CONSCIOUS OF RHYTHM, LINE AND FORM SHREYA SRIDHAR – BHARATA NATYAM

     Bharata Natyam is safe! No need to worry about the direction or misdirection this art form may be taking when young and passionate dancers take to the stage.

     This is what crossed my mind whilst watching Shreya Sridhar perform. Shreya is student of the great Hemamalini Arni, the inspirational guru of some of the finest dancers in the country such as Kiranmayee Madupu.

     Shreya Sridhar showed her ability and promise in a good performance at the Kalasagaram Annual Youth Festival of Dance on 18^th March 2017.
     The musicians performing on stage merit special appreciation for their excellent musicianship and outstanding performance that made watching a good Bharata Natyam performance an even greater experience.

      The musicians were: Nattuvangam - Renuka Prasad. Singer- Sweta Prasad

Mridangam- Sridhara Chary. Violin - Sai Kolanka. And assisting the guru, Hemamalini Arni, on stage with the musicians - Kiranmayee Madupu.

     Shreya performed four pieces opening with the prayer extolling Ganesha, the Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles: ‘Vaataapi Ganapatim bhaje ham’ in Ragam Hamsadhwani in Talam Adi and composed by Muthuswamy Dikshitar.

     The next Varnam, the centerpiece of the prerformance expressed the feelings of an ardent devotee of Krishna.  Varnam: Pachai mamalai Ragam Ragamalika. Talam Adi. Composed by Tondaradipodi Azvar. Shreya depicted the words of this piece in dance so that we in the audience could understand what the composer described: “Lord Krishna as a green mountain, with coral red lips. He says he would rather not go to the most beautiful Indralokam even if he were sent there, but worship at the feet of the Lord. He is his only refuge. He wishes to have a glimpse of Lord Ranganatha in Srirangapatnam and attain moksha at his lotus feet”. Uma Sridhar

     The third item was a Padam: Natanam Aadinaar, where Shreya competently illustrated in dance the sheer beauty of the dance of ecstasy and abandon of Lord Nataraja, where the composer Gopala Krishna Bharathi describes the sheer beauty of the dance of Lord Nataraja, where The eight sides of the world shook as he danced, the Ganga overflowed her banks and Adishesha, the great snake on his body trembled with fear. The composition was in Ragam Vasantha, Talam Ata.

     The last item of the programme was a Thillana, a pure dance composition by Vazhuvoor Somu Pillai in Ragam Surati in Adi Talam. Shreya peformed this Tillana with nimble footwork and held poses like classic temple sculpture.

     The dancer’s faultless sense of timing and rhythm and her consciousness of form and line spoke well of her understanding of her meticulous training in dance.

     Yes, young Shreya Sridhar, currently a science student in class 11, gives hope that Bharata Natyam is indeed safe. We owe a debt of gratitude to the dancer, her guru and accompanying musicians for not just preserving Indian Classical Dance, but in lighting a path for the future.   

Photography: Abhijit Sridhar

THE MAX CLOUTH CLAN WITH VARIJASHREE VENUGOPAL

For Hyderabad Western Music Foundation/hydmusic.com/ 6/3/2017

     The hospitable and picturesque environs of the Sailing Annexe - Secunderabad Club, was opened to the music of the Max Clouth Clan on the evening of the 4^th of March 2017, and the Club was chock-a-block with fortunate listeners who had come to hear this terrifically talented German guitar trio.

    The Max Clouth Clan was, Max Clouth on Guitar, Jonathan Sell, Bass, and Martin Standke, drums.

     The Clan’s playing was stellar and the sound superb. Not just the band’s 

sound, but also of the perfectly balanced sound system. 

     Best of all was the Clan’s super-empathy that could be delivered only by players who are familiar with each other and play and jell together. Jonathan Sell on Bass and Martin Standke on drums provided a solid, inventive, melodic bass backbone and a shifting, swinging pulse that drove all the music forward like a swinging, swaying yet steady locomotive.

     The Max Clouth Clan, on first hearing, appeared to be mixing styles and crossing boundaries, the guitar had the gritty bite and bluesy yet smooth overdriven tone of a rock guitar, but through it all there was an unmistakable jazz sensibility that pervaded the music.

