Setting the stage on fire

Bharatanatyam by Rama Vaidyanathan and ‘Karthyayani Purappad’ Koodiyattam by Usha Nangiar and team were the highlights of a cultural fete in Thrissur.

June 09, 2016 10:10 am | Updated October 18, 2016 12:50 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Rama Vaidyanathan Photo: K.K. Najeeb

Rama Vaidyanathan Photo: K.K. Najeeb

Assorted cultural presentations in connection with ‘Acharya Devo Bhava’ held in Thrissur last week witnessed two outstanding performances.

Bharatanatyam

Rama Vaidyanathan’s one-hour-and-a-half recital was marked by the danseuse's poise and sophistication of the dance form. The alarippu was a demonstration of the inventive brilliance of the dancer. Composed in misra tripuda, its kinetics embraced the movements and dance of the peacock. While the jatis ended in sculpturally perfect poses, the movements of the bird were portrayed gracefully. The geometry of the adavus was also striking.

Rama often presents traditional varnams and here she chose ‘Saami nee rammannave’ of Ponnayya Pillai in Kamas, Adi. The piece was a congruent mélange of abhinaya and nritta. The Nayika asks the Sakhi to take her message of love to the lord at the Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur. Her histrionic talents were well exhibited as the temple’s mammoth Siva linga engendered both sringara and bhakti in her. The colossal structure of the temple too came alive through her gaze and her touch. Space utilisation of the stage is Rama’s hallmark and that added vibrancy to her fluid movements of nritta.

Rama had excellent support from vocalist Sudha Raghuraman, whose rendition was an arresting paradigm of abhinaya sangeetham. This was evident also in the next numbers – Purandaradasa’s ‘Saddu madalo’ in Kalyani and ‘Lament to the birds’ in ragamalika, which were more abhinaya oriented. In the former, Gopika entreats Krishna not to play his flute as it would disturb those asleep. She cautions him against all his romantic overtures.

In the latter, the Nayika depends on three birds to convey her ‘viraha thapam’ (pangs of separation) to Vishnu. She asks the cuckoo, ‘Why don’t you coo my love to him.’ The parrot’s red beak reminds her of the lips of the lord, while the Garuda (eagle) is his vehicle. Rama’s gestures vividly portrayed her interaction with the birds, which were a treat to the eye. The composition was ‘Innuir sevalum neerum koovikkondingu’ in ragamalika, Adi. The recital concluded with a thillana in Varamu, which was followed by ‘Vandemataram.’

Koodiyattam

A close study of Koodiyattam plays reveals that female characters seldom take centre-stage. Usha Nangiar addressed this problem a few years ago and successfully staged Subhadra of the fifth act of ‘Subhadradhananjayam’ and Mandodari of ‘Asokavanikangam’ . ‘Karthyayani Purappad’ is the third in the series that was first staged in 2004. The play won encomiums wherever it was staged.

Excerpted from the fifth act of Kulasekhara’s ‘Subhadradhananjayam,’ the three-hour play presents goddess Karthyayani in all her royal splendour.

Accompanied by his new wife Subhadra, Arjuna is travelling to Indraprastha to meet Draupadi. While resting in a garden near the city, Subhadra dressed as a Gopalika goes to worship in a nearby Bhagavathy temple. On her way, a rakshasa abducts her. Devi Karthyayani comes to her rescue. Meanwhile, a rumour spreads in Indraprastha that Subhadra had been murdered. Arjuna swoons on hearing the news but he is all fury when he wakes up, so much so that even Bhagavathy gets frightened. She disguises herself as Draupadi, ‘Maya Draupadi.’ Highly theatrical anecdotes unfold between Devi’s appearance and presentation of Subhadra to him, after Karthyayani reveals her true form.

Divided into five scenes, the highlight is when Devi appears from behind the auditorium in her full regalia. Her entry is heralded by ‘paani kottu’ and she moves to the stage to the accompaniment of panchavadyam. The awe-inspiring royal procession steals the show.

The play will be remembered for the young cast, all of them with exceptional artistry. While Usha herself donned the role of Karthyayani, other artistes were Sooraj Nambiar (Arjunan), Ammannur Rajneesh (vidushaka), Saritha Krishnakumar (Maya Draupadi), Athira (Subhadra) and Aparna Nangiar (Draupadi).

The event was organised by Manu Master’s disciples from across the country, in association with Poorvi, an Irinjalakuda-based cultural outfit.

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