The plethora of contemporary approaches to the interpretation of Margam coupled with the search for unexplored themes notwithstanding, it came as a surprise when a team of skilled classical musicians and Bharatanatyam artistes chose to undertake a visual interpretation of the ragam tanam pallavi (RTP). And they pulled it off by staying close to the classical idioms.
Considered the most challenging piece in the Carnatic kutcheri repertoire, the RTP imposes taxing demands on its exponents. Taking on the challenge of choreographing an RTP, conceptualised, composed and orchestrated by flautist R. Athulkumar (grandson and disciple of late flute maestro, N. Ramani), guru Himaja (a torchbearer of K.N. Dandayudhapani Pillai’s bani) presented ‘Maduramana Kaarmega Vannan’ performed by her disciple, S. Sreya, under the auspices of Kartik Fine Arts at the Narada Gana Sabha mini hall.
The opening pushpanjali in Chalanattai followed by the Sanskrit verse ‘Shantakaram’ preceded the main item, the RTP, which was set to the septatonic, sampurna raga Kalyani.
Themed on Dasavataram
The core concept revolved around the portrayal of Vishnu’s Dasavataram (10 avatars) with each graha bheda in the raga segment yielding a different raga before duly seguing into Kalyani. Each moorchana was delineated using the enunciated name of a particular avatar instead of raga syllables, thus encompassing seven avatars in seven moorchanas.
To represent the panchabhoota embodied by the Balarama avatar, a separate series of five pentatonic ragas was obtained through sa and pa — varja moorchanas, to yield Mohanam, Madhyamavathi, Hindolam, Suddha Saveri and Suddha Dhanyasi. This entire graha bhedam scheme finds mention in Ilango Adigal’s Silappadikaram.
The nadai tanam in chatusra gati, which incorporated vocals and flute as well as the sitar’s jod-jhala with mridangam accompaniment, portrayed incidents leading up to the birth of Krishna. As the focal theme was Lord Krishna, the pallavi lyrics ‘Maduramaana Kaarmega Vannan …’ detailed the avatar, dwelling on three episodes, namely Poothana, Govardhana Giri and Kalinga Narthanam in the ensuing raga-tala malika in Rasikapriya, Karna Ranjani and Brindavana Saranga. The vivadi flavour of Rasikapriya effectively communicated the bhayanaka aspect of the Poothana story. A typical korvai plus tani avartanam wound up the RTP.
Describing the conversation between Arjuna and Krishna, Athulkumar’s Tamil verse in Bilahari gave Sreya ample scope for relaxed abhinaya. The raga-tala malika that followed, traced Arjuna’s initial dejection on the battle field, Krishna’s inspiring Gitopadesa and finally, Arjuna’s vision of the Lord’s Viswaroopa. The concluding composition, a swaralaya in Maund, highlighted the Krishna moola mantra through varying misra (7-count) patterns.
Athulkumar’s involvement in translating complex concepts to accessible tropes was evident at every step. His choice of ragas and nadais, complemented by his use of different flutes heightened mood. Himaja’s nattuvangam skills and attention to choreographic detail were highlighted through crisp adavus and vibrant jatis. Sreya proved her mettle as a diligent student and performer. Hard work backed her confident nritta, although her abhinaya needed fine tuning.
With the lyrics playing an important role in conveying context, vocalist R. Sai fulfilled his role with aplomb. C.H. Eshwar Rao (sitar) came up with an appealing Bagesri, his jod- jhala accompanied by mridangam instead of tabla, lending an unexpected texture. Percussionist N.K. Kesavan (mridangam) added sparkle with his distinctive touch.
