The platinum jubilee celebrations of Koodiyattam maestro P.K.G Nambiar’s career in Thrissur was marked by two solo performances. While Kalamandalam Sangeeth Chakyar staged Act III of Naganandam, danseuse Sithara Balakrishnan presented Mohiniyattam.
Harsha’s play Naganandam (Joy of serpents), believed to be composed in the seventh century, depicts the sacrifice of prince Jimutavahana of Vidhyadharas, to save the serpents. Naganandam is rarely presented on stage, unlike the five popular plays on the Koodiyattam stage; more so, Act III, which was Sangeeth’s choice for the occasion. Doyen Paimkulam Rama Chakyar had choreographed it in Kalamandalam in which he himself had donned the role of vidushaka, along with his disciples.
Evocative portrayal
Sangeeth proved how a sloka could be enacted elaborately by invoking all the conventional features of Koodiyattam. The sloka was ‘Drushta, drushti athogathaadi’. The anecdote picturises newly-married Jimutavahana’s recapitulation of his meeting with his wife, Malayavati, whose behaviour takes him by surprise. Jimutavahana is convinced how his wife is an embodiment of shyness.
Sangeeth’s histrionic dexterity was on display as he commenced with ‘panchangam’ and ‘kama saram’, segments typical of the hero while looking at the heroine. His ‘pakarnattam’ (multiple impersonations) was superb as he enacted the bashful antics of Malayavati. Decoration of the nuptial bed by the maids was portrayed in a subtle way. Moreover, his ‘svarikkal’ (rendition of the sloka) in Arthan raga was musical.
A recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sangeeth is a faculty member of Koodiyattam at Kalamandalam. Percussion accompaniment was by Kalamandalam Ravikumar and Kalamandalam Vijay (mizhavu) and Kalamandalam Sudheesh (edakka). Kalamandalam Sajitha took care of talam.
Sithara Balakrishnan | Photo Credit: K.K. Najeeb
Classical steps
Sithara Balakrishnan, a student of Kavalam Narayana Panicker’s Sopanam repertoire of Mohiniyattam, presented four pieces of Kavalam’s, all choreographed by her.
She began her performance with an invocation to Ganapathy in Madhyamavathy set to Chempada tala. The mnemonics of the edakka and resonant beats of the maddalam helped the dancer to portray Ganapathy in a felicitous mood.
For those critical of the want of pure nritta in Mohiniyattam, ‘Mukhachalam’ seemed to be the answer. As for the talas beginning with Chempada, they slipped into Karika (five beats), Ayyadi (six beats), Champa (10 beats) and Marma (14 beats), providing immense variety to nritta. The number concluded with an invocation to Devi. The varied bhavas of ‘Tripura sundari’ and ‘Lalithambike’ rendered in Revathy were portrayed by the dancer.
Composed in Thodi, ‘Kottichetam’ was an excerpt from the chapter ‘Nadukar kaathai’ of Chilappathikaram. Believed to be performed by the ‘Chakyaan’ of Paravur in front of King Cheran Chekuttuvan, it describes the Urdhwa Tandava of while keeping his consort Uma on his left side. The dance, known as ‘Kodukotti’, showcases the vibrant movements of Siva whereas Uma, in contrast, remains almost still and her jewels and even hertresses are motionless. During a portrayal of the concept of ‘Ardhanareeswara’, Sithara enacted the tandava and lasya well. Composed in Champa, the number was more abhinaya oriented. The concluding piece was ‘Niram’ (colour). Drawing of Devi on the floor with five colours (kalam) was noteworthy. The invocation, composed in Sindhubhairavi and Khanta chap was impressive, especially when Devi makes her appearance and the kalam is wiped off.
The programme, ‘Saarasyagovindam’, was held under the auspices of cultural organisations in Thrissur.