The 2016 edition of a five-day ‘Monsoon Fest’ included theatre, music and dance.
The festival opened with a play ‘Charithra pusthakathilekku oredu’ (The abandoned) based on the late T.V. Kochubaba’s story ‘Upanyasam’. The one-and-a-half-hour play presented by ‘Invisible Lighting Solutions’ was a serious departure from conventional dramas, both in its leitmotif and presentation. Scripted by James Elias, the play is a nostalgic tour of the heyday of popular entertainments in rural areas that attracted spectators in droves during the 60s. Even as it highlights the indifferent attitude of the people towards such performances over the last five decades, the pathetic condition of the artistes is also highlighted.
The entertainment in focus is a ‘Cycle Yajnam’ that extends for several days. But the stage, populated with nine actors, each noted for his/her idiosyncrasy, witnesses myriad shows including walking on an elevated bar, wrestling, dancing, acrobatic feats et al. Both the stagecraft and the enthusiastic crowd that squat on the floor, watching the show from close quarters create the right ambience of a rural event.
Jose Koshy deserves kudos for the lighting and direction. The actors included Thushara, Jose Raphel, James Elias, Sudhi Vattappinni, Mallu Sekhar, Prathapan, Ramkumar, Vinod Gandhi and Nikil Das.
On the second day, playback singer and composer Anita Shaiq entertained the audience with eclectic genres of Sufi music including Naat (Sufi prayer), qawwalis and ghazals.
Opening with the famous Meera bhajan in raga Miyan Ki Malhar, ‘Mere to giridhar Gopal’, she progressed into a Naat in Bhairavi. The immortal ghazal ‘Aaj jane ki zid na karo’, a composition of Fayaz Hashmi, was received with applause. The qawwalis included those of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and another one of the legendary Amir Khusru for which Anita herself had scored the music. The musician coaxed the audience to fill the lines of ‘Suruma ezhuthiya mizhikale’, the evergreen composition of the late music director Baburaj. Bharatanatyam recital by Kalakshetra dancers was a visual delight. Technical perfection of the six dancers apart (three men and three women), the performance showcased the choreographic ingenuity of Hari Padman, who led the team. Swati kriti ‘Gopalaka pahimam anisham’ in Revagupti was an invocation to Krishna. Interpretation of the first line that described the Lord as the protector was splendid for the elaboration of which myriad sangatis were exploited to the hilt. Moreover, it portrayed the Lord’s virtues of Jnaana, vatsalya and madhura (sweet) at length.
Perhaps the piece de resistance of the show was ‘Bhavayami Raghuramam’, also a Swati composition. The one-hour piece entailed all the major anecdotes of the Ramayana. Hari’s dexterity of employing the dancers for creating images of physical structures and his acute sense of space and time were praiseworthy. Lalgudi tillana in Sindhubhairavi brought forth the intrinsic vivacity of the concluding piece.
All five pieces performed by dancers of Orissa Dance Academy, led by Aruna Mohanty, were marked by graceful movements and showcased Aruna’s innovative flair.
Invocation to Jagannatha was followed by ‘Panchabhutha’, a group dance ‘Samsara’, a short solo by Aruna, had spiritual and philosophical import. Depicting the various stages of life from birth to death, it underscored the transience of life and pointed out that the way for liberation was devotion. Going by the leitmotif of the piece, ‘Samsara’ could have been the concluding piece in conformity with the traditional repertoire that ends with Moksha.
Pallavi in Kamaj and ek Taal again highlighted the graceful elements of the dance form in full. Multiple patterns traced in space to multi-layered tempos of the rhythm were enchanting. ‘Varshavisara’ was a piece befitting the title of the festival as it portrayed a graphic picture of the rainy season.
The recital concluded with ‘Rasa’, which elaborated the navarasas based on various anecdotes culled from the Ramayana. A solo demonstration of the rasas as a prelude to this was redundant and the performance of the dancer left much to be desired. Also, the extreme tandava feats of the male dancers hardly fit into the lasya-rich framework of the dance form.
On the last day Parwati Dutta, a renowned Kathak exponent known for her social activities in Mahagami, Aurangabad, enthralled the audience. Her choreography was noteworthy for the historical and legendary backdrop of Aurangabad. ‘Om Namah Shivaaya’, was an invocation to Siva in the Jyotirlinga (lingam of light) shrine at the place. The second part of it was performed to Devagiri Bilawal, a raga created by Gopal Nayak at the Devagiri Fort in Aurangabad in the14th century.
Rhythm is the core of Kathak and Jhap taal of 10 beats was taken to highlight the significance of this aspect in ‘Taal Roop,’ for which music composed by Pandit Birju Maharaj was used. The holistic effervescence of Kathak including gliding movements, pirouettes, footwork and silvery freezes was exhibited in a Tulasidas composition.
Two solos were staged by Parwati. The Swati composition ‘Chaliye kunjan mein’ in Brindavana Saranga as portrayed by the dancer was an index of her histrionic dexterity. In the second one ‘Rumjhum badariya barse’, she portrayed a vasakasajjita nayika whose longing for the beloved is elated by the rains. Various images of the monsoon were depicted through a composition of Tansen, performed as a group.
The concluding number ‘Nirjharini’ was a tribute to the grandeur and emotive richness of water drops in a waterfall near the Ellora caves adjacent to Aurangabad.
The festival was organised by Navaneetam Cultural Trust, Thrissur.
