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 Tripoothu - The Sacred Feminine Awakening - Vinu Vasudevan e-mail: vinuvasu73@gmail.com Photos: Sreejith Pillai December 28, 2024 A subject which is generally considered taboo was the theme of a recent dance ballet. Tripoothu -- The Sacred Feminine Awakening in Mohiniattam style by Dr Ayswaria Wariar dealt with menstruation. The term Tripoothu referring to the menstruation of Goddess Parvathi comes from Tripoothu Arattu, the famous annual festival at the Mahadeva Temple at Chengannur in southern Kerala. It is considered one of the sacred celebrations of womanhood due to its social relevance and beliefs. This is one of the two temples where the menstruation of a goddess is celebrated, the other being the Kamakhya Temple in Assam. The term 'Arattu' is the bath of the Goddess after the three-day period. Dr Ayswaria Wariar, scholar and dancer from Gujarat, took this theme for her latest Nritya Natika or dance drama at Abhivyakthi, the City Arts Project Festival held recently at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad.   Ayswaria portrayed the emotional state of the goddess during the time, along with the associated rituals and festivities. She used the confluence of bhava, nritta and sangeetha to celebrate the goddess and her femininity in various forms. All the rituals and celebrations lead up to the reunion of 'Purush' and 'Prakrithi', Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati. "The purpose of selecting this unique theme for my new dance production is to highlight that womanhood and its accompanying physical and emotional changes should be celebrated rather than shunned. This approach encourages young girls and women to embrace self-care and prioritise their well-being," says Ayswaria. Ayswaria, who had conceptualized and choreographed the production, also included Kathakali in her 45-minute Mohiniattam performance. It was a perfect blend of the two popular art forms of Kerala. While Mohiniattam represented the character of Goddess Parvati, Lord Siva's role was performed in Kathakali style. Kalamandalam Aashik, a young artist who had recently completed his post-graduation from Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University, performed as Siva. Ayswaria while choosing to narrate the story using dance and music also introduced a Sutradhar who comes in-between the scenes and narrates the story in Hindi. The role of Sutradhar was enacted by Urmit Shah. The story begins with Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati planning to visit Saint Agasthya who couldn't attend their wedding. Parvati got her first period -- the menarche -- during the visit. Siva had to wait three days there because Parvati was unable to meet the saint during menstruation. Siva, who has deep love and admiration for his wife, rejoices on Parvathi's return after the brief yet painful separation. The performance ends with Siva and Parvati enjoying a happy life. This was also a multi-lingual performance with Sanskrit, Hindi and Malayalam being used. While Aravind Sankaradhyanam wrote the Malayalam lyrics for the play, Ayswaria adapted his Thripoothu Thiruvathira song for her performance. Lyrical beauty, when combined with the amazing dance choreography, was certainly the highlight of the production. The visual treatment, especially scenes where traditional properties were used, was outstanding. "I was particular about the visual beauty of this production. So, I did some research regarding the props I could use. I used Kalamkari paintings and a two-colour 'tiraseela' or a hand-held curtain to project certain ideas. I also used a 'thirutada' (an ornamental frilled cloth fan used to decorate deities in Kerala) to enhance the visual impact." Kalamkari paintings carrying the symbols associated with the Goddess on the five backdrop drapes are by Gayatri Dhanuturi. She is an alumnus of the Fine Arts department of MS University, Baroda as well as a disciple of Dr. Ayswaria Wariar.   Ayswaria's aesthetically pleasing expressions and free flowing body movements stood out. Her acting during the viraha or separation was touching. The pure nritta sequences in Kathakali and Mohiniattam were well synchronised in terms of both rhythm and in conveying the emotions. Aashik was a perfect match for Ayswaria's powerful expressive performance. It was a perfect blend of bhava and nritta, especially while Aiswarya portrayed pangs of separation to act out the lyrics kanthane verpettu and the joy of marriage to essay the lyrics valsalyamodu nin pani grahichathum. Music played a vital role in the success of this performance with seasoned vocalists M N Shivaprasad and Kottakkal Jayan providing some inspired singing. This dance production has been commissioned and supported by the Abhivyakti City Arts project under the UNM Foundation of Torrent Group. Finally three cheers for Abhivyakti for organising such an impressive arts festival.  Vinu Vasudevan is a freelance journalist, art critic and a documentary maker. He has worked in a number of television channels between 1996 to 2013. Presently he is working as the Faculty of Journalism in Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University for Art and Culture for their Post Graduate programs. He is also a regular writer in 'The Hindu', 'The India Art Review' and leading Malayalam publications. |
