ONLINE: From sound and word to fear of death, six concept-rich new solos emerge from interdisciplinary mentorships in Divya Warrier’s Pratiroop season 3

For some years now, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam dancer Divya Warrier has been organizing Pratiroop, an online dance event. Divya has been trained by Guru Dr. Neena Prasad, among other gurus. In the first edition of Pratiroop online, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Divya used the platform to raise funds for underprivileged children being supported by the Warrier Foundation. Since then, the event has been supporting the cause.

The concept of the event is novel – an established dancer from one dance form is paired with a mentor, a senior guru from another dance form. In the guru shishya parampara of the Indian classical arts, a disciple will usually adhere ardently to their guru’s teachings and form. The concept of a mentor may not be new, but is increasingly gaining ground since it is the gurus who want their disciples to experiment, and the disciples too want the new perspective offered by a guru from another form. This is where stepping out of your comfort zone and creativity begin. Since whatever form you learn, your guru’s teachings become the language of your style, Pratiroop would mean learning another language. The experiment has been quite successful and Divya has multiple seasons of a series of performances of this nature.

Kuchipudi: Avijit Das, mentored by Mohiniyattam guru Dr. Neena Prasad

Avijit Das

This was Season 3 of Pratiroop, which was streamed in April 2023. The first mentee was Kuchipudi dancer Avijit Das, mentored by Mohiniyattam guru Dr. Neena Prasad. Avijit is known for his contemporary interpretations, innovative concepts and his firebrand style. His piece, ‘Kamsa’, was about the fear of death. There is unpredictability in death and thus there is a fear of death. Kamsa had made several failed attempts at killing Krishna and now lives in fear of being killed by him. Avijit spoke very highly of ‘Dr. Neena Chechi’, who urged him to think about the subject freely and at the same time, guided and prodded him on the subject to bring out the creativity in him.

His costume, an orange dhoti, with his very elaborate headgear, neckpieces and kati bandh with golden beads, was very appropriate for the character. His gait, walking behind an illuminated screen in shadow as if riding a horse, his mannerisms, hastas and footwork, showed the arrogance of Kamsa. With his bravery, he has killed many and vanquished many. He had killed the six infants born to his sister, whom he loved, but the thought of her eighth child made him fear his death. He looks at his reflection in a pond to see his sentiments clearly. He is positively scared. He plans to chop off the infant’s head in one go. He had sent Putana to kill the child but the baby sucked out her life through her breasts. The baby had killed Shaktasura with one kick of his foot. Kamsa wonders, looking at his image in the water, whether he will die or live forever. 

 

The orange hue in the background enhanced the dilemma of an arrogant king. Avijit’s expressions when looking in a vessel filled with water were telling of a person who just keeps thinking of his death, though he still thinks that he can live forever. Will he come like a thunderstorm to shake me out of my wits, Kamsa wonders. He shuts the door and keeps peeping out of it. That is how scared he is. He cannot sleep peacefully – he dozes off but fear startles him awake. The camera’s focus was on the dancer’s retreating feet and then on his eyes, shifting up, down, left, right. What imagery Avijit used of the fear of death! It was a very intense close-up of the eyes that knew no sleep and kept watch constantly.

It is said that Ravana was not constantly in fear of Rama. It was only when he learnt that Rama had crossed over to Lanka with his army that he vented his fear from all ten mouths simultaneously. But Kamsa lived in fear of death continuously since he heard the divine voice telling him that the eighth child of Devaki would be his kaal. It is highly impressive of the mentee, Avijit, and the mentor guru, Dr. Neena Prasad, to have worked on such an unusual subject and developed it so well. 

 

The costuming was very apt, with balls of black thread and the headgear. Avijit used lighting to reflect the mood of the scene and of course, the water-filled vessel that Kamsa keeps seeing his reflection in to reflect on the fear in himself. Avijit used hastas and his eyes to show the growing fear of death in Kamsa. But his softer features did not make him look like a demon. With the help of captions and narration, the story was pieced together and Avijit, through expressions, gait and abhinaya, evocatively told the story of Kamsa, who lived constantly in fear of death.

