With in-born gift of taking challenges head on, dynamic 18-year-old Bharatanatyam dancer Akhila Kovvuri came out with a scintillating performance at Ravindra Bharati under the aegis of South Indian Cultural Association, last week. Akhila looked full of vigour and zeal, blessed with an expressive face. Slim and agile Akhila opened her dance recital with Mayura Alarippu, set in tisram depicting graceful movements of a peacock.
Akhila then came out with Bhaja Govindam of Adi Sankara filled with Vedanta (Spiritual Philosophy). The theme implores one to understand the meaning of life which is but moving ahead in search of God, the ultimate goal. This was one of the favourite numbers of M. S. Subbulakshmi in her concerts. What Akhila did was placing it in the spot of usual varnam. Yet the proceedings were akin to the varnam, with jatis punctuating charanas. Her body language was complemented by a fine mix of Nritta, Nritya and Abhinaya, fundamentals of classical dance in right proportion. The text was composed of five of the 30 verses of Adi Sankara, rendered in ragamalika. One has to appreciate the melodious rendition by vocalist Sangeetha Kala, with clarity in diction that enhanced the appeal of this number. This was further enriched by nattuvanar Renuka Prasad’s rendition, matching each rhythmic syllable to the footwork of the dancer.
The Javali Sakhi Praanasakhuditu Jesene in Jenjhuti that followed was explanatory of the mood of lovelorn maid pouring out her heart to her friend. This was penned by Dharmapuri Subbarayar. This being basically abhinaya based number, Akhila came out with apt expressions.
Madhurashtakam also popularized by M.S.Subbalakshmi, and presented by Akhila, was that of Vallabhacharya describing the charm of Srikrishna in myriad forms. As the stotra mentions, everything was ‘Madhuram’ (salacious) – his lips, face, eyes, glances, smile and many traits. This was set in Misr Behag . This was also a pure abhinaya number that gave full scope to the artiste to show her worth.
Akhila concluded her show with a Tillana in Kedaram, a pure nritta presentation that looked a bit different from the routine. The way she burst on to the stage mirrored her agility and prowess. The ensemble was also comprised Sridharacharya on mridangam, Kolanka Sai on violin and Sudhakar on veena.
