Reputed Kuchipudi exponent and guru Sobha Naidupresented Rabindranth Tagore’s Chandalika arranged by Mummaneni Subba Rao Sidhardha Kala Peetham at Siddhartha auditorium. Tagore’s original dance drama was adopted in Telugu by late S.V. Bhujangaraya Sarma to suit master choreographer Late Vempati Chinna Satyam’s skill. The apt music was scored by late Mallik and Patrayani Sangeeta Rao.
The ballet dealt with untouchability which was a widely prevalent social malaise in the times when Tagore wrote Chandalika. The capacity crowd that attended spontaneously applauded at the end of every scene. With a few minor changes in some scenes, Sobha Naidu directed the role and lived the role of Chandalika, a simple innocent young girl. In the first scene the flowers sellers, the bangle sellers and the milk maids refuse to sell their goods to Chandalika saying that she belongs to an untouchable cast. Humiliated Chandalika innocently asks her mother Maya who knows witchcraft, why she was shunned by the society. A Budhist monk Ananda arrives on the scene and begs Chandalika to give some water to him to quench his thirst. Chandalika is taken aback but when Ananda tells her that all human beings are same and treats Chandalika with dignity she serves him water and subsequently falls in love with him.
Ananda leaves and Chandalika asks her mother to bring back Ananda to her using witchcraft. Then Maya and her group perform a fiery devil dance by which she brings back handcuffed Ananda and offers him to her daughter Chandalika. Chandalika on seeing Ananda in this condition repents; finally she takes to Budhism, becomes Ananda’s disciple and follows him.
Sobha Naidu seemed immersed in the title role and gave a mature performance. The other cast members include Sujatha Murthy (Ananda), Maya (Nitya Subhaprada), Lavanya, Nitya, Sagarika, Hyma, Nihantri, Sagarika, Hyma, Nihantri, Alekhya, Amarjit, Saipriya, Sai Sivaranjani and others. Lakshmana Rao, secretary of Sidhardha Academy of Arts and Sciences felicitated Sobha Naidu.
