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Emotive prowess on show
Bragha Bessell... fulfilling journey.
HER `MUKHA abinaya' was subtle, yet so intense, that even the delicate sound of her ankle bells could disturb that stillness. This was a gut reaction to Bragha Bessell's performance. A senior student of Kalanidhi Narayanan and Adyar Lakshmanan, her programme of abhinaya was organised by Abhinayasudha to mark the death anniversary of Y. G. Doraiswamy. The music of the late G. Vijayalakshmi on recorded tapes added a touch of nostalgia.
Opening with ``Shive Sringaradra" from Adi Shankara's Soundarya Lahari, Bragha covered an extensive range of situations that enabled her to exhibit her emotive prowess. The slokhas set in ragamalika brought out the nine principal sentiments of Parvathi vis-à-vis her beloved Siva. She merged them seamlessly, where love for Siva turns into disgust when she sees other men; similarly wonder at Siva's feats turns into fright when she runs to him, and she is fearful of the snakes on his body.
Nayaka bhava in ``Chitika vesithe" by Sarangapani, in Kalyani ragam, Aditalam, portrayed Krishna who is offended that the woman he fancies is indifferent to him. ``I have only to snap my fingers and girls even more beautiful than you will come running. Do you not realise who I am?" And flippantly he continues, ``They call me Venugopala," looking for a reaction from the heroine. This sense of disappointment cloaked with nonchalance was captured sensitively.
Bragha has a way with humour; this she used effectively to dramatise the heroine shutting the door on Krishna's face. Another gem was Jayadeva's Ashtapadi ``Keshi madana mudhaaram" in Sudha Saranga ragam, misra chapu talam. Radha relives her first tryst with Krishna. Bashful, yet proud to be chosen by him, she relates her experience with a touching innocence. The hopeful nayika in ``Theruvil varano" (Muthu Thandavar) in Kamas ragam, Rupaka talam, is craving for a glance from her nayaka. Dressed and waiting, she imagines him approaching her. Her seemingly spontaneous description of the different ways in which she might encounter him in the line, ``Podu pogudhilaye yenakkoru thoodhu solvar illaye" was natural and replete with the little gestures and expressions that turn a good performer into an excellent one.
A nayika, who handles her lover's infidelity with maturity, was portrayed in Ghanam Krishnaier's ``Netrandi nerathile" in Husseini ragam, Rupaka talam. In the javali, ``Parulanamata" by Dharmapuri Subbarayar in Kapi ragam, Rupaka talam, a woman cautions her man thus, ``Please do not be troubled by gossip. You look crestfallen!" Bragha actually made a graphic illustration of this with a straight face!
In an otherwise spotless performance, Bragha disappointed in Kshetrayya's padam, ``Ninnu jooda galigenu" in Punnagavarali ragam, Triputa talam. Aproshitabhartrika nayika is suffering the loneliness of a long separation from her husband. Though she emoted his sudden return with the right amount of disbelief, shock and joy, she should have retained that incredulity longer to give credence to the piece. Annamacharya's lilting mangalam in Kurinji ragam, Jhumpa talam on Mahalakshmi, signified the end of a fulfilling journey that one took with Bragha Bessell.
RUPA SRIKANTH
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