MY FESTIVAL
The ambience brings out your best
My art may take me all over the globe, but performing during the season is something special. - Priyadarsini Govind
Margazhi mood, margazhi music, margazhi menu and margazhi mist - it's a feel good month. Ask those who have grown up experiencing it all. And they would say this is one constant in their lives that should remain so.
Where else can you get up to the fragrance of pongal and incense sticks, striking kolams and soothing bhajans? Change is the essence of life but few things should remain untouched by time.
I remember, clad in pavadai-dhavani, I would be all set to attend the morning lec-dems in Krishna Gana Sabha. I was 16, when the Natyakala Conference was introduced. Evenings were meant for kutcheris. There was so much to seek and savour.
Watching stalwarts perform gave a deeper understanding of the art. The Kalamandir Trust was an unforgettable venue for it showcased the best in the field — C.V.Chandrasekhar, Dhananjayans, Chitra Visweswaran, Alarmel Valli and Malavika Sarukkai. It was there that I first watched Mohiniyattom being performed by Bharati Shivaji. Each had his or her distinct style and method of communication. It showed dance is something individualistic and that you need to go by your instinct.
I was once watching a dance recital with my friend and at the end of it she said it was like a pravaha (avalanche). And I thought it was so true. Finally, that is what people look for in art — an outpouring from within.
Today, my art takes me all over the globe, but performing during the season is something I cherish. State-of-the-art auditoria overseas cannot match the old world charm of the sabhas.
Nobody complained about performing in the thatch-roofed Krishna Gana Sabha (though it has been done up now). The ambience works as a stimulant to bring out your creative best.
The calendar year for artistes is from season to season. And every year you grow as an artiste and learn to know the pulse of the audience better.
When I look back I realise how much I have matured as a performer, particularly in conceiving and executing a recital.
Season also means fond memories — performing at the inauguration of Krishna Gana Sabha soon after marriage, having a wonderful time as a rasika during my pregnancy and receiving the Nritya Choodamani title (2003).
December festival is like a cultural melting pot with artistes and art-lovers from across the globe converging here.
With the festival growing in proportion and prominence, artistes strive to put their best foot forward. What you would want to perform and how? These are the kind of questions you keep asking yourself months in advance.
A lot of thought goes into every aspect - choreography, music, costume and jewellery - to make the recitals reflect your artistic sensibilities.
(As told to Chitra Swaminathan)
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