     Max Clouth played his own compositions, one of them, he had announced, was called ‘Noon’ that he had composed while waiting for a student in a German classroom. But all the compositions they played were tangy and tasty, and had a controlled and deliberate rough edge to them within the composer’s conception of his music which alternated between jam band music, rock, and sizzling, swinging jazz. And though they only played their own original compositions, I did hear references to a novel rendition of the classic ‘Summertime’.

     It is the second half of the concert that was remarkable surprise. The Clan was joined by a genre-busting phenomenon named Varijashree Venugopal, a young, yet well recognized Carnatic vocalist from Bengaluru with a love of Jazz.

     Varijashree Venugopal and the Clan explored Carnatic music, and though it was obvious that she was a true Carnatic classical vocalist, it became apparent that Max Clouth had also studied Indian classical music and was familiar with its syntax.

     Varijashree’s vocalisation in the arrangement of “Krishna Nee Begane Baro” composed by Saint Purandara Dasa in Kannada in Raag Yaman and on another one (a Carnatic composition), Amba Para Devate, in Raaga Rudrapriya, composed by Sri Krishnaswami Ayya, was consummate, and her voice was light and airy, her vocal inflections precise, delicate and rapid as the wing beat of a hovering hummingbird and her voice as melodious as a Malabar Whistling Thrush.

     The compositions were melodious and syncopated and Max Clouth changed the  tone of his guitar for this session to a more sweet and mellow tone to match the singers voice, The Clan, especially Max Clouth followed the singer with accuracy and understanding, and was able to take the singers fluid improvisation and the uncluttered linear conception forward smoothly.

     And though some jazz purists, or Carnatic classical music aficionados, may not have been pleased with this fusion, to this listener it was matchless. This kind of music, if listened to with attentiveness, I think, would unlock, engage, and provoke listeners’ imaginations and help open their minds. 

     The Secunderabad Club, Goethe Zentrum and the Hyderabad Western Music Foundation deserve kudos for bringing us lucky listeners this luminous experience. 

Photographs and video's - Joe Koster

You can listen to the Max Clouth Clan on youtube - Lassi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODUj4xpknOE

With Varijashree Venugopal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=986pd8B2mYg

KALA SAMARPAN - AN OFFERING TO THE GURUS - KATHAK

This Review appeared in Priya Laasya in December 2016
Kathak Recital - Mitha Vinay &  Students of the 
Tatvamasi Centre for Performing Arts
     On the 10th of December 2016, in Hyderabad, Mitha Vinay, a proponent of the Lucknow Gharana of Kathak transported us back in time, to an era of Mughal splendour. And though the stage was bare, we lost track of time for about an hour and travelled to the courts of the Nawabs of Oudh (Awadh).

     Kathak as a dance form is derived from the Kathakars, the travelling storytellers and dance-dramatists of ancient India who regaled audiences with religious and mythological tales to the accompaniment music, mime and dance. And though originally very similar to Bharatnatyam, Kathak at some point assumed the form of courtly entertainment through the influence of Persian and Mughal traditions. So, the Kathak of Mitha Vinay’s Lucknow Gharana is recognisable for its Nawabi Nazakat (subtlety and grace), that exemplify elegance and natural expressive techniques of Abhinaya and Natya, the drama of dance.

     Mitha Vinay was the picture of regal graciousness, her backbone erect and perfectly aligned; her bearing, carriage and her pleasing  posture (Anga) were a dance aficionado’s delight. And her flowing movements were marvellously clean and her impeccable and eloquent displays of footwork (Tatkaar) amplified by her anklets (Ghungroos) matched the complex rhythmic cycles of the percussionist; her spins (chakkars), crisp, neat, streamlined, precise and powerful, her Hastak (Hand Movements) graceful and perfectly balanced, and her Chaal (kathak gait), elegant. 

     The first item choreographed by Sri Maulik Shah and Smt. Ishira Parikh was in Raag Saraswati, a beautiful melody that comes to Hindustani music from Carnatic Music and set to Teen Taal (16 beat rhythm cycle) which gives rise to small compositions like Tripalli, Tihaai, Tukdaa, Baant so that the audience could see the technical aspects of Kathak.

