Most interesting in senior dancer Meenakshi Chitharanjan’s Bharatanatyam performance was the music.
While the musicians were skilful and some of the arrangements were remarkable, their combined energy made the difference; it was like rocket fuel for Meenakshi to launch herself.
The opening Trishakti piece (ragamalika, talamalika) created a meditative tone with slokas and swaras in each of the segments. The visualisation was subdued with many friezes and a few pure dance sequences, keeping the beautiful music as the core inspiration. This was the highlight of the evening.
The varnam, ‘Samiyai azhaithu vaadi’ (Khamas, adi, Tanjore Quartet) had crisp, enjoyable jathis that were well intoned by Pandanallur Pandian. It was rendered impressively by the musician with the big voice, Gomathi Nayakam, supported by violinist Srinivasan whose tone was arresting and flautist Muthukumar, who impressed with his continuous participation.
While the first half spun out slowly, the pace picked up in the charanam, ‘Va va en mozhi ketka va,’ as mridangist Shaktivel Muruganandam came to life with fast rhythm and Pandian chipped in with dexterous folk beats.
While the dancer is well-versed with the steps, the stamps were clear but a bit feeble this time.
Being a veteran, Meenakshi is at ease on stage. She has a distinctively pleasing way of expressing herself.
Her description of Sundareshwara in the pallavi of the varnam was presented unhurriedly and in detail, while the idea of sending messages through the five elements was well executed through a tanam in the anupallavi.
Meenakshi also does sarcasm with a right mix of anger and hurt — ‘Ariven Ayya,’ a padam (Atana, rupaka, Subbarama Iyer) in which a woman speaks scathingly to her husband who has broken the sacred promise of fidelity made during their marriage, and who treats the ‘other woman’ with honeyed words and her with ill-disguised disdain and authority, was entertainingly honest. She whipped up devotion along with a musical crescendo in the concluding piece, an abhang, ‘Bhakta jana vatsale’ (Sant Namdev).
