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 Hoisting the Kuchipudi flag overseas- Ranee Kumare-mail: ranee@journalist.com Photos: Mustafa Kapasi October 18, 2025 When any and every gyrating movement of late, with light jumps and lighter footwork is passing off as Kuchipudi, we in the mountainous region of Dehradun, were fortunate to be treated to some real time classical dance as a part of the ongoing Virasat 2025 celebrations. Arunima Kumar from London with a proven track-record has established that classicality of Kuchipudi can be a discerning factor wherever it is practised and propagated, even beyond its national boundaries. Along with her disciples Cornelia and Bidya, she presented a string of choicest pieces culled from varied slokas set to Kuchipudi template. The opening invocation to Surya, set the tone for the evening with vigorous footwork and expressive abhinaya by the threesome. While the duo was in perfect sync especially with the adherence to tala, Arunima stood out with her magnetic stage presence. She was engrossed in her art and it was visible in every nerve. Obviously, it evoked a spontaneous response from the connoisseurs of dance. The complex daruvu preceding every verse, the salutations representing the varied forms and names of the sun were superb.  Arunima Kumar Arunima's solo piece, Ardhanareeshwara (Adi Sankara's verses) sans any of the props and veil usually donned by Kuchipudi artistes, was depicted with elan. She brought sensitivity and sensibility in her delineation of two contrasting aspects of male and female from a divine standpoint. The potent force of Shiva and the feminine shakti were clear cut even as they merged seamlessly which is the essence of the concept of Ardhranarreshwara. It was indeed a beautiful rendition. Deva devam bhaje (guru Vanashree Rao's choreography) was an enveloping piece beginning with a crisp pravesha daruvu of Mahavishnu and his celestial Garuda. Her finesse in emulating the pristine Garuda and Lord Vishnu astride this divine eagle, through her agile body movements was commendable. Since Lord Ram is considered to be an avatar of Vishnu, the entire song is actually on the virtuous Ram vanquishing the villainous Ravan for abducting Sita. The verses from Chandi Path (Devimahatmya) came alive with fleeting footwork and abhinaya as an invocation by Lord Ram before embarking on the war. To the following lines, Pankajasana vinuta parama Narayanam… Arunima deftly relayed the Dashavatara up to the avatar of Sri Ram from where she took off to a crisp narration of the Ramayana in a nutshell ending it with the Ram-Ravan combat wherein her pupil chipped in to characterise Ravan. Despite varied renditions to Vishnu, Devi, Dashavatar and finally Ram, the entire piece was like a tapestry tightly woven with artistry.  Kalinda Narthana Tillana, a Oothukadu composition rendered by Aruna Sairam is innately rhythmic and very danceable song. The dancer trio did full justice but what stood out was the tableau-like finale where the three dancers stood in a single file with Arunima in the centre in Krishna posture flanked by the duo in front and hind like two hooded serpents. It was a picture perfect still. The two-and-half hour show came to a close with Draupadi's bidding her victorious farewell to Bheema, her husband, who vows vendetta on her behalf to Dusshasan for disrobing and dishonouring Draupadi in a family gathering. The piece opens with Draupadi invoking goddess Kali to give her husband the strength to fulfil his vow and destroy the enemy. To the dancer's credit it must be mentioned that she emerged victorious against the pitfall of repetitive abhinaya which often bogs down the artiste when the imagery is constantly appearing through all pieces. The featuring of mother goddess again, now in the form of Kali to the refrain of Chamundi was unique and as the sequence called for, Arunima's kinetics manifested the dark power of Kali with aplomb. The sancharis were impressive; the reverie of the vastrapaharanam, is shown as a trigger that transforms the wife in Draupadi to a revengeful female seeking the blood of her perpetrator which is very true in the case of such victims. This aspect was delineated with clarity.  Arunima Kumar The penultimate Tarangam was a welcome deviation from the run-of-the-mill Balagopala. This time around, it was a Shiva Tarangam with the mesmerising adavus on tambalam (brass plate). Arunima seemed an adept at this as she manipulated the plate and the dance with agility and adroit adherence to tala. There was not a single slip throughout the lengthy performances which is in itself something to be admired at.  Ranee Kumar is a journalist who brings in three decades of hard core journalistic experience with mainstream papers like the Indian Express and The Hindu to arts reporting. Her novel 'Song of Silence' and guest editing of attenDance widen her horizon. |