      The second item was a Sanskrit Ashtapadi by Sri Jayadeva [Sanskrit scholar] in Raag Shyamala Kauns set to Bhajan Taal, choreographed by Guru Nandini K Mehta, Mitha Vinay’s guru, it is about  Sri Krishna frolicking and playing with gopis in Brindavan garden while Radha awaits him. This Ashtapadi is actually a one-to-one discussion between Raadha and her Sakhi (friend) who explains to Radha Krishna’s delight in romancing with not one or two, but with many Gopikas.
     In Kathak, a Tarana is a technical piece usually 

presented as a final item and so Sargam Tarana in Raag Bhageshree and set to Jhap Taal (10 beats) and choreographed by Smt. Rani Khanam was the last item. In Hindustani classical music a Tarana has certain words and syllables like 'tadeem' 'dheerena' 'yalali' etc. based on Persian and Arabic utterances rendered at Madhya laya (medium pace) or Drut laya (fast pace) to show the beauty of rhythm and various combinations of rhythmic 

phrases, movements and stances.

    Mitha’s theatrical execution throughout the programme was nuanced, her facial expressions easy-to-read and her gestures, stylish. And she demonstrated her skill and technical precision in the exploration of rhythm and movement.

    But the report of the programme would not be complete without mentioning the students of Tatvamasi Centre for Performing Arts, founded by Mitha Vinay to spread the pure joy of movement and preserve and promote the art of Kathak.

     The students of Tatvamasi Centre for Performing Arts actually began the programme with a well choreographed and beautifully executed ballet, an invocation to goddess Saraswati.

Continuing on to a technical piece in Teentaal. The young dancers displayed a good understanding of Kathak as they danced with correctness and grace and displayed their form by doing the tatkaar with a good sense of rhythm, and they danced in the ensemble pieces with understanding and coordination, as one unit, not an easy task, as Kathak steps are much more difficult to do than they look. The students also looked good and were enjoyable to watch, showing  good promise for the future.

     Mitha Vinay has trained as a solo dancer in Bangalore under the guidance of Nandini K Mehta and K. Murali Mohan from Narthan Academy for Dance and Music (NADAM). She continues to be part of the NADAM ensemble and has performed across India and abroad as a soloist and as a part of NADAM ensemble. She holds a “Vidhwath” degree in Kathak, from Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board, and is an empanelled group artist of ICCR through NADAM and is a graded solo artist for Doordarshan. Mitha has also trained in folk dance forms of India, and due to her passion for dance has explored other genres like Odissi and Latin American dance styles-Salsa and Merengue. She has performed in these styles and in other Indian contemporary productions too and has done numerous corporate shows, workshops and lecture demonstrations on Kathak. Mitha has been teaching Kathak for over ten years. She founded and runs the “Tatvamasi - Centre for Performing Arts” (tat tvam asi” in Sanskrit means “this is you”) in Secunderabad since 2011.

TRANSLATING CARNATIC LYRIC POEMS TO DANCEPOEMS

Margam - A Path to Divinity

Bharatanatyam Recital by Kiranmayee Madupu

14th October 2016-Saptaparni

     This article was first published in Priya Laasya an Indian classical dance information website

     When we see Kiranmayee Madupu dance, we know that we are in the presence of an exceptionally talented dancer. This diminutive dancer has enormous stage presence. Her performance is compelling. All our senses are absorbed in it to the oblivion of everything else.

     And what induces and compels us to be engrossed by Kiranmayee’s dance is that she does not just interpret the poems; she intelligently translates lyric poems to dance, and by ‘translate’ we mean it as A.K. Ramanujan wrote, “A poem can only be translated by another poem. There is no such thing as a literal translation.” That’s what Kiranmayee did. She translated the poetry of Carnatic music to the poetry of dance. Bharatanatyam is her poetic expression.

    Kiranmayee was one with the music! Bharatanatyam is a collaboration between the musicians and the dancer and requires exemplary understanding, involvement and coordination for a successful performance and the musical collaborators on stage with Kiranmayee were: Vocal - Deevi Ravikanth, Nattuvangam (Cymbals) - Srinivas Karra, Mridangam - Subramaniam Karra, Violin - Sai Kumar Kolanka. 

     Picking stories from Indian mythology that the great poet/musicians of the Carnatic music tradition had memorialised in her 'margam', which in a traditional Bharatanatyam recital means the path, or the structure of items within a theme (rasa). And Kiranmayee translated this suite of dances to dancepoems. The whole margam was choreographed by the dancer, which she, by eschewing flamboyance, pared down to eloquent expressions of pure yet sparkling simplicity.

