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Prior to the age of Vedantam Satyanarayana
Sarma’s career, Bhama Kalapam used to be performed for
over the course of 3 nights for several hours at a
stretch. The first night was dedicated to benedictory
verses, the sutradhara’s entrance on to the stage and
the description of Satyabhama’s braid. The second night
featured Satyabhama’s entrance on stage (hidden for
large parts behind a curtain), her conversations with
Madhavi, her agony of separation from her husband, and
her writing of the letter to Krishna. The third night
featured Krishna’s entrance, the lover’s quarrel that
ensued and the subsequent reconciliation. (‘The last great female impersonator’ by Harshita Mruthinti Kamath, Nartanam, Oct – Dec 2012) |
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In the Tamil film Dayalan (1941), there
were quite a few dance sequences performed by the noted
dancer and well-known choreographer of the day Kulkarni,
his team and dancers such as Rohini Dhanam and Usha
Bala. Before Vazhuvoor B Ramaiah Pillai began to
dominate the choreography space of Tamil cinema,
Kulkarni was active and in demand both in Tamil and
Telugu cinema. (‘Blast from the past’ by Randor Guy, The Hindu, April 13, 2014) |
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Abhinava Gupta's father Narasimha Gupta was Abhinava Gupta’s first teacher, instructing him in grammar, logic and literature. Abhinava Gupta's most important work on the philosophy of art is Abhinavabharati, a long and complex commentary on Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni. His most important contribution was that to the theory of rasa (aesthetic savor). Other poetical works include: Ghaṭa-karpara-kulaka-vivrti, a commentary on ‘Ghatakarpara’ of Kalidasa; Kavyakautukavivarana, a ‘Commentary to the wonder of poetry’ (a work of Bhatta Tauta), now lost; and Dhvanyalokalocana, ‘Illustration of Dhvanyaloka’ which is a famous work of Anandavardhana. |
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