By Our Special Correspondent
On Good Friday at the Azad Bhavan auditorium New Delhi, Doore Antare went Laxmikant Palit’s voice on tape as dancers in very light fawn-colored costumes portrayed through Odissi, the unusual theme of Mother Teresa. Entitled Karuna, the evening dwelt on the sacrifices of the devoted Christian who served the suffering and needy humanity, her charity and empathy for the dying and the destitute, earning her the respect and love of persons transcending religious affiliations. Ileana Citarishti, Italian by birth, making Orissa her home and Odissi her career, has acquired a reoutation for her choreographic ideas in Chhau in particular. Not an easy theme for treatment, she has used movement with props in hand like mats and in the last segment, dancers moving with the white sari with blue border flowing at the back suggesting Mother Teresa’s order of the Sisters of Mercy.
Based more on opaque situations empathizing with the sufferings of humanity, the choreographer wisely veered away from a direct person alised representation of Mother Teresa. The leg sweeps in the air and Chhau ‘gobar gola’ type of swirls were used to good effect. The serenading gong and ‘Jay Kali’ chants and tumultuous sequence bathed in red light was a fine contrast to the general quiet. Palit’s music designing and rendition were evocative. Lighting was particularly sensitive. And while the costume was elegantly simple, one would go easy on the over use of flower veni-s and silver decorations – almost mocking a theme of this nature.
The first part Parthasarathy, showing the Krishna/Arjuna interaction on the Kurushetra battle field, featured just two dancers, Choreographer Iliana Citarishti as Krishna and disciple Saswat Joshi as Arjuna. The Sanskrit verses from the Bhagawatgita set to music and sung by Rama Hari mainly, provided the fine musical base. In catching the initial enthusiasm turning to dismay as Arjuna facing the Kaurava army identifies persons he has shared life experiences with, followed by the utter despondency and inability to fight, changing to a sprightly lilt of a rejuvenated warrior, after Krishna opens his mind and eyes to life and Dharma, were very well brought out by Saswat Joshi with his expressive face and fine sense of rhythm. Ileana as Krishna held herself well in the explanations on the nature of life and soul, though a more accented foot contact emphasizing the beats in the tala would increase the impact. In the Viswarupa sequence, while the Dashavatar interpretation was convincing, in the verse where Krishna declares his appearances on earth in different manifestations periodically to reestablish Dharma, minimalism in movement would better emphasise the dignity of Krishna.
Rabindra Janmotsav
On the IIC Fountain Lawns, Rabindra Janmotsav celebrations took the form of a two-day festival of music, dance and Sruti Natak based on Tagore’s work and life encounters. The challenge of Tagore expressed through Kathak and Bharatanatyam is for a language whose natural gait influences dance rhythms of the region, to find expression through movement patterns of another region. Monisha Nayak’s feel for Kathak expression of Tagore’s poetry is known and Bhanu Shinger Padavali songs lend themselves to varied movement imagery. But the earlier “Nrityer tale tale” somehow found only an uneasy poetry/dance alliance, the need for slow movement giving a forced appearance.
The top performance of the festival was Biswa Bina Robe by a group Saraswat from Kolkata. Anita Mallick the choreographer must be lauded for making Bharatanatyam dance and Tagore poetry find a natural togetherness. Known jatis as links in right places provide an additional zip without disturbing the tenor of the music or poetry. Above all, the very synchronized group made for pleasant viewing. In the Tagore perspective Beauty, Nature, Love and Divinity are interrelated and it is this harmony in the Cosmos that Biswa Bina Robe captures through various lyrics. Whether it is the arid land robbed of water and greenery or lush Nature full of the colour of Basant, or Spring, Nature’s changing hues have a melody influencing and embracing man. Except for the leg stretches in a ‘sarukkai’ or alidham movement which the male dancers need to improve upon, the general group proficiency was commendable.
Chandrani Ghosh and Krishnendu Roy, Odissi disciples of Sharmila Biswas took the IIC floor. With her arresting stage presence and costume elegance, Chandrani still needs better expressions and balance in the frozen moments. The Shiva/Parvati Sabdam, with the male/female roles so beautifully demarcated in Sharmila’s visualization of the item built round the “Tam Thai Taka Thai, Taka Thadhi Inda Thai” refrain, Krishnendu presented it as a solo item. The M.S. Subbalakshmi rendition of the Meera Bhajan “Hari Tum Haro Janaki peer” had the pair in a well enacted drama tised narrative.
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