     Kiranmayee’s margam began with the dance of invocation -

     Shankari Shankuru | (Ragam Saveri | Talam Tisra Adi | Composed by Shyama Sastri. Shyama Sastri is one of the ‘Musical Trinity’ of Carnatic music composers, known for his literary compositions. In this invocation, the dancer meditates on Ambika, consort of Lord Shiva, with syllables of the traditional Alarippu (the blossoming – opening up the body), delineating the symbolic aspects of the goddess who on the one hand is the life-giving, nurturing mother of the universe and on the other hand, is the destroyer of evil.

     The next item in the Margam Sadhinchene O Manasa (Ragam Aarabhi | Talam Adi | Composed by Tyagaraja, another of ‘The Trinity’ of Carnatic music composers, and one of the five compositions by Saint Tyagaraja that are considered his eternal gems was performed as the centrepiece of the recital instead of a traditional Varnam, which is usually the main item in a Bharatanatyam perfrormance.

      In this item the dancer shows her technique, skill, and her intelligent translation of the music and lyrics to the poetics of dance.

     In this Tyagaraja composition the composer ironically addresses Krishna about his role in the great epic the Mahabharata, where he breaks rules and twists his words, justifying the apparently immoral while appearing to uphold Dharma (the righteous path). And the dancer translates this, depicting his interventions in dance, as when he without appearing to, intervenes, and prevents Draupadi from being disrobed in public by making her garment endless. And when he steals the clothes of unmarried, young Gopikas and yet the Gopikas completely let go of their bodily attachments, shame and modesty, and surrender to him on listening to the divine tunes of his flute. Or when he falsifies his own proclamation, yet upholds Dharma during Arjuna’s moral dilemma while fighting his own teachers, relatives and friends on the battlefield. Krishna tells him to do his duty and think not of the worldly attachments. Tyagaraja asks him to come to his rescue and help him attain his moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) for he has followed all the preaching that the Lord has given. 

     Kiranmayee depicted the meaning of this song, and portrayed inner emotion by saatvika abhinaya, the articulation of mood, character and emotion through the eyes; through subtle facial expressions and by her entire being. This was a tour de force of a performance, and the dancer displayed her rhythmic talents along with rich and variegated abhinaya (expressions), her footwork (nritta), hand gestures, (hastas). The audience was enthralled and broke into spontaneous applause at many points during this demanding, dramatic and beautifully rendered dancepoem.

     Kiranmayee’s next item was a Padam, a love lyric showcasing abhinaya - expression Mogudochi Pilichenu (Ragam Sahana | Talam Misra Chapu | Composer Sri Sarangapani).

    In this Padam, Kiranmayee illustrated the emotions of a young girl; married as a child, whose husband comes back to fetch her, and she bids farewell to Lord Krishna her love.  She tells him that it is time for her to go, but urges him not to forget her. She says that the string around her neck, the 

mangalasutram was something that was tied at a tender age when she was only playing and climbing trees. But now she must leave. She reminds him that the distance between the sun and the lotus does not affect the lotus's bloom. 

Similarly, her love would continue to be strong, even if she were not in the presence of her Krishna. The emotions of the departing young lover of Krishna were executed by the dancer as if she herself had experienced, understood and surrendered to love; it was as realistic a performance as one can see in a dance recital. 

    The last item of the programme was the beautiful Shloka-like poetic appeal to Shiva - Shambho Mahadeva ( Ragam Pantuvarali | Talam Roopakam | Composer Tyagaraja

    This sweet and melodious song was illustrated in dance with poignant grace and lyricism and was finished by the dancer taking the mike and singing the end of the song. This unusual occurrence was due to the intercession of Kiranmayee’s proud Guru, Hemamalini  Arni who encouraged her to sing. And this she did in fine voice as if she was meant to be a singer.

     That ended the evening at this wonderful amphitheatre Saptaparni, which had the stage built around a full-grown frangipani tree. And though it was a private performance, by invitation only, the amphitheatre was packed to capacity and we were left with the memory of the dancers grace, her impeccable sense of rhythm, her perfect balance and her lithe and supple movements; her mobile facial expressions, her impressive technique, and her intelligent translation of the poetry of music to the poetry of dance.

