`Dance without abhinaya is acrobatics'
PAPPU VENUGOPAL RAO
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The intricacies of abhinaya were demonstrated by the Dhananjayans while veterans Kalpagam Swaminathan and Karaikkudi Mani dealt with veena styles.
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GAMAKAS ON THE VEENA: Kalpagam Swaminathan. Photo: S. R. Raghunathan.
The morning sessions of lecture demonstrations in the Music Academy this year are centred round instruments. Rather apt considering that this year's Sangeeta Kalanidhi M. Chandrasekharan is an instrumentalist.
The first lecture demonstration was on ``Siva's Southern Sojourn" by Rupa Gopal. It was an incoherent slide presentation, which had no relevance to music at all.
V.P. Dhananjayan, assisted by wife Shantha, presented a well-documented lecture demonstration on abhinaya in Bharatanatyam. He gave an introduction to the four abhinayas and their components from the Natya Shastra, and Abhinaya Darpana.
Dhananjayan said: "Abhinaya requires a judicious combination of nritta, nritya and natya. Without abhinaya, mere rhythmic movements tend to be superficial acrobatics." He stressed on uttamanga abhinaya, which involves intricate movements of the eyebrows, pupils, cheeks, lips, forehead and nose. Quoting Bharata's ``Natya Shastra" he said there was no abhinaya without the movement of the hasthas. The prerequisites for a good abhinaya were knowledge of Carnatic music and ragabhava to understand and interpret the song. He stressed that the features of uthamanga abhinaya were predominantly found in the Kudiyattam and Kathakali forms and were scarce in Bharatanatyam.
Dhananjayan then demonstrated a few basic movements and postures, followed by a padam "Enna Thavam Seithanai Yasoda." He showed how the mudra suddhi — pure and perfect mudras — enhances the quality of a performance. This was followed by a demonstration of the padam, "Thamarasaksha," by Shantha Dhananjayan. The differences between postures depicting different characters were clearly demonstrated in the padam "Naan Varugalaamo Aiyya" from Nandanar Charitram. The Dhananjayans together presented the ashtapadis, "Yaahi Madhava" and "Priye Chaarusheele," a perfect example of abhinaya from both the male and female point of view.
In the entire lecture demonstration, the quality and knowledge of the artiste were transparent. Dhananjayan appealed to the audience not to call Bharatanatyam just dance. He requested the rasikas to call it a Bharatanatyam performance rather than `dance performance.' The soul stirring music of Sashidar and Preethi Mahesh accompanied by Ramesh on the mridangam and Kalaiarasan on the violin added to the presentation.
There were two lecture demonstrations on veena styles — Thanjavur and Karaikkudi.
NUANCES CAPTURED: Dhananjayan and Shantha Dhananjayan.
The first lecture demonstration was by Sangita Kalacharya, veteran Vidushi octogenarian Kalpagam Swaminathan.
She gave brief definitions of some of the 10 types of gamakas, dasavidha gamakas, and demonstrated them with examples. She presented the kampita with an example in Sankarabharanam and followed it up by ahata and pratyahata gamaka with a demonstration in Sudha Tarangini composition of Muthuswami Dikshitar. She employed chatusruti dhaivatam instead of suddha dhaivatam.
However, the authentic version, as we find in Sampradaya Pradarshini, gives only the suddha dhaivatam. Vali gamakam was demonstrated with ``Kamalambikayastava Bhaktoham," the Punnagavaraali composition of Dikshitar. Nokku gamakam was explained with the help of Ahiri and Atana compositions of Tyagaraja.
Kalpagam then showed how the upward and downward sliding or jaaru is employed in the Thanjavur style. She chose for the demonstration Hamirkalyani, Gamakakriya and "Dharma Samvardhini" compositions of Subbraya Sastry and Dikshitar.
The lecture demonstration was scientific, systematic and focussed on the topic. The highlight however was Kalpagam Swaminathan singing simultaneously, showing the now forgotten tradition of instrumentalists' ability to sing while they play.
The second lecture demonstration of the day was by Karaikkudi Subramaniam. Dr. V.V. Srivatsa summed it up all in his introduction, when he gave the three distinct components of the style. In the Karaikkudi style, importance is given to literature, and it is known for robust plucking of strings as against the soft plucking of the Mysore style, he said. Some players used the veena vertically at times, some in both vertical and horizontal postures.
They had incorporated chitta swarams in some of the compositions to add lustre. Karaikkudi Subramaniam, scholar of great repute and indomitable conviction, then made his presentation initially explaining about the Karaikkudi Brothers, Subbarama Iyer and Sambasiva Iyer, from whom the style got its place and name. He showed some photographs of the many generations of veena players in the Karaikkudi style. Subramaniam narrated how he had learnt as a child the intricacies of the veena style from his grand uncle Sambasiva Iyer.
He later presented demonstrations showing from the basics to the most intricate complexities in the Karaikkudi style. He demonstrated chittaswarams in Dhanyasi, Vasanta, and Sahana. His ghanaraga tanam was received with great applause. He appealed to the Academy to revive the glory of veena and give it the place it deserved.
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