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 Siri Chandrasekhar - Poise and perfection - Satish Suri e-mail: satishism@yahoo.co.in Photo: Madhukar April 22, 2022 The solo Bharatanatyam performance by Siri Chandrasekhar, a disciple of Praveen Kumar, was marked by poise in postures and perfection in the execution. Her opening sequence was a kauthvam on Lord Muruga, which portrayed the one who strode across the skies astride a peacock, circumambulated the mount Kailash, the one who split the ocean, removed the sins of his devotees and became their object of worship.The interplay of diction and lyrics, rhythmic notations and music showcased her skills in the rendition of the piece with synchronised artistry and grace. The varnam "Maathe malayadhvaja pandya sanjate" composed by Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar was depicted with statuesque, elegant postures bringing out the inherent beauty and compassion of Goddess Parvati. Beginning with the vatsalya bhava of Parvati with her two sons Ganesha and Subrahmanya,the narrative moves on to describe the many aspects of the Devi, the giver of boons and vanquisher of evil defined by the fearsome form of Chamundeswari who kills the demon Mahishasura. In a final ode, the poet prays to the Goddess to bestow good health and prosperity on King Nalavadi Krishnarajendra Wodeyar. Her execution of the jathis, graceful movements that captured the entirety of the sahitya and highlighted the choreography with sensitive abhinaya had the hallmark of dignified aesthetics. The attractive aharya and the sense of balance and composure she displayed were noteworthy.  In the Kshetrayya padam "Taliru boniro Vani dandincha galana" the nayika is telling her Sakhi, "Oh my dear lady, am I capable of punishing him? He does not speak wholeheartedly. Can I ever become his favourite? Oh, my dear friend, he does not come to see my face. From a noticeably early age, I am enticed by his pleasing words. He promised so many things to me. Oh, my young lady, Muvva Gopala is now annoyed with me." The dancer used her ability for expressional dance to portray the varied emotive expressions with intensity and fervour to make it an absorbing number. The poem of H.S.Venkateshmurthy "Huchi kodi manasu" proved a challenge to the artiste to depict the personality. Her acharya Praveen Kumar in his introduction said, based on his assessment, he chose this particular poem that describes the moods and temperament of a sixteen-year old teenage girl which aptly describes his disciple. The role play by the dancer, her total involvement in the character, and vibrant sense of expression provided a unique experience that stood out. Praveen Kumar's choreography provided the metaphor of body movements and delicate expressions adding a distinctive feature to the presentation of the piece. She concluded with a Tillana set to Simhendramadyamam raga, a composition of Madurai.N.Krishnan that displayed a mosaic of movements, a fine sense of rhythm and footwork. The melodic dimension to the performance was provided by Srivatsa (vocals), Harsha Samaga (mridangam), Vivek Krishna (flute), spearheaded by Praveen Kumar on nattuvangam.  Bangalore based Satish Suri is an avid dance rasika besides being a life member of the Music and Arts Society. |