Photography credit: Ragalahari  
This article was first published in Priya Laasya an Indian classical dance information websitehttp://hamara.in/portals/space/SPACE20/Lifestyle/Culture/PriyaLasya/src/publish/cache/Dance_Reports/TX/BN_Kiranmayee_Report_Oct16.html

SIMPLY SCHUBERT

THE BANGALORE MEN - VOCAL ENSEMBLE

PAYAL JOHN - SOPRANO

JONAS OLSSON - BARITONE
AND NATALLIA KAPYLOVA - PIANO 

 This was the first time I was attending a recital that was dedicated to only one composer. Whatever apprehensions I had about this were peremptorily dismissed from the first notes of the smooth, perfectly balanced harmonies of The Bangalore Men.

     The concert presented by ‘The Bangalore Men’ an eleven-singer all-male voice ensemble, directed by Jonas Olsson, was simply named ‘SIMPLY SCHUBERT’ after Franz Peter Schubert, the composer whose music we would hear for the next 90 minutes.

     The featured soloists as named in the informative and well-designed programme that was given to all of us were Payal John - Soprano, Jonas Olsson – Baritone, and Natalia Kapylova – Piano. 

  

     Composer Franz Schubert, 1797 – 1828, born and bred in Vienna, Austria, was the romantic poet of music. And the music of Schubert bridged the ‘Romantic period’ and the ‘Classical period’ of classical music. His music was classical in design but romantic and passionate in emotion.

     While Schubert did in fact compose a few poems of his own, most of the poems have been written by various poets, but the poems were merely vehicles for the music which was supreme. Schubert, in staggering productivity set to music some six hundred romantic songs known as lieder, and song cycles, narrative poems meant for voice and piano. What’s unusual is that in Schubert’s songs, the human voice and the piano got equal importance, with the piano often interpreting the poem instead of the voice.

     And the Vocal ensemble, The Bangalore Men, and the pianist and soloists

Interpreted and brought to life the music of Franz Schubert in a manner that was true to the music, though the whole programme was sung in German.

     The evening’s performance began with a song called ‘The Gondolier’, Schubert’s version of a barcarole, a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers. This lilting song was sung by the ensemble in perfect harmony, in perfect balance, with a perfect blending of voices to create the image of gentle waves; the cadences, the texture, the modulation, and the absence of any dissonance made a huge impression. The Bangalore Men have to be acknowledged for their superlative vocal expression, and control.

     The ensemble went on with the same unerring exactitude and command over the music, through the programme of 18 songs, interspersed with solos by Payal John, Jonas Olsson and pianist Natallia Kapylova.

      Payal John’s first solo was ‘Ave Maria’, which she sang in German, but her voice, a rich soprano-towards-mezzo was crystal-clear, rounded and very expressive, so one felt the depth-of-beauty this music expresses. Ave Maria, to this listener, was unusual for Schubert, though it is arguably his most recognised work, perhaps because he was best known for his love-songs and this was the only religious song in the programme, all the rest being love songs, with the exception of the 23^rd Psalm. Payal John sang three other songs accompanied by pianist Natallia Kapylova, a singer’s ideal accompanist, who followed the sentiment of the composition with empathy.  

     Jonas Olsson, long time resident of Bengaluru, is Swedish, a trained musician from the Gothenburg conservatory, he has performed in Hyderabad before, first as a solo counter-tenor, and then as part of the Madrigals etc. In this programme, he was the Baritone soloist, he performed ‘Erlkonig’ D 328. This song is really a narrative dialogue between three people and the soloist has to adjust his voice to be three people in the same song. Jonas acquitted himself well, he had the right timbre of voice for this and the ability to bring out the drama of the song; because Schubert had perhaps written it for a countertenor who can switch to Baritone because of the huge range and dynamic contrast needed to express the sentiment of the song. The pianist in this piece had her work cut out for her due to the repetitive patterns that have to be played at a good speed, yet both the playing and singing were remarkably good.

      Jonas Olsson also sang ‘Der Doppelganger’ towards the end of the programme, which was also an exercise in contrasts.  

     Natallia Kapylova, from Belarus, was the next soloist, playing ‘impromptu’s No 3 and 4’, from Schubert’s four Impromptus Op 90 D 899. ‘Impromptu No 3’, was pure, quiet and flowing, like happily walking along a tree-shaded rippling stream, and the next, ‘Impromptu No 4’, quite a contrast, though quiet, it was more percussive with the left hand, yet the sound of the higher notes combined with the bass notes was equally soothing. Natalya’s fine sense of dynamics and her dextrous fingers running up and down the scales showed her sensitivity to Schubert’s pretty impromptu’s.

