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 Brilliant performances at NCPA - Vijay Shanker e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com April 4, 2023 As part of the Horizon series of performances, National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) presented Kuchipudi exponent Avijit Das and talented young Bharatanatyam dancers Swarada Bhave and Eesha Pinglay in a thematic Bharatanatyam recital at the Godrej Academy dance theatre in Mumbai on 9th March. While Avijit Das impressed the audience with his stylistic and remarkable performance, Swarada Bhave and Eesha Pinglay rendered a dramatic presentation, interpreting the duality in the character of the demoness Poothana.  Avijit Das Acclaimed to be among the best Kuchipudi dancers of the country, Bangalore based Avijit Das commenced his performance with a beautiful number in praise of Bhudevi known as 'Aaham Bhoomi,' an interpretation of the conversation between Bhudevi and Lord Vishnu. When Bhoomi Devi (Earth goddess) was abducted by Hiranyaksha, she tells Narayana, "You are called by name Kari Raja because you rescued the elephant king Gajendra from a crocodile. You are also called great Madhusudana because you killed the demons Madhu-Kaitabha in your manifestation as Hayagriva. Why don't you rescue me? I am surrendering to you... please rescue me." Lord Vishnu takes the Varaha avatar and rescues Bhoomi Devi. While the lyrics have been extracted from Vishnupurana and Krishna Leela Tarangini, this number has music by Rajkumar Bharati, set to ragamailka and talamalika. Avijit did complete justice to this number with the dramatisation of Gajendra Mokshan, the abduction of Bhudevi by Hiranyaksha and finally the Varaha avatara of Lord Vishnu to save Bhudevi. Besides the intense abhinaya, it was a pleasure to watch Avijit in his flawless technique that created a lasting impression. The concluding part of this item involved dancing on the rim of the brass plate, while executing intricate rhythmic patterns. The next and the final number presented was" Paluku tenela talli" portraying the intense relationship of Alamelumanga with Lord Venkatesa. With lyrics by Tallapaka Annamacharya and music composition by Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, it is the Sakhi who reveals the mental state of Alamelu. Alamelumanga, whose words are as sweet as honey, fell asleep with curly locks falling on her glistening face. She won the heart of Venkatesa, the lord of the universe. Her lotus-like eyes were full of love because she met Venkatapati, the creator of Manmadha. That young lady lying with a chain of pearls on her chest was delicate like a flower. This number was noteworthy for the facial expressions depicting the emotional state of Alamelu. Having learnt Kuchipudi from the legendary Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam and Manju Bhargavee, Avijit is also seeking guidance from Jaikishore Mosalikanti. He has established KimAham Institute of Classical Dance in Bangalore taking the legacy forward.  Swarada Bhave and Eesha Pinglay Appearances can be deceptive; this perspective was well portrayed with the depiction of the duality in the character of Poothana. Performed effectively with suitable gestures and dramatic movements, it was interesting to watch how the mental state of the demoness could be depicted by two dancers simultaneously moving in parallel lines in complete contrast to being good, bad and cruel. At the first sight of the innocent little infant, the demoness is carried away by radiance, forgetting her vicious intention for a while but soon returns to her demonic behaviour and breast feeds the infant after applying poison. Slowly and steadily the intense pain runs through her entire body and finally she attains moksha. It was performed well by Swarada Bhave and Eesha Pinglay, disciples of Vaibhav Arekar. It was interesting and absorbing to watch the talented dancers projecting the dichotomy of the mental state of a single character.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
