|     |
|
| |
 2024 |
| * Tulajiraje I, also known as Tukoji or Amarendra in literary compositions, ruled between 1729 and 1735AD. He was a Sanskrit scholar. His Sangeeta Saramrutam, a treatise on music, is considered an authoritative text of that period. His books – Natyavedangam on dance and drama, Enakulatejonidhi on astrology, and his Marathi manuscript Bahul Katha Churnika - are exceedingly famous. He also wrote 2 important treatises on the science of medicine - Dhanvantari Vilasa and Dhanvantari Sara Nidhi in Sanskrit. ('Revival of the royal Maratha composition for Bharatanatyam' by Sandhya Purecha, Nartanam, Oct - Dec 2019) * In 1964, TS Parthasarathy and many scholars and art lovers witnessed a unique Bharatanatyam recital at the AIFACS theatre in New Delhi. The dancer was Sucheta Bhide and the guru, Acharya Parvatikumar. She was the first exponent of Acharya’s choreographic discoveries from Tanjavur. The compositions danced were in Marathi, composed by Raja Serfoji (1798-1832) of Tanjore, but set to Carnatic music. As a native of the Tanjore area, Parthasarathy’s interest was aroused and he was greatly fascinated by the presentation of Serfoji’s compositions in Marathi set to Carnatic ragas being danced in Bharatanatyam style for the first time. According to him, even the renowned Tanjore Quartet did not try this choreography as they did not know Marathi. Nor did Serfoji thrust his compositions on any guru or dancers of his time. ('Revival of the royal Maratha composition for Bharatanatyam' by Sandhya Purecha, Nartanam, Oct - Dec 2019) * Poet Srinatha mentioned in his work 'Palnati Veera Charitra' that Perini was one of the seven tandava dances performed in the court of Nalagamaraju. Tikkana, one of the three authors of the Telugu Mahabharata, made a mention of the desi dances - Dandika, Kundali, Prenkhana and Perini in his Virata Parvam. Sarangadeva's Sangeeta Ratnakara also discussed Perini. Jayappa who described Perini in his Nritta Ratnavali mentioned in the end of the fifth chapter that the details of various 'jatis' used in the desi dances were given in his Geeta Ratnavali. Unfortunately, the book deemed to have given instructions on the practical aspects of the dance, is not available. However, the 'jatis' are found in Nandikeswara's Bharatarnavam published by the Saraswati Mahal Library of Tanjore based on the original manuscript preserved there. Palkuriki Somanatha Kavi discussed in detail these desi dances including Perini prevalent during his time, in his Basavapuranam and Panditaradhya Charitam. ('Perini: A virile dance form' by Gudipudi Srihari, Nartanam, Oct - Dec 2016) * Before the 18th century, there was no platform for public performance. So if you wanted to listen to good music you had to go to the temple. Similarly, if you wanted to watch dance you had to go the temple. That was the thing. And we do not know when Bharatanatyam was established in temples as part of the rituals. Whenever a stone temple came up, that is, a temple in granite, this system would have been put to practice. So there were plenty of Bharatanatyam dancers. If there is a dancer there must be a guru or a conductor, that is, the nattuvanaar or the natyacharya. The dancers, they danced in the temples, in Thanjavur. The natyacharyas were naturally very famous, they were having a syllabus, a repertoire of what to perform and when in the temples. And then Bharatanatyam came to the court, so the devadasi who was performing Bharatanatyam within the temple became a rajadasi when she came to the court. They were naturally dancing to only devotional items in the temples. When the dance came out, to the palace, these natyacharyas composed songs in praise of the king. He might actually be an impotent man or an invalid or whatever, but because he happens to be the zamindar or the raja these natyacharyas started with, 'You are like Bhima, you are like Indra, you are like Arjuna,' so that they got money. They were given a lot of presents for that, and the dancers also did what the natyacharyas taught them. ('In Conversation: Dr B.M. Sundaram,' Sahapedia, June 7, 2016) * All Acharya Parvatikumar's compositions stem from the enormous amount of reading he does of the classical texts, but the spirit derives from Tulsidas' Ramayana which he reads for an hour each morning and the japa he does chanting the name of Rama. Even when he is irritated or annoyed with a student, he vents his anger by saying, "Teri Ramachandra ki jai." This, he says, gives him the opportunity to take the name of Shri Ram. When working out a complex taal pattern, instead of using the regular rhythmic syllables used in dance, he has used 'Om Namah Shivaya.' "This not only allows me to chant Shiva's name as I