Bharatnatyam: Arupa Lahiri, mentored by Kuchipudi and Vilasini Natyam guru Anupama Kylash

Arupa Lahiri

The next performance was by Arupa Lahiri in Bharatnatyam, mentored by Anupama Kylash. Again, it was an unusual concept. When Arupa explained and elaborated on the concept, it sounded very abstract to me. What I gathered about word, sound, meaning and resonance is that brahma naad is the first sound that still prevails in emptiness and it is your connect to the divine. It is the origin of all sound, word and music. The meaning is the connect between what one thinks and what one speaks. The chanting is a form of meditation where the repeated use of a sound helps the mind concentrate. The connect and the disconnect between word, its meaning, the origin of the sound from within and its resonance as it emerges is a thought-provoking exploration.

Shabda Brahma – that is what the philosophy of Om says. The Bible said that the word is God and Bhartrihari said that shabdbrahman is limitless. Creativity too stems from the nabhi kshetra, which is the seat of all music. It was difficult to fathom how it would be put to dance. Naad mantra shabdbrahm geetam are all a reflection of the supreme. Arupa depicted the sound through waves in various directions as sound resonates everywhere. She brought out the essence of sound and word in the various forms of life through hastas and footwork, showing a deer, a bird, a butterfly and an elephant, ending in a half rotation in broad plie.

Ignorance: The next section had Arupa standing behind huge alphabets from various Indian languages hanging from the ceiling above her. The next narration said that the word is omnipotent since it gives strength; salute the omniscient word since it gives strength to my word, the word is omniscient since it is always around me. Arupa moved in a zig-zag pattern around the strings of the alphabets. The word is the divine mother, all-pervading, all-encompassing. She is Saraswati, Durga and Kali. The word is the divine mother who brings enlightenment to all and she is also the darkness that engulfs all. Without her, there is ignorance. To the beating of the drums, Arupa danced in circles. The Mother is not darkness – ignorance and wordlessness. She dispels fear and ignorance with her aura. She is the word. Her locks spread out, she wears the new moon on her head, she carries the shankh chakra and kataksh, trishool. The hastas for trishul were taken in a broad plie. The mother has rudra trinetra or three eyes, like Shankara; she is simhastha rudra, riding on the lion, her steed, and vanquishing evil. Arupa moved in circles, flexing her shoulders like a moving lion. The mother embodies the aura of all the three worlds – trilok tej sampoornayi. Arupa ended on a vandana that is a written word, worshipping Durga as the one who blesses her bhaktas with all that they wish for. 

The last section was about the word and the vibration or naad that emerges. Arupa stood with her back in darkness, almost a shadow. The narration said that beyond the image is a meaning, beyond a meaning is a sound, beyond the sound a vibration and beyond a vibration is the supreme within which everything resides. A glowing cloud emerged from the background. The root of all sound is the naad bindu, where the mother naadroopini resides. The screen was divided into three, the central segment illuminated and showing Arupa in silhouette. The naad emerges from the lower chakras and rises with the kundalini. Arupa depicted the rising kundalini with lotus hands rising with the kundalini. The naad emerges from the mouth as the word. The rhythmic notes used for this piece made an impact. The notes and rhythm of the mridangam and the heartbeat are primeval sounds emerging from the naad. The words adi naad, brahma naad, anahad Omkara were recited. The Om emerges and rises to the kapal as the yogi recites the Om. Arupa ended on that note as the Om rises to the sahasrara chakra. 

Arupa, as I have seen over the years, is an outstanding dancer. It is not only the mastery of her form and technique which is very precise and exact – perfect hastas, footwork, stances, balancing, agility – but in her abhinaya, she becomes the character she is depicting. You can almost feel the exuberance of the devi when she is showing her attributes. And she is a thinking dancer. It was a very abstract piece and she interpreted it in a very erudite way. Anupama Kylash akka’s impact on the interpretation and choreography was evident. In the second section, she used the huge alphabets to enhance her theme and in the third, silhouettes and shadows to portray the naad brahma. A theme so abstract and vast was encapsulated in a short performance. The music, rhythm and vocals all enhanced the impact. She left an indelible mark. Here, a point that just occurred to me was that it was not the costume, music or vocals, but the thought process that was the primary factor in a performance.

