By Sumitra Nitin
The saying ‘Maataa Pitaa Guru Deivam’ defines the order of importance in the relationships in our life. Mother certainly tops the pecking order. When the mother herself is the Guru and guiding light, how much more special can it get for the child?
The audience at the arangetram of the sisters Sharmada Rajaram and Samyuktha Rajaram were indeed blessed to witness the result of many years of unstinting hard work of their mother and Guru Smt. Soumya Rajaram. There was class in every moment of the performance, be it in the correctness of the movement, the sincerity of the expression or the ease in the execution. It was also amply evident that the children had not shirked on their effort even an iota.
Their recital reaffirmed faith in the timeless beauty of Bharatanatyam. And when such beauty was seen in the dance of ones so young, surely the credit must be given in large measure to the mother and Guru for transmitting her fund of knowledge patiently to her daughters over many years.
The sisters began their debut performance with a beautiful Pushpanjali in Ragam Yaman Kalyani, an unusual Ragam for the opening item followed by a Slokam on Dakshinamurthy. The Pushpanjali was a composition of the eminent violinist Sri Easwar Ramakrishnan. Sharmada is a freshman and Samyukta is in grade 6 and understandably they were not matched in their heights. But not once did this difference matter visually and to her credit the little sister matched her elder sibling at every step with the same maturity and power.
After a vibrant Alarippu in Khanda Gati came the sparkling Jatisvaram in Ragam Vachaspati choreographed by veteran Guru Smt. Savithri Jagannatha Rao. Right through Guru Soumya Rajaram had adapted the existing choregraphies for duo dancing with her subtle innovativeness making it very interesting for the rasika.
Being faithful to the Margam the children next presented a Sabdam composed by the legendary Guru Adyar Sri. K. Lakshman. The innocent love of a girl infatuated with Lord Nataraja seemed like a tailor-made sentiment for the girls and their earnest expressions said it all.
The jewel in the crown was undoubtedly the Varnam ‘Chalamela’ in Nattaikurinji, a lesson in choreography by the inimitable Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale. Challenging quicksilver movements meant for much more mature dancers were effortlessly executed by the debutantes!
The sahitya demanded change of expressions for every syllable in a word and the girls rose to the challenge admirably. The audience were riveted to the stage with dance that was honest to the core sans additions to make it appealing. The complex Jatis, short in length, a welcome departure from the boring long winding ones, were recited with grace and control by Soumya.
The second half began with both the girls dancing to the devotional Tulisdas bhajan ‘Sri Ramachandra kripalu bhajamana’ choreographed by dancer and Guru Sri Sheejit Krishna. The Javali Apadooruku in Khamas portraying a young maiden who is upset that her innocent actions
in the company of the hero have become the subject of gossip, was executed with deep understanding by Sharmada. The masterly touch of the leading Abhinaya exponent Guru Smt. Bragha Bessel was evident in the choreography. A perfect choice of Devarnama, imaginatively choreographed by Soumya, ‘Gummana Karayadire’ it was for Samyukta who pleaded convincingly as little Krishna with His mother Yasodha to refrain from calling the boogeyman.
The plethora of deities featured in the performance certainly added to the charm of the evening. Lord Muruga came in all His splendour in the portrayal of the composition ‘Muruganin maru peyar azhagu’ and the meaningful slokam that preceded it. The thoughtful choreography of dancer Smt. Karuna Sagari struck a chord in the viewer at a much deeper level.
When Sharmada and Samyukta danced the Tillana in ragam Brindavanasaranga (choreography Guru Adyar Sri K Lakshman) with joy the entire audience was with them in mind and spirit. Every member of the audience was up on their feet applauding the effort of the girls who made their mother-Guru beam with well-earned pride.
Right from the first strains of Yamankalyani the violinist and flautist of the evening Smt. Tara Anand and Sri Anirudha Bharadwaj respectively, showed their class providing breathtaking preludes for every piece and understanding accompaniment for them as well. The percussion was handled masterfully by Sri. Murali Balachandra who enhanced the layam with arresting variations. Sri Deepu Karunakaran effortlessly and sonorously rendered all the pieces and was magnanimous in not taking away the attention from the dancers. His rendering of the Slokam in Behag showed musicianship of a very high order. The girls wore costumes in traditional colours that were tasteful, again a testament to the Kalakshetra influence of their Guru.
The compering for the evening flowed like music from the mouth of Smt. Janani Swamy and her taking the pose of Lord Ranganatha during her commentary was surely an ‘aha’ moment.
Sharmada and Samyukta have everything to make a mark as dancers to be noticed in the field of Bharatanatyam and with their greatest asset, their mother, beside them they are bound to scale new peaks in excellence in the art form. That evening was a heartening reaffirmation for those who cherish the eternal and traditional in Bharatanatyam.
(Sumitra Nitin is a Carnatic musician and Bharatanatyam dancer with an illustrious career as performer. She is also a respected teacher of both the art forms at her institution Natyasruti in Bangalore, India, where she lives. She has presented many acclaimed thematic performances in music and dance both as a soloist and along with her students. She has also performed the lead role in an English play produced by a leading theater company in India.)