     There were four other soloists from amongst The Bangalore Men ensemble, the first was Chinglang Roumon, Baritone, who sang the difficult piece ‘And Die Music’ well. A soloist from amongst the basses, Subin Thomas, sang ‘Der Tod and das Madchen’, he too acquitted himself well displaying good control even on the really low notes. The third soloists from the ensemble was tenor, Timmy Yesudasan who sang ‘Standchen’ from ‘Schwanengesang’, he impressed, as he seemed more at ease as a soloist and presented the song with flair.  

     I must confess that my apprehensions about this programme were not about listening to an evening of Schubert, but about how well a group of part-time musicians could do justice to the music. It’s true, all the musicians on stage do other work to earn their living, and only make time, when they get the time, to pursue music, practice and rehearse. This is true of the whole men’s ensemble, as well as a specially trained and beautiful voice like Payal John, who I reckon, has so few opportunities to perform Western classical music, and whose gift, besides inherent talent, is the result of rigorous training to make her whole ‘being’ an instrument of music.

     But my misgivings were quite unfounded, and the whole programme was carried out with a rare professionalism, and one has to exercise restraint from being hyperbolic in describing the excellent production and performance of Schubert’s music by the musicians on stage at the Hyderabad Public School. 

     And for this opportunity to listen to this great ensemble, The Bangalore Men, whom Jonas Olsson is part of; and Payal John, and Natallia Kapylova, we have to acknowledge Amita Desai of The Goethe Zentrum, Hyderabad, The principal, staff and students of The Hyderabad Public School and the efforts of Joe Koster, the multi-tasking Swiss army knife of the Hyderabad Western Music Foundation.    

The Hyderabad Western Music Foundation   http://www.hydmusic.com/?q=node/432

YASHASWI SIRPOTDAR'S SILKEN RIBBONS OF SONG

     As I entered the banquet Hall of Secunderabad Club, for the ‘In Continuum’ Concert in July 2016, late, in true Hyderabadi tradition, on a rainy monsoon morning, it was as if I had entered a warm and embracing concert room filled with mellow reverberations.

      It was the effect of the music of Yashaswi Sirpotdar, a singer of disarming charm and dextrous ability whose obvious love of music was infectiously communicated to an appreciative audience. Onstage to capture the music’s vibrancy and emotion - flanking Yashaswi Sirpotdar were Suhaas Shastri on tabla on her right, and Rahul Gole on harmonium on her left and Kalyani Gajre on tanpura behind her left shoulder, Suhaas Shastri and Rahul Gole, themselves intelligent, engaging and sympathetic accompanists, always in sync, always together. In complete sangat.

     Listening to music ‘live’ is itself a privilege, so we will recollect the well-conceived concert as a captivated member of the audience, for which we must thank the Bararia family for organising this concert as part of ‘In Continuum’ the annual concerts they organise, beginning from 2014, to revive, after a gap of many years, Hindustani music concerts that elders in their family had started way back in 1973-74.  

     Yashaswi Sirpotdar began the morning’s performance with ‘Mian Ki Todi’. Two compositions - (a) Vilambit or the slow tempo set in Ek Taal of 12 beats. (b) Drut or fast tempo set in Teen Taal of 16 beats.

     She went on to ‘Ahir Bhairav’. Two compositions (a) Madhya Laya (laya means tempo, so it would be middle tempo, neither vilambit nor drut) set to Ek Taal. (b) Drut set to Ek Taal.

     Her approach to the music was engaging. Glorious and solid - straight ahead, no nonsense and with no flashy experimentation - in true Hindustani classical tradition.

     After the short Interval the concert resumed with ‘Sur Malhar’ also known as Surdasi Malhar. In its pure form it is Malhar, which is a season specific Raga, meant for the rainy season. It's a 'big' Raga. In this she sang two compositions: (a) Vilambit Teen Taal (b) Drut Teen Taal.

     Displaying fine musicianship, Yashaswi’s clear tone perfectly captured the essence of the raga. And her explorations of the raga, however deep, were never uncharted. Her thematic development never strayed from good structure and a symmetrical, rich flow of ideas. There was always clarity, logic in her communication. She never for a second, lost track of where she was, she was always in control; always aware of the final destination.