Odissi: Rudraprasad Swain, mentored by Bharatanatyam guru Rama Vaidyanathan 

Rudraprasad Swain

Next was Rudraprasad Swain performing Odissi, mentored by Rama Vaidyanathan. The piece is based on a poem by Shri Mayadhar Raut. Here, the nayak is waiting for his lover in the rainy season, which is the season for the union of lovers. He is in despair since he hasn’t heard from her. In his depiction, he has shown how the rains progress from becoming drops to a storm and lightning. 

As it pours, the peacock spreads its wings to dance. Rudra’s moves were expansive. The birds are chirping, the butterflies frolicking and nature is joyful. The nayak wakes up to a wet morning and feels the pangs of separation. He is imagining holding and kissing his beloved. 

 

The anguished lover writes a letter to her. Rudra tumbled and rolled to read the words and finally folds it to give to the messenger, closing it with his kiss. When the letter comes back unanswered, he laments that he has been counting the sleepless nights, the sounds of the thunder hurt him and the lighting is like arrows to his distressed heart, as if something is cutting through his heart. He dreams of the times she would dress up and they would enjoy the rain together. He would spray her with the raindrops and embrace her. But his dream comes to an end in the morning.

Kathak: Amruta Paranjape, mentored by Odissi guru Sharmila Biswas

Amruta Paranjape

 Next was Amruta Paranjape performing Kathak, mentored by Sharmila Biswas. Amruta has 24 years’ experience in Kathak. ‘Aavahan’ is based on Swami Vivekananda’s poetry ‘Kali the mother’. “ it is based on the awakening of the kundalini in a sadhaka. Kali is the fire that lies dormant at the base of the serpent of kundalini in the subtle body of the sadhaka. The sadhaka is in a state of ignorance. He goes out in search of his true self. While there is a flickering of this truth awakening in him, the hidden goddess arises within him and devours his ego or the self, thus purifying him. She destroys all worldly associations and the maya around him. Her touch makes the shava a Shiva and awakens awareness within him. Once the sadhaka surrenders to her, the mother helps him complete this gruesome journey.

The scene began with a crackling sound like that of a fire from a pyre. The stage was set with a cobweb thread installation, a staircase on the other side and a long cloth hanging from the ceiling on one side. She made scary sounds while rotating her head. She ploughed into the heap of newspapers with her head, scattering them and the pile of utensils. She tried to gather them but ended up scattering them more. She finds her attachments in them. She tried to blow away the cobwebs and untangle them but unsuccessfully. She tried to climb the rope but wrapped it around her neck. She climbed the steps, fell using the hanging cloth and then symbolically, the dhunki, the earthen pot, lit up and starts to emit smoke. To me, it meant that we try to find our nirvana in the mundane things around us but fail – in fact, we end up embroiling ourselves in futile activities. It is only when the breath becomes short and the heart flutters to get out of the body that you realize that life is not the same anymore. 

 

Amruta depicted how the fluttering prana is caught and brought back into the body. It is at the base of the spine that the fire of awakening is kindled and as it rises, that same fire is used as an aarti for the goddess. She picked up a bamboo stick and removed the clutter around her – the kitchen utensils, the daily newspapers, the cobwebs, the cloth and the ladder, symbolic of everyday attachments – and then danced with the bamboo stick, rotating it. The commentary said that the darkness has been dispelled. The dance of joy is danced with leaps and chakkars. “Come mother come” says the devotee as she clears her path. But she is also the deity of grim death; she feeds on the blood of humans. Amruta did a back bend while sitting to show Kali tearing the throat of the human and immediately sat up as Kali, staring down. Kali dances as she breaks the shackles on her devotee. 

Amruta did justice to her piece and theme as she gave it a contemporary interpretation in her choreography with the utensils, the ladder, the newspapers and cobwebs. When Kali makes her devotees realize the eternal truth of life, which is death yet again, the rhythm and the abhinaya were used to show the coming of the Mother. The abhinaya was apt but somehow, I felt Amruta was missing the truth, the rhythm in her dance. Somehow, the Bengali music did not sit so well with the rhythm of pakhawaj and Kathak. Just a bit more effort might have made the difference and made it slightly less abrupt.

