Clarity and accuracy marked Radhika Vairavelvan’s performance

Natyarangam presented Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher Radhika Vairavelavan in ‘Suchinthai Malai’, which was performed by renowned musician Dr. S. There is an endowment program in the memory of Ramanathan. The rendition was based on tame poetry and translations by Desika Vinayakam Pillai. That the repertoire was diverse—from devotion to Shiva and Sufi philosophy to social issues, including translations of Omar Khayyam’s Sufi travels and the story of Gautama Buddha—demonstrates the poet’s versatility.

It was conceptualized and conceived by Radhika along with a team of experts: Dr. S. Raghuraman (Resource Person), Nandini Sharma Anand (Music Composition, Vocal), Dr. Guru Bharadwaj (Jathi Composition, Mridangam), Sri Sudarshani (Nattuvangam) and R. Kalairasan (Violin).

The initial call on Shiva was taken from Vinayakam Pillai’s children’s compilation, Malarum Malayum, set in Shivshakti raga. talamalika, abstract soleus with crisp retelling of the attributes of the dancing god and pastimes drew attention. A varnam based on Sufi quatrains, ‘The pots criticize the potter,’ depicted the similarity between the god and the potter and Soul Clay is poured again in the form of various pots.

crisp statement

Timeless questions about life were neatly dealt with in ‘Mannai Oru Naal Oru Kuyavan’ (Ragamalika, etc.). The treatment was sensitive. The melody was left undisturbed as the melkarta ragas used for the verses were followed by the swaras used for the swaras in the same raga. The music was beautiful, as the ragas slowly opened up to questions and answers about the meaning of life. The music of ‘Anna Maila Maila Anna, Amantha Azugai Kural Kaatein…’, set in Ganamurthy, blends well with the song. There were more such captivating moments during the next half hour.

Mudde laments the fact that fate cannot be changed, and ‘Ejudhi Chellam Vidhiyin Kai…’ set on Subhapantuvarali was another poetic extension of the mood. Vinayakam Pillai’s translations were not literal, but were modified to suit the context, as admitted by Radhika, a disciple of Ambika Buch.

There was precision in every department, and the subtle visuals took them beyond mere precision to touch the soul.

The dancer presented a piece on the teachings of the Buddha to a young mother who had just lost her son to a snake bite, and another, ‘Koyil Darisanam’, on the futility of searching for God in temples, when the Lord Himself occur within. Thillana (Kalyani, Dharmavati, Adi Taal) was a scene stealer, a commentary on social inequalities, skillfully reflected by the dancer. Radhika transforms everyday scenes into the homes of a wealthy woman and her less fortunate counterpart.

The performance pointed to the excellent teamwork required to pull off such a demanding show.

Critics from Chennai write on classical dance.