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 Nachiyaar Next: A mystical tale of love - Nivedita Raghavan e-mail: niveditaraghavan26@gmail.com Photos: VB Suresh March 24, 2025 Praise to Goda - the mystic female poet from Southern India who sang profusely and boldly of her devotion and desire towards Krishna that ultimately won him over. Nachiyaar Next, a neo-Bharatanatyam production conceived and choregraphed by Dr Anita Ratnam has travelled through years, multiple editions and stages, and this time, found itself in the full-house JSS auditorium of old Bangalore's Jayanagar. Leading her cast as the sutradhar (narrator), Anita Ratnam explained that the dance drama was strung with select pasurams from Andal's oeuvre, in the form of a few pieces from the Bharatanatyam repertoire (kavuthuvam, varnam and tillana), infused with folk numbers and theatre elements.  The ensemble of seven dancers, deft with graceful movements in swiftly changing formations set an energetic precursor to the birth of the story. Dr Sridhar Vasudevan as Periazhwar or Vishnuchittar aptly played the unfailing, dutiful role of a garland maker for the Vatapatrasayi temple in Srivilliputhur. He discovers and adopts a baby girl found amongst the tulsi plants, who came to be called Goda. Her portrayal as the spritely, innocent and devout child by Nandhini Subbulakshmi was captured effortlessly as she composed the Tiruppavai and urged her sakhis to sink into the thoughts of Govinda during the month of Margazhi. The transition from an innocent devotion into blooming adolescence, immersing in the feeling of desire was a complex task, seamlessly executed by the dancer.  Dr Anita not only used literature and Bharatanatyam as her mode of presentation but also touched upon elements of Kolattam during the childhood days and Tai Chi inspired movements when Andal adorns herself with the tulsi garland in a room of mirrors. The mirrors segment was an idea of choreographic excellence where Andal's desire was beautifully reflected through the light of mirrors, simultaneously lighting up corners of the dark auditorium. Her desire for the Lord turns her into the mad and divine. A few pasurams from the Nachiyar Tirumozhi were used, such as Karpooram Narumo, Vaaranam Aayiram, Painkilli Vannan that were used to portray Goda's attempts to communicate to the Lord, slowly morphing into restless eccentricity. The dancers grandly transformed Goda's inner voice getting louder, with haunting chants of Ranga and Govinda, absorbing Goda into a frantic ecstasy, leaving the audience in deafening silence broken by roar of applause.   To bring peace of mind to the ever so worried Vishnuchittar, Anita Ratnam featured the Kurathi (soothsayer) played by Reshma, who would predict Goda's fortune on a bed of shells. As the verdict had it, Goda won over the Lord with her undying love and would be united with him. As she was rid of her agony of waiting, her walk to the heavens was portrayed with pomp and grandeur, ultimately transforming from Goda into Goddess Andal. The production was staged in a minimalistic style, including the printed sungudi cotton saree costumes with earthy tones (designed by Sandhya Raman), reflecting the feel of the period. There was never a dull moment with dancers Devikha, Rasika, Nrithya, Anjannaa, Niveda and Keerthana, forming a beautiful team with individual excellence. It was only fitting to have an all-female orchestra comprising of Roshini Ganesan on the vocals, Subashri L on the talam and sound effects, Sowmya Ramesh on the veena and Aswini Srinivasan on the mridangam. Lights by Victor Paulraj were tastefully and tactfully used against a plain black curtain and a relatively bare stage, creating subtle mood shifts and a grand final image.  A noteworthy observation was the constant use of the wings to place the group dancers at the cusp of the stage during the story which allowed the main characters to take centre stage while also retaining the presence of the group. Overall, Dr Anita Ratnam's research combined with her craft for the stage along with the soulful performance of the entire team created an enchanting evening for the rasikas to revel in the magic of Andal.  Nivedita Raghavan is a practitioner of Bharatanatyam for the past 20 years. Her interest for the arts and love for writing brings her to write her first piece for Narthaki. Along with following her passion for dance, she is a qualified Chartered Accountant currently based in Bangalore. |
