A cultural invocation for peace and reconciliation
|
|
|
Though the program material was entirely confined to dance and drumming, the coverage was rich and diverse; and so was the galaxy of talent drawn entirely from the subcontinent - Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan.
The only pity was that tickets for the hall cost as much as Rs. 1,000 without even a box plan. This denied access to many who might have yearned to be there but could not afford it.
It’s a daunting task to attempt in a single writing to encapsulate some impressions of both performances of such technicality and distinction. Yet I am arrogating to myself the privilege of doing so for no other reason than the excellence of the entertainment and the spirit of the theme and occasion.
The first concert
Fittingly, the first concert was programmed to begin with an offering to Saraswathi; the stage was immersed in total darkness in an ambience of silence perhaps awaiting the arrival of the crack of dawn.
As the conch shell began to blow echoingly, temple bells signalled the curtain to raise amidst the frenzied chant of a shloka. All that was missing was the aroma of incense.
It was none other than Upekha de Silva Chitrasena who stood resplendent on a pedestal at centre-stage flanked on either side by three young dancers, three of whom were granddaughters of colossal Chitrasena.
She symbolized Saraswathi-Consort of the Lord of Creation and the personification of all arts, sciences, crafts and skills. The carnatic-style singing of Arundathi Sri Renganathan and the mirdangam blaring through the side speakers created the perfect atmosphere of a temple Pooja.
As Upekha stepped down and began her dance routines, the choreography and music sustained the sanctity of the pooja. But it took only just a few more steps of navigation before the choreography changed, almost theatrically and yet smoothly.
Kandyan drums replaced the carnatic music and a reincarnated Saraswathi manifested essentially in Kandyan-dance idiom.
That didn’t last long either as Upekha returned to the other Saraswathi. The joyous routine enacting a dialogue between two cultural idioms gave a great start to the concert.
It was way back in 1991 that Upekha had first performed this very same Saraswathi Pooja perhaps never realizing that 15 years later it would serve as a fitting espousal of peace and reconciliation.
Furthermore, it reflects the inventiveness and capacity of the Chitrasena family to synthesize cultural elements and amass a repository of dance forms that survives the passage of time.
The next part of the concert belonged to the Delhi-based Indian dancer Anusha Lall who also possesses a Sri Lankan ancestry on the maternal side. She studied Bharatanatyam under Padmashri Leela Samson-one of the greatest living exponents of this dance form.
Classical dancing
Bharatanatyam transcends all other forms of Indian classical dancing. It’s rhythmically intricate, structurally complex, evocatively romantic and visually captivating. The charm and technical brilliance of Kathak dancing is not forgotten here.
The short and sweet invocatory Alarippu defined Anusha Lall’s unique physical symmetry and stage presence and intended to give a teasing foretaste of what was likely to come in the exposition of the Varnam.
In structuring her program, Anusha Lall had consciously opted not to perform a full-format Bharatnatyam recital. Given the occasion and the need for variety this made sense. Curiously however, she interpolated a contemporary dance sequence between the traditional Varnam and a final Tillana and called it ‘Sambodhan.’
There was also something else about Anusha Lall that I found perhaps unconventional if not intriguing.
The traditional Bharatnatyam dancer is colourfully adorned. The face is thickly painted, eye brows are sharply enhanced, palms of the hands and soles of the feet are coloured, the jasmine-studded hair invariably ends in a languish plait, ankel bells adorn the feet and characteristically worn saris tend to be rich and shimmering. In other words, a portrayal of alluring radiance.
In contrast, there was a touch of plainness in Anusha Lall’s bearing - the face revealed her natural skin colour and feet and palms were hardly decorated and the mustard-gold sari with a rust border was sedate though elegant.
Whether she made a special statement for the occasion or this is the usual way she performs Bharatnatyam remained somewhat of an enigma. Though in this respect she might have strayed from tradition, without doubt Anusha’s stage presence and costuming were an epitmore of elegant simplicity.
Experimental abstraction
Perhaps she did herself some injustice firstly by foregoing the traditional ornateness and secondly by inserting an experimental abstraction between the Varnam and the Tillana.
The preferred sequencing might have been to end the program with the Sambodhan. Ultimately in my view there was a price to pay. If the sum and substance of Bharatnatyam is the Varnam, then its coherence, vitality and perspective were compromised.
This was a great pity since Anusha Lall showed incisive technical virtuosity with her Nritya as well as precise synchronization and control in her routines with an excellent team of musicians.
Notwithstanding all that, Sambodhan as a stand-alone creation had profundity and a vocabulary that was arresting. It began in a confined area with an ambience of clever lighting and the drone of a tampura. Fluid, convoluting movements unfolded a gush of restlessness and internal energy.
Elastic, outreaching movements produced dimensional illusions in the anatomy. As the dance progressed, ecstasy, sensuousness and languor surrendered to the inevitability of the ultimate void.
Anusha Lall’s half of the program ended with a Tillana crisply executed to the beautiful accompaniment of Mandari Ragam and Adi Talam.