Bharatanatyam: Divya Nayyar, mentored by Kathak guru Prerna Shrimali 

 

The next mentee was Divya Nayyar, performing Bharatanatyam under the mentorship of Prerna Shrimali. The work was called ‘Emerge’ and it was a three-part presentation of the journey of an artist. The first step is when an idea emerges, the spark that takes birth inside and what happens then. How much of yourself you lose to the inspiration and how much you are able to internalize the concept. Divya began the performance standing in the centre of a halo of light. The quote by Subramania Bharathi on the screen read ‘I placed a spark in the hollow of a tree, it burned down the entire forest! In conviction, is there such a thing as the fledgling and the mighty?’ She depicted the spark growing, fed by thoughts, growing bigger to turn the forest into ashes. 

Divya Nayyar

The second part says, according to a quote by Mahadevi Verma, that the shame one feels when a cloth comes loose is meaningless – the eye of the Almighty is everywhere. Divya used a dupatta as a prop to show the cloth that covers. Sitting in the centre of a circle that was made with dupattas, she symbolically showed the various roles we assume, dressing as various individuals. But when we drop these covers, we should not be ashamed as the Almighty is everywhere and sees us inside out. So drop all the made-up, worldly clothing. Divya’s expressions were evocative. 

The next bit was about the river running to merge with the ocean. But before it enters the sea, it trembles with fear. The spark within has engulfed the being and it has found its voice. Going forth is the only way. Divya depicted the river trembling and flowing, hesitant and fearful, and then silently abandoning itself to the ocean. 

 

It was quite a soothing performance with slow, well-defined movements and well-meditated moves. It was just that as a viewer, I missed the continuity of the thought process between the three pieces. In fact, I felt the initial concept of the emerging spark within should have been carried forward. And of course, a bit of rhythm and nritta in between could have worked, but that’s just a suggestion.

Mohiniyattam: Mythili Prakash, mentored by Kuchipudi guru Vyjayanti Kashi 

Mythili Prakash

The last mentee was Mythili Prakash performing Mohiniyattam, and the mentor was Vyjayanti Kashi. Vaijayanti Kashi ji is very well-known for both the nritta and the nritya in her productions. 

 

The piece that was performed was about the eternal binary. For all the good in human characters, there also exists evil, the delusion or the maya. The main protagonist here is Simhika or Lalitha. Here, the noble Panchali falls prey to Simhika’s lure. Guru Sadanam Balakrishnan taught her this padam from the Attakalanam Kimirivadam. He has also written additional sentences for the character of Panchali. As the story goes, Panchali and her husbands are living in the forest peacefully in exile. Shardula is a demon they hunt down. His wife Simhika vows to avenge the death of her husband. She disguises herself as the beautiful Lalitha and coaxes Draupadi to come to a Durga temple in the forest where she intends to kill her. Guru Sadanam Balakrishnan has written additional lines for the character of Panchali. The piece is a conversation between the two women. 

 

The setting was the typical stage setting for a Kathakali performance, with a colourful curtain and the lamp. Mythili’s costume had a beautiful neckpiece, a black veil and long nails on her right hand. Simhika is shown to be enjoying the forest, the flowers, the birds, the deer and other animals, the bees and butterflies humming. Mythili did not delve much on the murder of the demon and came straight to the conversation with Lalitha. Draupadi is hesitant to go to the forest but Lalitha persuades her to come along and enjoy the forest. Mythili wore the black veil to show the scheming character of Lalitha and her narrowed eyes and the rubbing of hands completed the characterization. Draupadi notices that nature betrays Simhika’s deception. The flowers smell rotten, the cobwebs wrap around her. As Simhika seats Draupadi and dresses her hair with flowers as she intends to kill her, she comes into her own without the disguise. Mythili used a black shawl to show the dance of the demoness as she prepares to kill Draupadi. But Arjuna comes to her aid in time and defaces Simhika. Draupadi finally tells her that she is the wife of five mighty men and Simhika should have considered that before attacking her. 

Mythili made good use of the black veil and shifting positions to show both the good and the evil characters. Though she moved less on stage, her abhinaya was very powerful, accentuated by the changing hues of the lighting.