practice, " he says, "but if I make a mistake, it gives me yet another chance to repeat the name." ('A portrait of an artiste as a Guru' by Jeroo Mulla, Nartanam, Oct - Dec 2019) * Acharya Parvatikumar came across a book Korvyache Sahityache Jinus, a work on dance published by Tanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal Library. It was written by Serfojiraje Bhonsle. For some years, he analyzed the book to present it in dance and choreographed some familiar items. He revived the Bharatanatyam repertoire of Maratha kings from Tanjavur in Marathi. The main aim was to prepare a foundation that would serve the purpose of aiding all individuals interested in learning Marathi Bharatanatyam; students, teachers as well as practicing artistes. This research work by Guruji was published in Marathi under the title Tanjavur Nritya Prabandha by the Maharashtra Rajya Sahitya and Sanskruti Mandal, Govt of Maharashtra. This magnificent book written in Devanagiri script provides us Serfoji's dance compositions with notations and the jatis and adavus to be performed along with the abhinaya to be employed for each line of the sahitya. ('Revival of the royal Maratha composition for Bharatanatyam' by Sandhya Purecha, Nartanam, Oct - Dec 2019) * In Travancore, though Swati Thirunal was nominally the king, his aunt was ruling as the regent, because he was very young. The family wanted to coach him in English. They heard about one Subbarao of Thanjavur. He was in Serfoji's court, he was called English Subbarao. So he was brought to Thiruvananthapuram (Travancore) to coach the young prince to speak and write in English. Later he became the diwan (minister) when Swati Thirunal became the king. So the diwan, whenever he used to talk with the Maharaja, would say, 'In Thanjavur there are plenty of artistes, particularly the Subbarayan's family, they are great dance teachers, great musicians, they have composed a lot.' 'Okay, bring them.' For the Maharaja was a great patron of fine arts. ('In Conversation: Dr B.M. Sundaram,' Sahapedia, June 7, 2016) * There were seven families, one family went to Baroda. They were the first to take Bharatanatyam outside Tamil Nadu. The family of Govindaswami Nattuvanaar and Kuppuswami Nattuvanaar. And another family is that of Panchapakesan Nattuvannar. They moved to Thiruvaramvaradur, then to Bombay. You might have heard of the Raja Rajeshwari Natyakala Mandir for Bharatanatyam, a big institution, it belongs to that family. So there were many families, but they moved out of Thanjavur in different periods of time, one to Baroda, one to Bombay. The only family or at least the descendants, that lived in Thanjavur is that of the Quartet. ('In Conversation: Dr B.M. Sundaram,' Sahapedia, June 7, 2016) * Guru CR Acharyulu concentrated on research in temple ritual dances and how they were performed in the past. He explained to me that Chitra Natyam was an unforgettable event of the last day of the temple festival. In the evening, idols of the temple's deity were taken around in procession on chariot. Prior to the chariot leaving the temple, the dancers danced and created pictures with intricate footwork. After they drew the image of the deity's vahana (vehicle) with their skillful nritta, the chariot set out on its perambulation, passing over this image. The villagers believed in the sanctity of the ritual. Prior to the starting of the procession, colored powders of varied hues were strewn before the chariot in front of the temple. A white cloth was spread over the colors and the artistes danced on it. Another manuscript said that after the dancers had drawn the pictures on this cloth, the chariot passed over it. Acharyulu improvised by stretching a white cloth and fastening it over a wooden frame. After the dance, the frame was raised so that the audience could easily see the picture drawn on it by the dancer's feet. ('Guru CR Acharyulu' by Vyjayanthi Kashi, Nartanam, Vol XX, No: 1, Jan-March 2020) * History has done them a disservice, but the courtesans continue to live in legends and folklore. AZIZAN BAI, born in the rich Lucknavi tradition of courtesans, operated in Kanpur circles as a spy. Often seen on horseback, "in male attire decorated with medals, armed with a brace of pistols," she fought till her last breath. HUSNA BAI, "the Chaudharayan of Benaras," confronted Mahatma Gandhi in a rally, organized the Kashi Tawaif Sabha and took to singing the patriotic word. BEGUM SAMRU, the widow of mercenary Walter Reinhardt Sombre and ruler of Sardhana, was often called a sorceress or a witch by her enemies for her intelligent practical ways. She took keen interest in administration and in learning military techniques and displayed remarkable