     ‘Thumri’, a sub-genre of Hindustani, is an essential vehicle for expressing all the rasas of love, like longing, anguish, jealousy, envy etc. The composition she sang had been made popular by the late, great, Shobha Gurtu. In a Thumri, when the lyric has something to do with the beginning of monsoon, dark clouds and of separation and longing, it is known as Kajri. This piece was a Kajri set in Keherwa Taal which is of eight beats.

     The last was a Marathi 'Abhang'. "Vaikunthichya Raya". It's also set in Keherwa Taal, but the style of playing this taal is typical of bhajans. It's also known as 'Bhajani Theka'.  

     Yashaswi Sirpotdar’s musicianship is first class. Her technique is beyond reproach. Her voice and song throughout the concert, was like silken ribbons floating and waving in a cloudless sky, just what we needed on a cloudy monsoon morning, she soared away full of great ideas, glistening over her embellishments. Clean. Clear and precise.  

     The accompanists Suhas Shastri and Rahul Gole, as we said before, were accomplished musicians and together with Yashaswi Sirpotdar gave us a display of class and dedication, a performance that wove silken patterns of grace and elegance and delivered this music to us in the audience with such pleasure and enthusiasm. 

      Photographs and expert inputs from Amit Bararia 

Of a Sublime & Refined Grace - Kuchipudi by Sindhuja

     A solo performance by Sindhuja presented by SICA on the inaugural day of Festival of classical dances ‘Nrithyotsav-2016’ at Ravindra Bharati, Hyderabad, 27th June 2016

     It was apropriate for Sindhuja to open the Nrithyotsav-2016, Festival of Dance. The rapt and appreciative audience at Ravindra Bharati was treated to an hour long Kuchipudi performance of gentle, effortless grace which set the standard high for the rest of the festival of dance.

     From the opening verse on Lord Ganesha in a dance composed by Dr.Yashoda Thakore with music by Sri D.S.V. Sastry in Raga Arabhi, Sindhuja was the epitome of delicate grace and refinement.  

     The rest of the performance comprised of dances that were - a Tyagaraja Kriti in Raga Kambhoji and Adi Tala; dance composed by Dr. Yashoda Thakore.

     The story of ‘Varaha avatara’, Vishnu’s incarnation as a boar. Dance composed by Dr.Yashoda Thakore, on a composition of Utukkad Venkata Subbayar, Nadamurali ganavilola in Ragamalika and Adi tala.

     A Javali, by Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer, Apudu manasu in Raga Khamas, Rupaka Tala, dance composed and taught by Smt. Bragha Bessel. The dancer enacts her inability to resist, contain herself or exercise self-control when the giver of boons, Lord Venkateswara desires to indulge in love-game and Cupid shoots arrows.

     A Thillana, the lyric in this tillana praises Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar of Mysore. In raga Jhanjuti and Adi tala, dance composed by Dr.Yashoda Thakore.

     The dancer, Sindujha, performed all these pieces with a combination of lightnesss and intensity that was extraordinary.

     Her dramatisations in dance detailed the moods, expression and the words of the song with perfect communication. Her mobile face expressing joy, petulance, wonder, exasperation, pride and contentment in turns, as the story required, so that the audience understood the story through her facial expressions and movements and steps.

   Throughout the programme Sindujha presented the richness and beauty of Kuchipudi

in its most classical form, especially in the splendid tillana, where she performed a gamut of interestingly woven abstract dance, nritta (pure dance), in aesthetic and  creative variations and movements to set syllables.

     All-in-all, an evening of audience delight. Whether it was her interpretation of Rasa (emotion), Bhava (mood), Sahitya (lyric) Abhinaya (expression), The eyes of the audience were focused on Sindhuja and her delicious detailing of dance. It was an evening of sublime grace.  

 

Artist profile: Sindhuja, is an Architect but has put architecture on hold while she concentrates on dance and does her PhD from the Department of Dance, University of Hyderabad. Sindhuja is under the guidance of Dr. Yashoda Thakore, a major Kuchipudi dancer, an author, an educationist and an inspiration to many.

     A graded artist by Doordarshan, Sindhuja has performed Kuchipudi all over India at prestigious events and runs her own school of dance. And  due to her rigorous grounding in Carnatic music she adds an exceptional passion and understanding to her interpretation of the music.  

Photographs: Pranay Rupani