash over the ashes of his ancestors so they can achieve moksha; Goddess Ganga in an arrogant mood; and Lord Siva — the all-powerful, yet quiet yogi. Ganga thundering down from the heavens, only to be locked up by Siva in his tresses with one deft movement, was neatly executed. Uma also incorporated in this number the dance on the brass plate, usually done as a tarangam. The ending in a karana posture was a fitting finale to the piece. A similar dramatic mode was used in "Kaliyuga Varadan" dedicated to Kartikeya, the son of Lord Siva, nurtured by the Krittikas and Parvati.
The programme came to a climactic end with the presentation of Simhanandini, a rare form now disappearing from the traditional repertoire of Kuchipudi dancers. Dedicated to the Goddess, this is a highly technical piece that calls for precision in terms of dance postures, rhythm and spatial orientation. Set in six talas (not the usual ones prevalent in Carnatic music today), it elaborates each aspect in turn, beginning with verses in praise of the Goddess, going on to rhythmic footwork in each tala, then to the melodic elaboration of ragas, whose names can also apply to the Goddess.
The final obeisance to the deity is made by the dancer by drawing a picture of a lion, the vehicle or vaahana of the Goddess, using her feet while dancing to the rhythm and melody of the song.
The drawing emerges as the dancer moves about on a carpet of rice flour spread on the stage. The progress of Uma's picture was made visible to the audience with the help of a video screen that showed close-ups of the footwork.
Uma said she had learnt this art from Guru Korada Narasimha Rao of Eluru.
Significantly, she made the point that it was the spirit that was important in this work rather than the accuracy of the drawing, but even on this score she fared quite well.
It is heartening to see popular young dancers taking up this form. Similar traditional forms are the Mayura kavutuvam, in which a picture of Kartikeya's vehicle peacock emerges, and the Mahalakshmi Udbhavam, in which a lotus is drawn.
Even if current practitioners are not in total agreement over the most authentic way of presenting it, the increased interest and debate ought to work in favour of its preservation.
Uma was supported by an able orchestra. Kishore Muralikanti, who choreographed some of the numbers, provided sonorous nattuvangam, while vocalist Roshini was melodious and expressive, though she could work on her Sanskrit pronunciation. Hari Babu was supportive on the mridangam, while Nagaraju on the violin and Srinivasan on the flute provided melodic fillers.
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