diplomatic skills. BEGUM HAZRAT MAHAL "rose from Pari to Begum" in the court of Mirza Wajid Ali Shah, the prince of Oudh. When the docile and timid prince, inclined towards nothing but poetry, failed to save his province, Begum Hazrat stepped up and led the protest and openly criticised the British who "felt no shame when it came to not keeping their word." DHARMAN BIBI left her newly born twins and sacrificed motherhood to fulfil her duty towards her husband Kunwar Singh and the nation. Today, as Kunwar Singh is immortalised in history, there is hardly any mention of Dharman Bibi's sacrifice. ('Cultural influencers' by Nandini Bhatia, about AK Gandhi's book 'Dance to Freedom' in The Hindu Friday Review, 10 May 2024) * In her PhD dissertation, "Mysore as a Seat of Indian Music", the late Carnatic musicologist MB Vedavalli recreated in painstaking detail the busy hive of creativity and innovation that the royal music coterie was. While the royals were generous with accolades, titles and expensive gifts, they were also demanding patrons - Carnatic musicians were asked to try their hand at unfamiliar instruments such as the horn violin, rework old instruments to create new sounds, acquire an understanding of Western concepts of music, and seek out and incorporate inspirational aspects of Hindustani music from its practitioners. ('By mixing Carnatic and Hindustani, Mysore's kings helped create a unique body of music' by Malini Nair, Scroll.in, April 25, 2024) * In a biography of Venkatagiriyappa, titled Vipanchi Vaibhava, his daughter V Amrutha writes that, as the head of the royal Carnatic orchestra, he was asked to learn to notate music, a practice alien to traditional Indian musicians. All compositions were expected to be notated so that musicians across genres could understand and play them. ('By mixing Carnatic and Hindustani, Mysore's kings helped create a unique body of music' by Malini Nair, Scroll.in, April 25, 2024) * CR Acharyulu's zeal to learn led him to have many discussions with Devadasis of those times. He learned kondi parampara, a tradition common in temples, from them. According to it, a prominent woman among the Devadais used to perform a traditional dance dressed traditionally in a 9 yard sari, with a head band known as talapaga and holy marks on the forehead known as namalu. In their dance during Brahmotsavas, importance is given to talam: among them, notable are Simha Nandana talam, Mallikamoda talam, Lakshmi talam. In order to understand all about Simha Nandana, Guruji studied many old books and discussed with many practitioners of traditional dance. Adi Bharatam and Nandi Bharatam, parts of the book Bharataarnavam, covered Simha Nandana natyamu. While there was no specified recorded evidence, he understood that these dance artistes were exclusively associated with temples for traditional temple dances. ('Retracing steps: CR Acharyulu (1919-1998)' by Voleti Rangamani, Nartanam, Vol XX, No: 1, Jan-March 2020) * There are 128 kriyas in Simha Nandana talam. By the time the talam is completed, the picture of a simham (lion) was completely drawn by the dancer's feet. Prior to drawing the picture, the dancer recites stotrams inside the temple. For this, Guru Acharyulu composed a keertana on Goddess Amma followed by explanation of gati bhedas. It also has karanas, sthanakas and jatis. By the time the keertana is sung, the waist part of the picture simham gets drawn. Later, during the Simha Nandana talam, the remaining parts of the picture gets drawn. Guruji continued his efforts to improve Simhanandini in order to make chitra naatyalu of the temples feasible anywhere in the world and not limit them to a few. After many trials, he finalized a way to perform them on stage and display to the audience the picture made during the dance right before them. ('Retracing steps: CR Acharyulu (1919-1998)' by Voleti Rangamani, Nartanam, Vol XX, No: 1, Jan-March 2020) * A jodi or tabla pair comprises dayan, the righthand treble drum generally made of shisham or neem wood sourced from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh and areas around Delhi and Kolkata, and bayan, the lefthand bass drum made of either copper, brass or steel. Both rest on tough cotton rings called chumbal. The drum tops or poodi are made of goat hide and remain covered with gaadi or cloth covers when the instrument is not in use. While bayans come in varied sizes, the dayan's size determines its pitch. For left-handed tabla players, the dayan and bayan are interchanged but are addressed by the same terms. ('From skin to sonority' by Krishnaraj Iyengar, NCPA Onstage, Feb 2024) * Senior tabla-maker Narendra Wadekar explains each step involved in crafting the instrument at his Mumbai