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 Abhilasha left us longing, heartbroken and rejoicing all together - Lekshmi Sarath e-mail: lekshmisarathk@gmail.com Photo credits: Raj & Raju July 7, 2023 Jyostna Vaidee's Abhilasha premiered on May 19, 2023 started with a beautiful Muthuswamy Dikshitar's kriti on Devi. As vocalist Snigdha started with her rendition of swaras in ragam Amrithavarshini, it felt like we were all gearing up for a good rainy evening. The wind, the thunder, the lightning, and the sound of heavy raindrops splashing all around, came rushing to my mind, as Jyotsna entered the minimally lit stage (apt for a cloudy evening), to present her first piece. The beautiful choreography that explored the season 'Varsha' was a joyful experience to behold.  The Devi kriti was followed by a Tanjore Quartet varnam set in ragam Kapi. She represented the nayika who's in love with Lord Brihadeeshwara of the Tanjavur Big Temple. The varnam was very well put together with subtle abhinaya that makes us want to visit the temple and walk the streets of Tanjavur, just like the nayika did. We could clearly see how passionately she yearns for his attention and love. Crisp and beautiful jathis choreographed and danced with precision supported so amazingly well on nattuvangam by Jayanthi Sridharan, kept us eager to see what comes next, what is it that the nayika is looking for, what does she yearn for and whether she would get an answer to all her questions. The traditional varnam performed beautifully with the support of an amazing set of artistes in the orchestra was a treat to watch. My favourite piece was the version of Kunthi, the mother of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. I went back home later that night, read a bedtime story and hugged my older son just because it's him all I could think about throughout that piece. The plight and helplessness of Kunthi to give up on her first born because she had no other choice. To find him years later only to get killed by her other sons and to finally bid him goodbye wrapped in the same piece of clothing which she once bid goodbye in. Heart was broken, eyes were welled up for Kunthi and Karnan. Poor boy, what a life he would have had growing up knowing about the mother who abandoned him only to see her nourish and bring up her five other sons in the best way possible. The introduction of Lord Surya in this piece was a dazzler, the rays, his ride in the chariot and the valour with which he entered, all were so beautifully established through natya that there was no doubt at all on why young Kunthi would have so passionately fallen for him. The thillana that followed was presented by Jyotsna and her two students - one of them was her daughter Anika. Both of them very confidently and gracefully danced with their teacher, with so much coordination and control. It was a surprise element for the viewers, but quite inspiring to see the young budding dancers take up the stage with so much poise and confidence. The thillana was composed and choreographed by Jyotsna's guru Prof C. V. Chandrasekhar. The idea of passing down the art and legacy to the next generation, just like she received it from her teacher was a heart-warming message. Also this was the first time the mother-daughter duo danced together on stage and that made it even more special.  And the ending Abhang... I just wished I could get up and dance along with her. Snigdha Venkataramani's beautiful rendition supported by the amazing orchestra made the whole piece so joyful and in a mode of trance. During my childhood days every Thursday, my grandmother used to have bhajans organized with her cousins and each family hosted them at one of their houses each week of the month and the days it used to happen at our place the whole room would be filled with agarbathis, its fragrance and all of us would sing bhajans to the rhythm of the manjira and dhol which Ravindra Bharati (who was on mridangam) used in between. There used to be bhajans on Vitthala and everyone used to clap and sing together and the whole energy was something else. I could feel the same energy and joy watching the dance and listening to the music of the Abhang. The audience clapped along and enjoyed every bit of it. My heartfelt wishes to Jyotsna and Samudra Dance Creations for their future endeavours. Keep us wondering, thinking, and inspiring more.  Lekshmi Sarath is a Bharatanatyam dancer, who hails from Trivandrum, Kerala. A software engineer by profession, she restarted learning and performing Bharatanatyam after a break of 16 years after moving to the Bay Area. |
