The cognoscente knows that every natya recital is a blend of four types of abhinaya: communication through Angika (body), Vacika (sound), Aharya (costume or props) and Sattvika (expressing emotions felt by the performer). The recent work of Gayatri and Balagurunathan, titled and based on ‘Vidura Neeti’, premiered at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan recently, saw a fine interplay of the four to heighten the experience.
‘Vidura Neeti,’ the literary work, is in short, a postulation of Dharma, set out by Vidura to Dhritarashtra, in the Mahabharata.
In the natya orientation, the script exemplified vignettes of characters and situations, projecting crucial life-changing events at one time, happy interludes at another, with tales of faith and succour, as much as tales of intrigue and ignominy. The two dancers were both narrators and characters.
The choreography had all the aspects inherited from their alma mater, Kalakshetra. Brisk nritta sequences , strong character portrayals and effective visualisation of scenes made the presentation absorbing. Balagurunathan as Shakuni, Vidura and the disguised Brihannala gave us some memorable moments. Gayatri as Gandhari brought out the repelling quality of jealousy and its incipient negativity. She also donned several male characters with ease and conviction. They brought out the finer details with precision and amazing coordination.
Well-thought-out Aharya or costume and props added to the performance. . For instance, shawls for gender reversals and different pieces of weaponry were brought in. While the ideas were appropriate, and imaginative, some worked better than others. Bhima with the mace and the akshaya patra served well. Dramatic lighting by Venkatesh and Tiruchelvam with the ruse of varying colours against the white backdrop and the well-lit spots for the more intense moments were crucial to the impact of the work.
The soundscape was made up of specially-composed instrumental tracks by Rajkumar Bharathi, songs with extracts from Vyasabharatam in Sanskrit, and new lyrics in Tamil by Sudha Seshayyan, who has also scripted this production. Of the melodic sections, the score for Shakuni’s entry in Raga Kantamani and Abhimanyu in Sucharitra built up tension, portending evil outcome. Musical sequences embellished the sequences.. The sound of the drums in warfare, the trumpeting of elephants, the lush forest ambience with the twittering of birds to mention just some elements, created atmosphere, credit to Sai Shravanam, ace recordist.
The English narrative in the sonorous voice of P. C. Ramakrishna, served to contextualise the precepts of Vidura in the light of the scenes to follow. Also linking the segments chronologically, it was a vital device in enhancing the experience for the viewer on a thought-provoking as well as entertaining level. This production should be staged widely as it is impressive on so many counts, especially the maxim of the ancient Bharatas that natya should educate as it entertains.
