A potpourri of abhinaya...

Bharatanatyam danseuse Bangalore-based Uma Govind showcased a set of Nayika focused kritis ranging from 5000 year-old Tamizh Sangam poetry to verses from the last century at her recital held recently at the Bharath Bhavan in Trivandrum. The solo performance was graced by a crowded audience who got enthralled by Uma’s nimble footwork and multi-layered abhinaya. The recital kicked off with Ennuyir Shevalum, an excerpt from the Divya Prabandham (Tamil Sangham Poetry in 3000 BC).It was followed by eppadi manam thunindatho in which the dancer portrayed the grief-filled conversation between Ram and Sita prior to the Vanavasam. While mukhathe kaati, a ninda sthuthi, a traditional piece set in ragam bhairavi featured a nayika on her visit to Thiruvarur temple, to watch the evening rituals when she notices that that the deity is not fully visible. With myriad expressions and confident moves dancer gave life to the nayika. The one-hour long recital concluded with a padam, dhani bodhana where a sakhi conveys the nayika’s message to Lord Brihadeshwara. The pieces which were choreographed by her gurus Rama Vaidyanathan and V Mydhili respectively provided her with scope to explore the nuances of the stories with laudable abhinaya.