Madhura Bhrushundi’s worship of dance brought out in Bharatnatyam solo presentation
 |
| Madhura Bhrushundi |
The
entire stage was bedecked with mogra flowers. Madhura wore a blue
magenta aharyam for the evening. Her tall, thin frame looked
impressive. For the evening, she showcased the recent choreographic
works of her guru, and a Tanjore quartet varnam in Kamboji ragam.
The
first piece was a pushpanjali to Goddess Saraswati. Beginning with a
stance to depict the goddess, she elaborated her attributes —
tapasviney, kamalasaney, she holds the holy beads in her hand,
kamalvilochaney, manahsviney, var prasadiney, with the hans as her
steed.
Next
was a varnam, a composition of the Tanjore quartet, in raag Kamboji,
aditalam. ‘Varnam’ means ‘colour’, and presents varied
colours or expressions and aspects of a mood. The varnam
‘Sarojakshii’ talks about the yearnings of the heroine, who is in
love with Maheshwara. She tells her sakhi, ‘The time is ripe for
love, Cupid’s arrows are unbearable. The cuckoo’s chirping
aggravates my pinning. Go and fetch Brihadeeshwara.’ Madhura
started the piece with nritta – jatis, squats, leaps and footwork.
The lotus-eyed sarojakshi
is
asked by the nayika to go and give the message to her lover. The
expressions of yearning were brought out well by Madhura.
All of
creation is conspiring to aggravate the suffering of the nayika. The
bees on flowers, the birds, the bees, the butterflies, the doe-eyed
deer, are all enhancing her pain. . Kamdev shoots his arrows and the
cuckoo’s song aggravates the nayika’s pain. The gestures for
Kamdev, with a bow and arrow, was interpreted in several different
ways, with some very expansive movements and stances. Madhura’s
abhinaya to show the pain caused by the cuckoo’s song, the burning
of viraha, the arrows piercing the heart of the heroine, was executed
with the skills given by her guru.
The
next piece was a colloquial padam, in raag Saurashtram, aditalam.
This is about jealousy between Devyani and Valli, the wives of
Murugan. Devyani is the daughter of Indra and Valli is the daughter
of a tribesman. Devyani thinks ill of Valli, also because she is the
other lover of Lord Murugan. The depiction shows Devyani stringing
flowers in her hair. She says to herself, today her (Valli’s)
virtues are counted, and you speak highly of her. Today she rules.
But there was a time when she came begging for jewellery with
humility. So don’t sing her praises anymore. Madhura brought out
that attitude of Devyani, since she is of a higher caste, and these
expressions were very different from what was shown in the earlier
piece. The jealousy and contempt of one woman for another was shown
very well.
Next
was a Meera bhajan, ‘Mane chakar rakho ji’, in raag Maand. The
bhajan has been popularised by Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbalakshmi. The
piece began with a violin solo by the young G. Raghavendra. Meera
sits at the feet of Gopal, washing them, fanning him, stringing
flowers for him, making chandan. While doing all this, she is begging
to be his servant. The kirtan was done with khartal, mridangam and
manjira. This bhajan is also Geetaji’s favourite and Madhura
brought forth the unmad in Meera’s heart as she sings this bhajan
to her lord. Dancing and singing is a state of ecstasy, and it was
depicted very well. The bhajan and the nritya won the hearts of the
audience.
Finally,
she performed a thillana in raag Raageshwari, aditalam. Music was
given by Lalgudi Jayaraman. Her footwork, leg lifts, bends,
expansive, open movements, balancing stances, precision — all were
commendable, and a mirror of her guru’s excellence and perfection.
Madhura truly soaks herself in the teachings of her guru.
The
nattuvangam and choreography were by Geeta Chandran, vocals by S.
Venkateshwar, mridangam by Manohar Balatchandirane and violin by G.
Raghavendra.
Pics: Anoop Arora
Comments
Post a Comment