The festival of Natyarangam begins with the Bharatam festival Arupathumovar and dancers presenting the Srirangam procession
The festival of Natyarangam begins with the Bharatam festival Arupathumovar and dancers presenting the Srirangam procession
The year of Silver Jubilee is a remarkable milestone for any institution. It is a long journey that includes new beginnings, opportunities and challenges to make every moment memorable. As Natyarangam, the dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha, completed 25 years, this historic event was marked by a special line-up. A 10-day thematic dance series, ‘Utsav Bharatam’, comprising group and solo performances by senior and young dancers, concluded on 23 August.
The curtain was lifted with a group production by senior dancer Jayanthi Subramaniam, based on the Arupathumovar procession, which was a part of the Panguni Utsavam festival, one of the most famous events taking place at Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore.
visual appeal
Jayanti Subramaniam and G. Narendra Natyarangam presenting ‘Kapali Arupathumovar’ at the ‘Utsava Bharatam’ festival, Narada Gana Sabha. , photo credit: pichumani ku
Conceived to highlight the important rituals associated with the festival, the presentation began with a prayer to the village deity (guardian deity) Kolavizhi Amman. The Ganesh procession and the flag hoisting ceremony (Kodiyatram) that followed were fascinating to watch.
Papanasam Sivan in his classic composition ‘Kana Kanna Kodi Vendam’ in Raga Kambhoji says, “It takes countless eyes to see the grandeur of the procession of Adhikar Nandi.” It was presented in detail. As a group of dancers entered the stage pulling the ropes of the Thera, the glory of the chariot and the journey around the Mada vedhis came alive through the expressions, body language and movements of the dancers.
interesting stories
Story of Shiva cursing Parvati, a peacock (beautifully made by Shrutipriya), Sthala Puranam of Mylapore, Poompavai episode, composition of Poompavai Padigam (verses of historical importance detailing the festivals of the temple), distracted by the procession It was done Of the 63 Nayanmars, the enactment of the loss of the ring and Shiva appearing as alms, culminating in the Kalyanotsava, was originally woven into the narrative.
Thematic dance performance by Kapali Arupathumovar, Jayanthi Subramaniam and team at Utsava Bharatam festival of Natyarangam, Narada Gana Sabha. , photo credit: pichumani ku
In the short segment where Jayanti Subramaniam and G Narendra portrayed the beauty of the Lord, their maturity and experience came through in their well-known performances. Both brought out every detail with great skill.
The performance reiterated that Bharatanatyam encompasses all the elements of allied arts and artistic expressions that are necessary to communicate creative ideas holistically. Aesthetic costumes, neat and well-coordinated movements and apt choreography without extraneous elements like video projection or props made Jayanti’s presentation appealing.
Nityakalyani Vaidyanathan handled the cymbal. Rithi Murari provided vocals and backed vocals with Samanavitha G Sasidharan. The orchestra also had Guru Bharadwaj on mridangam, Vishvesha Swaminathan on violin and Shruti Sagar on flute. Rajkumar Bharti composed the music for the production.
The team of dancers includes Bilva Raman, Ashwini Viswanathan, Season UK, Shrutipriya R. Vignesh, Atul Balu and Manasa.S were also involved.
art and architecture
Aranga Thiru Ula by Manjari and group at the Bharatam festival, the festival of Natyarangam, 2022. , photo credit: special arrangement
The celebrations shifted to the banks of the Kaveri and the majestic temple of Srirangam on the second day of the festival. Chitra Madhavan’s description of the art, the distinctive features of the architecture and the details of the Utsavam, choreographed by Manjari Rajendrakumar, serve as a precursor to the ‘Aranga Thiru Ula’ presentation.
The glory of Raga Thodi aptly depicts the grand architecture of the temple. A group of dancers moving horizontally across the stage initially seemed a bit abstract. But when demonstrated several times it became clear that it was an attempt to show the spatial structure of many functions. The picturesque movements and melodious melody of Raga Vasant flowed uninterruptedly like the river Kaveri.
The Sarang Raag Kriti, ‘Karuna Judavaiya’ which talks of a devotee’s appeal to shower blessings from Ranganatha, was a thought provoking performance. The dancers beautifully described the form of the Lord, but the screen (Thirsilai) falling in the middle of the sequence was disturbing.
The use of Mallari for the procession, the swara pattern for the Amrit Manthan section and the depiction of Arayar Sevai were some of the special moments. Instead of the thilana that is usually presented at the end, the use of ritualistic aphorisms for the silver padukas of the Lord and his wife went well with the theme.
Manjari, Anusha Natarajan, Pavani Prakash, Vidyalakshmi and Srinivas executed various ideas with conviction in the choreographic pattern. But they could bring more emotion and expression to the movements. The colors of the costumes and the draping style did not look very aesthetic.
Tributes to Jyotishmati Shejit, singer who has also composed music for some of the compositions. Viraj Rajendrakumar provided vocal support. Nattuvangam by Saikripa Prasanna, mridangam by Rakesh Pazhadam, and violin by Rijesh Gopalakrishnan complemented the musicians with their instrumental playing.
Chennai-based author reviews classical dance.