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 Gandhi's life recreated in Mohiniyattam - G Ulaganathan e-mail: ulag_nath@yahoo.com December 18, 2019 On the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 2019), in the presence of Lakshmajirao Yesentarao, the Director, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Hyderabad based Mohiniyattam dancer Anita Peter staged 'Mohaname Gandhi' at Shilparamam in Madhapur, early this month. 'Mohaname Gandhi' had its lyrics in Telugu. "The Father of our Nation was a transformational leader who led by example. He was instrumental in destroying the twin evil of untouchability and lack of cleanliness which lays the foundation of Swacch Bharath," Anita says. The production focussed on the importance of cleanliness, what is not good has to be cleaned and each individual has to take personal responsibility. This has direct relevance to today's India with the Swacch Bharath mission. Anita had earlier choreographed a work highlighting the menace of human trafficking. She had written the lyrics in Telugu and staged it at the South Asian Conference on Anti-Human Trafficking organised by the US Consulate and Prajwala (an NGO which is focusing on anti-human trafficking). 
'Mohaname Gandhi' in Ragamalika and Talamalika was performed by Anita Peter along with her students Sharanya, Pooja, Sandhya, Samridhi, Vyapti and Rukmini. The performance begins with a cholkattu, followed by Vaishnava Janato which sets the opening for the theme. People often fail to remember Mahatma Gandhi's name as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Anita used the beginning of his name to speak of his qualities that drew people towards him (Mohaname). From his charismatic smile in his old age to his curiosity that prompted him in his childhood to ask his mother several questions, the qualities spoke immensely of a strong willed personality. He encouraged discussions with his wife Kasturba and also had a romantic side to him. Together as they walked, it was a worthy sight. His education in England was a time he had to adjust to both the western ways of life and the Indian influences he carried along with him from childhood. In the chilling cold, he managed to find a right balance between the two cultures, learning what was noteworthy to bring back to his country for the better. As an advocate, he always discouraged litigation. He encouraged mutual settlements. His ability to convince either side for a mutual understanding and benefit was unimaginable and truly influencing. South Africa was where he realised the lack of confidence and was aghast at the way Indians were treated. He despised racism and racist remarks. He decided to fight against racism when he was thrown out of the train for his identity. He reached out the message of racist atrocities in South Africa through nations. Initially his fight was all alone and he was ready to face the consequences. The courage he showed singlehandedly is heroic and worthy of praise. Anita and her team brought out the various facets of Gandhiji's life in this gripping dance drama in Mohiniyattam style. The costumes were simple and bereft of the traditional ornaments. Mantha Srinivas rendered the songs with a lot of feeling and emotion. Nageshwar Rao on mridangam, Dattatrayulu Jogava on flute and Anil Kumar on violin provided adequate support. The Telugu lyrics were by Dr. Saketh Ram Thrigulla. Apart from the concept and choreography, Anita also rendered the chollus. It was a quite a revelation that this traditional dance form can be used effectively to tell a contemporary story and recollect the past. An important milestone for this dancer-dentist Dr Saraswathi Rajathesh is a well known medical practitioner – a dentist--in Bengaluru. And, it was a pleasant revelation to me that she is an accomplished Kuchipudi dancer and a teacher too. She has trained under Vedantam Ramu and completed her masters in Siddhendra Kalakshetra in Kuchipudi. Now she is a PhD scholar with the Telugu University, Hyderabad. She has done research on Kuchipudi dance as a form of therapy. Her institution Natyasaraswathi Kuchipudi Dance Academy in Sanjaynagar has completed its silver jubilee and its annual day celebration was on 24th November at Sevasadan.  Ganesha Stuti by Natyasaraswathi  Geeta Govindam by Natyasaraswathi About 25 students of Natyasaraswathi displayed their talent in traditional Kuchipudi numbers and then came the piece de resistance—a musical based on Geetha Govindam and Jayadeva's ashtapadis. It was quite colourful and they showcased their ability to dance and sing with lovely body language. On this occasion, Saraswathi also felicitated many gurus in both Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi styles. Ulaganathan Ganesan is a senior dance critic based in Bengaluru. |
