Modern Bharatha Natyam

Subashini PATHMANATHAN

An ancient art form like Bharatha Natyam, like all forms, inevitably has undergone changes. With the 20th and early 21st century many changes were introduced in different areas. However in real sense the basic structure of Bharatha Natyam has not been altered.

Yet self-style fusion, contemporary dances and entertainment dance forms are adopted and displayed by the present generation so called classical Bharatha Natyam artistes and Bharatha Natyam teachers under the label of Bharatha Natyam.

Different instruments evoke different emotions

Baratha Natyam which originated in the temples with divine and spiritual background and later moved to the palaces of princes and maharajahs, eventually moved to dance halls in the 20th century.

In the late 19th century, a dance recital would go on for four to five hours. But as the 20th century moved on a Bharatha Natyam recital did not last for more than two and a half to three hours, because the audience, pressed for time, would not stay for more than three hours however good the program may be. In order to keep a recital within these time limits it became necessary to alter the repertoire of Bharatha Natyam.

A Bharatha natyam recital follows a certain order that was devised by the Tanjavur quartette. But to minimise the time today in normal recital, (not arangetrams) Jatheesvaram and Sabtham are frequently omitted. In the early days a Bharatha Natyam recital started with Alaaripu (Nirutham) piece a pure dance. But today most of the Bharatha Natyam recitals begin with Pushpanjali, or Panchamoorthy Anjali or Guru Patha Anjali or Mallaru or Thodayamangalam, or different Gothavams which involves the use of both Nirutham and Niruthyam together from the very start of the recital.

Today the item Salaamu is known as sabtham. The Sabtham is performed in misrasapu thala numbering seven in the thala scale. Originally the sabtham was sung in the Kambothi, but now it has meandered into Ragamaliga as well.

Varnam, is the crowning piece in any Bharatha Natya recital from ancient times, in between the pallavi and anu pallavi it is customary to use the oral nattuvangam jathis. These oral jathis were never part of the original composers’ versions. But these oral nattuvangam jathis were introduced by different gurus, based on the different thalas of the songs.

In recent times, oral nattuvangam jathis are eliminated by some dance exponents. This is because some dancers prefer to follow the original composer’s version. Mostly the Varnams used in dance are Patha Varnams which mean that these compositions are most suited for the exposition of expressions, bavas, and rasas. There are some Bharatha Natya exponents who insert oral nattuvangam jathis into the songs like folk songs, Kuravanchis or in Padams or in Keerthanams. In padams and keerthanams there is a growing tendency to insert oral nattuvangam jathis in between the lines, which enables one to compile adavus. So that now Padams, Keerthanams, and Jaavalis are not totally based on Nirthyam alone. It is a combination of both Nirtham and Nirthyiam together. In ancient times the instruments used for Nirtham were called Nirthangam; those instruments used for the song were called Geethangam. But this distinction is no longer recognized.

Today the tendency is to use particular instruments to display the particular emotions in between the song lines. For instance, the Veena is used to display contemplative moods. Violin is used to portray sorrow or sadness. Mirathangam, which is a thala laya instrument, is used to display the emotions like anger or veera or akangara. The flute is used to display the emotions like happiness or love. These are some of the recent innovations. But the basic concepts of Bharatha Natyam then and now remain the same, but the changes have occurred to meet the challenges of modern times.

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