workshop. Sheets of stiff goat hide are soaked in water for around half an hour to soften them. A thin layer for the 'kinaar', the poodi's outer ring, and a slightly thicker one for the centre are cut and stitched together to form the first stage of the poodi. Forty-eight holes or ghar for the dayan and 64 for the bayan are made at the edges along the poodi's circumference, through which thin layers of soaked buffalo hide straps (called maalu in Marathi) are passed and stitched to the poodi. These will later become the intricate gajra that holds the poodi in place. Smaller triangular pieces of hide are fitted underneath the poodis for extra strength. Two dayan and bayan pieces, on which the unfinished poodi are fit, are then tied together with cotton ropes for four days and exposed to sunlight to settle the poodi over the body. The pieces are then untied, the inner triangular sheets chopped to a smaller size and thick buffalo hide straps called baddi are passed through each ghar. These run vertically along both the dayan and the bayan to pull the membrane and retain its tautness. The foundation of the siyaahi (from the Persian siyaah or black), the small black circle in the centre of the poodi, is then prepared. Though its ingredients are a well-kept secret among most tabla-makers, they mention iron fillings as the key material. The siyaahi is a feature exclusive to South Asian percussion instruments. The soru (black circle) of the mridanga is derived from a mixture of manganese dust, boiled rice and tamarind juice or a composition of fine iron filings and boiled rice which is shaped into the form of a disc. Dark silt from a riverbank, he noted, gives it tone. In the tabla, the siyaahi takes about four hours to be made after which it is allowed to dry. With a damp cloth, the poodi is finally cleaned, polished and tuned with a hammer. At this stage, eight wooden blocks called gattha are fitted between the dayan's body and the baddi to further stretch the membrane. These are lowered and raised with a steel hammer to adjust the pitch. A smooth black stone is rubbed over the finished poodi to further open the sound. ('From skin to sonority' by Krishnaraj Iyengar, NCPA Onstage, Feb 2024) * The Kalyani daughters, Rajalakshmi and Jeevaratnam performed for the Madras Music Academy in 1931, and again in 1933. The dates of the two performances are very interesting because they are both closely connected to seminal events which occurred in the dance economy in those years. The Kalyani daughters first performed for the MMA on 15 March, 1931, just a few months after Dr Muthulakshmi Reddi had successfully introduced the first formulation of her Anti-Devadasi (Prevention of Dedication) Bill in the Madras Legislative Council. The appearance of Rajalakshmi and Jeevaratnam on a public proscenium stage in the near aftermath of Reddi's first real legislative success must have been very irksome to her, and is said to have caused her much chagrin. It must therefore have taken real courage on the part of the sisters to have braved the stage at all. So anxiety-ridden, indeed, was the whole affair that many stayed away from that performance for fear of incurring public censure. The sisters performed again under the auspices of the MMA on 1 January 1933. This must have been an even more nervous occasion for the two girls because this performance took place only some weeks after the public spat between Dr Reddi and E. Krishna Iyer, in which Iyer had accused Reddi of using a sledgehammer instead of a razor in dealing with the delicate question of the devadasis and their dance. In fact, they were dancing just three days after the MMA had taken a unanimous decision on 28 December 1932, to go directly against Reddi's agenda by promoting the dance as a secular art. ('Notes on the photograph of Rajalakshmi and Jeevaratnam, c. 1933' by Donovan Roebert in his 'Aspects of Pictorial Indian Dance History' blog, Nov 3, 2021) * The needs of the screen and audiences were something that four Jaipur gharana brothers - Sohanlal, Hiralal, Chinnilal and Radhesham - understood perfectly. Sohanlal choreographed some of the most iconic cinema dances of the 1950s and '60s on actors such as Vyjayanthimala and Waheeda Rahman. If you randomly look up any of the immortal dance songs of this era, it was likely choreographed by him. The one choreographer who stuck closest to the traditional form was Lachchu Maharaj. His work in Mahal, Mughal-e-Azam, Kala Pani and Pakeezah (he choreographed one song for the film - Thade rahiyo) always carried the delicacy of the Lucknow gharana. ('One woman's search for the Kathak dancers who were relegated to the background by Bollywood' by Malini Nair, Scroll.in, Jan 14, 2023) |