The second concert
The second concert was total immersion in a world of percussion - a feast of drums and nothing but drums. The first half belonged to Ravibandu Vidyapathy. In the second half, Pakistani Dhol Masters Pappu Saeen and Jura Saeen gave a scintillating display of classical dholism.
Sri Lanka’s traditional drums possess a unique tonal quality; when played ensemble with stylized drumming and associated costuming, the impact is extraordinarily striking.
In a review of Chitrasena’s last performance of Nritanjali, I had alluded to the stand-alone drum orchestra as a creation of Chitrasena and his percussion associates. It’s used as a rousing interlude or tailpiece in the programmatic material of his dance dramas.
Ravibandu however tells me that the concept of a Sri Lankan drum orchestra was first demonstrated by the late Pani Bharatha - a great pioneer in Sri Lanka’s percussion theatre.
In the indigenous repertory of Sri Lanka’s performing-arts, the only ingredients that conform to a classical tradition are the Kandyan dance and the drumming. The two together have acquired a distinct Sri Lankan identity. Ravibandu Ensemble’s item with Sri Lankan drums exemplified this to near perfection as did Chitrasena’s drum orchestrations.
Views against that background, Ravibandu’s Bahu Ranga pertained to the ‘global arena’ - here one can cook up a percussive melange drawing from a pool of global resources. The instrument choice is virtually infinite - from various drums, bells, and castanets to tom toms and tambourines.
The influence of jazz and Afro-Cuban music and dance in particular has added to the extreme popularity and variety in modern percussion. Though Bahu Ranga did not have such an array of instruments, it demonstrated the scope and impact of cross-cultural mixing of percussion materials and rhythms.
It can be very exciting to cross boundaries and enjoy the fusion experience. But I believe it is best when indulged in only as an occasional flirtation.
Ravibandu has a solid foundation in Kandyan dance and drumming as well as in tabla playing. His long association with Chitrasena and Vajira has given him versatile choreographic skills. As a rising star in dance and drums and endowed with sensitivity and an imaginative flair he has great potential.
It is my fervent hope that he will remain principally focused on creating compositions incorporating classical Sri Lankan choreographic and rhythmic elements.
Transcendental Dholism
Never before had I knowingly heard the instrument called Dhol being played. I also suspect that many in the audience hadn’t heard or seen this instrument before. It’s a double-sided barrel drum played with two sticks. In the Punjab regions the dhol is extensively used in Bangra Dancing - folk dances celebrating and expressing the joy of successful harvests.
It’s also a drum used in the sacred music of Sufism - the mystic and esoteric dimension of Islam based on the pursuit of spiritual truth and divine love that is pantheistic in its embrace.
Sulfiqar Ali and Manzoor Hussain are teacher and pupil hailing from Pakistan; and both are incomparable masters of the classical Dhol. They are lovingly nick named Pappu Saeen and Jura Saeen respectively. Pappu is also a disciple of Baba Shah Jamal, a greatly revered Sufi saint.
In the classical ragadhari music of India (Northern) and Pakistan, the accompanying drum typically is either the Pakhawaj or the Tabla. Typically, the former is used in the exposition of the Dhrupad style of singing and the other in the Kheyal style.
These drums are played seated and are smaller than the dhol. But most importantly, while they are absolutely indispensable to any classical recital, their role is entirely that of an accompanist.
Given its large sound box and the loudness levels relative to the tabla, one would have doubted if the Dhol could ever produce the subtleties and the finger-tip intricacies of tabla-playing. What was in fact witnessed turned out to be a revelation.
Pappu and Jurra Saeen’s Dhol recital was an incredible demonstration of their ability to play almost a full sequence of rhythm that would accompany a kheyal recital but without a recitalist to provide the melodic exposition of a raaga. In essence, it was as if they simulated the accompaniment for a ‘ghost singer’.
The duo began with Mutta Taal, a 9-beat Theka (rhythmic cycle) and then Dhamar with a 14-beat Theka and then the familiar Theenthal of 16 beats.
The two of them stood within a few feet from each other totally oblivious to the world around them playing cycle after cycle of bols from a seemingly inexhaustible classical repertoire.
Theental progressed from madhya laya to druta eventually ending in a jala sequence of ecstatic crescendo. All these progressions in Thekas and tempos transited seamlessly.
Finally, Pappu Saeen’s Dholism transformed itself from secular classical to Sufi abandonment as he danced in ecstasy with the Dhol slung round his neck in total transcendence - the ritual that he performs with love and passion every Thursday at his Sufi shrine.
All those technicalities and intellectualism were of no consequence to a hypnotized audience. For them it was the other worldly experience. They shared a resonance that was primeval in a drumbeat that induced palpitation.
Too much wasn’t enough for them till exhausted Pappu and Jurra Saeen were dragged back to the stage to say good bye with an encore that gladden the hearts once again. What a bewitching performance it was!
The two concerts were a memorable and propitious offering for peace and reconciliation. They were at once a treat and a retreat to contemplate on the bonding value of cultural interaction and universality - a meaningful way to remember Neelan Tiruchelvam and to reflect on the paramountcy of peace and reconciliation.
..................................
|
|
 |
 |