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 Vaidehi Rele and Basu Sinam shine at NCPA - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com July 25, 2022 As part of Umang (exaltation) series, National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, presented two brilliant dancers, Vaidehi Rele for Bharatanatyam and Basu Sinam for Manipuri, at their Little Theatre on 15th June. Both the dancers received standing ovations for their scintillating performances.  Vaidehi Rele In 'Natvar Nateshwar' with concept and choreography by Guru Deepak Mazumdar, the performance by Vaidehi Rele stood out for the fine choreography which was executed with effortless ease and proficiency. While Natvar refers to naughty little Krishna, who is also a fine actor, Nateshwar refers to Nataraja, Lord Shiva, hence the portrayal of both Vaishnavism and Shaivism. After the invocation, the number commences with elaborate description of Lord Krishna "Kasturi tilakam", "Gopastree vijayete" and concluding with "Bhaja Nandakumaram, sarva sukha saram" encompasses the complete glory and power of the lotus eyed Lord Krishna. I was pleasantly surprised to see how Vaidehi has blossomed into a mature performer, doing complete justice to the creative genius of Guru Deepak Mazumdar, which was further evident in the Natakuranji Varnam "Swami naan" which was the piece-de-resistance of the evening. Commencing with the beats Tat dhit tom nam portraying Lord Shiva, holding the damru on the right hand and fire on the left hand and the varied manifestations of the lord with the depictions of popular episode of teenaged Markandeya being saved from the clutches of death (Yama), as Markandeya steadfastly holds the Shiva linga, proving his devotion for the lord. This number was particularly noteworthy for its vibrant movements and expressional excellence, winning the dancer instant applause from the audience. Vaidehi Rele is the daughter of Dr. Uma Rele, principal of Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya and the granddaughter of Dr. Kanak Rele, veteran Mohiniattam exponent and dance educationist. Vaidehi is also in the faculty of Nalanda.  Sinam Basu and Darshana Jhaveri There is not a single occasion, either social or religious, when Manipuri music or dance is not performed in Manipur where music and dance form an integral part of their daily existence. Lei Haraoba, Sankirtan and Pung Cholom (drum dance), form the main items of the Manipuri repertoire. Sinam Basu, an accomplished Manipuri exponent, shared the platform with Vaidehi Rele. Sinam Basu hails from a family of music lovers and practitioners. He is the grandson of maestro Sinam Bohul Singh, veteran player of the Manipuri drum known as Meitei Pung. He learnt Manipuri from distinguished mentors like Guru N Tiken Singh, Lokendrajit Singh, Y Hemanta Kumar and N Amusana Devi. He is the official choreographer for cultural organizations like Progressive Artist Laboratory (PAL). Sinam commenced with item of invocation Keinocingshomba (based on the myth of Nongpok Ningthou), and ashtapadi from Jayadeva's Geet Govinda, Kuru yadu Nandana exposing the inter-relationship between Radha and Krishna. The piece-de-resistance of the evening was Adi Shankaracharya's Shiva Panchakshara shloka, "Nagendra haraya trilochana..." that explored the glory and power of Nataraja. The music composed by Bhagat Singh and Mahanta Sharma, was later recomposed by Guru N Tiken Singh with dance choreography by Basu himself. The taals used were dash kuch of 8 matra, dekho gaura brahma of 28 matra and dui theka taal of 12 matras. The choreography included various movements, turns and jumps performed with vibrancy and precision, winning the dancer a standing ovation. Sinam's honesty, sincerity and powerful performance created a lasting spell on the audience. On the whole, it was a fine artistic evening.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
