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 e-mail: leelakaverivenkat@gmail.com Kalakshetra Foundation's annual tribute to its founder Photos courtesy: Kalakshetra March 12, 2025 Established in 1936, Kalakshetra, in the very space it made its home finally in Thiruvanmiyur, which its founder, with a handful of enthusiasts, built almost brick by brick, a yearly festival titled Remembering Rukmini Devi intrigues this critic. Why? For the simple reason that unencumbered by present day voices advocating change, this is one institution, where not a smidgen of compromise would be acceptable even today, in what has come down the years, passed down to students as Rukmini Athai's approach to Bharatanatyam. Every aspect of Kalakshetra still resonates with strong vibes of the founder's image. So where is the question of remembering her? Birthday Homage to Rukmini Devi, would be a more understandable title for the three-day event, marking her birthday. The number of repeat performances over the years of her dance drama productions, particularly the half a dozen episodes built round the Valmiki Ramayana text, between the late 1950s to 1970, would be legion.  Paduka Pattabhishekam Watching Paduka Pattabhishekam, a work created in 1960 with music by the inimitable Mysore Vasudevacharya, the realization hit me afresh of how our epics, as part of our cultural consciousness, through every retelling, seem to acquire a new relevance, which time cannot and does not dim. Who does not know the story of the Ramayana? Living, as all of us are, amidst a climate of constant political waffling for acquiring power (crowning or dethroning), It seems like a fairy tale chastening experience, to watch Bharata's vicious tirade against mother Kaikeyi's machinations, with an enraged refusal to take the Ayodhya throne, proceeding instead to the forest, in search of the exiled Rama. The wonder of turning down reigning power, continues with Rama, sticking steadfastly to his fourteen year exile, to fulfill the promise made by the now expired Dasharatha to Kaikeyi, with the final unbelievable climax of Bharata imploring Rama for his 'paduka' to place on the Ayodhya throne, symbolizing the real king, while agreeing to look after the affairs of the Kingdom for 14 years - ending with a final oath that if Rama does not return to Ayodhya on the very next day completing 14 years, Bharata would consign himself to flames! Like several others who have been watching these episodes staged over the years, one has distinct memories of how senior artistes, with reputations entwined with stellar performances of main Ramayana characters, have become prototypes, to be emulated by succeeding dancers stepping into these roles. Now with proficient, but less known dancers taking on the roles, there could be more than one ideal perception, for each character. Efficiently equipped, with no signature roles behind them and cast in different Ramayana roles in separate episodes, there could be shades of changes in how main roles are conceived - without a frozen image! In the dance drama category, which Rukmini Devi's artistic imagination made so sophisticated, what strikes one afresh is the simplicity of the choreography, with no empty virtuosity, wherein both, music scored by Mysore Vasudevacharya (employing only rakti ragas) and Rukmini Devi's dance composition, without blurring emotional contours, in unison, aim for bhav evoking reactions reaching for the audience gut rather than applause. Barring an occasional Tillana or nritta interlude by dancers in Ravana's court, for instance, in Shabari Moksham, or showing Guha with his people in the forest, unrelentingly high physicality seen in creations of the day, is absent- with entrances and exits meticulously planned.  Paduka Pattabhishekam Rajkamal made a convincing Bharata in Paduka Pattabhishekam. Kaikeyi's role is a difficult one and one found Sreedevi Jayakrishnan's characterization moving, with a tear drop hanging below the eyes, at dashed hopes from all sides - for aside from Bharata's scathing contempt for all her machinations in securing the throne for him at such cost, she is taken aback that her son's known, intense love and loyalty to Rama, accommodates not a shred of space for ambitions of ascending the Ayodhya throne! Also, after her major role in the palace intrigue, being part of the group setting out to entreat Rama in the forest to return to Ayodhya, must have been particularly trying. Maintaining a presence without total loss of dignity required a stature, which the dancer showed. Again proving her versatility, was her taking on Sita's role in Shabari Moksham. The other participant who impressed was K.M. Jayakrishna in the twin opposing roles - as Guha in Paduka Pattabhishekam, and as Ravana in Shabari Moksham - one of such loyalty to Rama and the other so inimical. In Paduka Pattabhishekam, K.P. Rakesh as Rama had the sobriety needed for the role. As Lakshmana, filling the role on both days, Kailas Nathan had all the requisites of the hard working, ever vigilant watchdog, guided by his compulsive love and loyalty for brother Rama. In the role of Sita, Indu Nidheesh in Paduka Pattabhishekam gave the right support as Rama's loving wife. This critic was most impressed by the still bodies on stage in several scenes - maintaining a felt presence, but with no movement. Also very striking was the part when Rama and Sita are shown resting, maintaining without the slightest sign of restlessness, an unchanging position - with bodies stretched on floor with each head, at an angle, raised to rest on the bent elbow, with open palm as pillow. In Shabari Moksham, Girish Madhu as Rama is an experienced hand, and filled the role with all confidence. The fleeting scene of Malavika as golden deer, with Rama after it, did not register as strongly as it should have - though a very significant part of the narrative. Manasi as Surpanakha was adequate. P.T. Narendran, in the Sanyasi mode of Ravana, was most expressive. Rajkamal, who was Bharata in Paduka Pattabhishekam, appeared in the moving role as Jatayu in Shabari Moksham. The disciplined ensemble movements of Apsaras, Kinnaras, court dancers, always a feature of Kalakshetra, could not be faulted.  Shabari Moksham Rukmini Devi who based her entire Ramayana series on Valmiki's text, remained totally faithful to this first version of the great epic. Over the years, with innumerable texts of the epic in countless languages, the details of the narrative have acquired aspects different from Valmiki's. Thus while always intrigued that amidst all the details of the Sita/Lakshmana exchange, when the unjustly accused Lakshmana had to leave her alone, looking for Rama (because the dying Maricha had deliberately cried out Rama's name), Lakshmana's warning to Sita to never cross the safety line he drew with his arrow, under any circumstances, is not part of the Kalakshetra production. I learnt later that the 'Lakshmana rekha' made so much of, in all regional language versions and in Ramayana versions prevailing in other Asian countries, is not a part of the Valmiki version. The other detail is from Shabari Moksham, where Shabari's tasting of the gooseberries offered to Rama, and which he partakes of with pleasure (trotted out everlastingly, as an example of how completely devoid of any feelings of high or low Rama was) is a detail not mentioned in Valmiki's original. Here the importance of the entire scene lies in Shabari waiting to set eyes on Rama before leaving her mortal coils, after Rama has blessed her. The omitted detail of tasting the berries apart, when the entire Ramayana episode is named after this one scene, one feels that the ten-minute depiction with Manasi in the role, becomes a non-event. An impassioned dialogue asking for release from the world, with Rama's blessing would be less tame. As it is, the scene does not stand out against the rest of the episode with so much other action of Sita's abduction and Jatayu's valiant rescue act which ends in his tragic death. What is presented seems a very tame end. Following closely the English translation of the Sanskrit dialogue appearing on the two boards on either side of the stage, (a device which is not always smooth, as evident for a short while when something failed to function), would perhaps drive home the significance of this scene.  Shabari Moksham For this writer, above all, the appreciation and hearty vote of thanks are for the band of musicians - on whose melody, the entire effort rested. Vocalist Hariprasad bore the brunt of the burden, for apart from the known classicism and musicality, was the vak sudham or spotless enunciation of Valmiki's Sanskrit poetry, and finally the sheer vocal stamina of being the sole singer for presentations spread over three days of three hours each day, with no assistant singer to take over! Nattuvangam by K.P. Rakesh for Shabari Moksham and Girish Madhu for Paduka Pattabhishekam, and for both productions Sreenivas on violin and Sashidhar on flute were of a piece. One was struck by the percussion of Kartik Balaji on maddalam and Srikanth Pai on mridangam, muted and yet emotively efficient. Under the alumni and current theatre manager Arjun, with dance direction of Janardhanan, the two evenings this writer witnessed had the usual Kalakshetra efficiency and strict adherence to time. Would it be too much to suggest stronger fumigation measures in the auditorium, half an hour before each show, with more additional standing fans in the rear rows, to making viewing (very comfortable for those in the first four rows with huge fans rotating) less irksome for spectators in the rear rows? It was sad watching people walking out in droves, saying they were 'eaten by mosquitoes.' A discreet mention in the invitation cards, that in spite of fumigation, spectators would be well advised to come armed with mosquito repellent devices and lotions, would not be out of place.  Writing on the dance scene for the last forty years, Leela Venkataraman's incisive comments on performances of all dance forms, participation in dance discussions both in India and abroad, and as a regular contributor to Hindu Friday Review, journals like Sruti and Nartanam, makes her voice respected for its balanced critiquing. She is the author of several books like Indian Classical dance: Tradition in Transition, Classical Dance in India and Indian Classical dance: The Renaissance and Beyond. Post your comments Please provide your name and email id along with your comment. All appropriate comments posted with name and email id in the blog will also be featured in the site. |
