 Ballet on Kalidasa epic
 Kalidasa’s ‘Kumara
Sambhavam’ (The Advent of Kumara), conceptualised and choreographed by
Shridhar and performed as a dance-ballet by the well-known couple from
Karnataka, Shridhar and Anuradha Shridhar, provided a scintillating finale to
the three-day seminar on ‘Dance-Extension’, organised by Kartik Fine Arts at
the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan main hall recently.
It was a sensational, gripping
performance by the talented pair. Well-known dance guru-performers Dhananjayan,
Prof C V Chandrasekhar and Abhinaya-queen Kalanidhi Narayanan rushed to the
stage at the end of the ballet and congratulated them gushingly and most warmly.
That was a spontaneous gesture of goodwill and heart-felt warmth by the seniors
to the brilliant performance staged by the lovely couple and their tiny-tot,
five-year-old Anagha Gauri.
‘Kumara Sambhavam’ is a
six-scene ballet, each scene splendidly choreographed by Shridhar. He stuck
faithfully to Kalidasa’s epic lines.
The celestials are tormented by
the demon Tarakasura, who could only be vanquished by a son born of Siva and His
consort. Unfortunately, Dhakshayani, Siva’s consort and daughter of Daksha,
had to burn Herself unable to bear the taunts of Her father against Her husband
Siva.
She is reborn as the daughter
of the King of Himalayas, Himavan, and his wife Mena. Blossoming into a
beautiful damsel, She sets Her heart on marrying Siva, who is performing deep
penance in the Himalayas, grieving over the loss of His beloved Dakshayani.
Parvathi (meaning the daugher
of the king of mountains) waits on Siva with exemplary dedication, devotion and,
of course, love towards Him. The celestials plan to kindle purposeful passion in
the anchorite Siva, induce Manmatha, the God of Love, to accomplish this.
Manmatha, though successful in his attempt, perishes, however, burnt to cinders
by the fiery third eye of the Lord.
Events move fast, and Siva,
having tested the strength of love and devotion of Parvathi towards Him,
eventually accepts Her as His consort. This is the ‘Sambhavam’, the eventful
happening, that would result in the birth of Kumara, the ultimate destroyer of
the demon Taraka and his hordes.
It is a feat to encapsulate all
this drama effectively in only six scenes. That Shridhar and Anuradha did it
electrifyingly, winning warm appreciation, was the real drama within the
dance-drama.
Shridhar was at his brilliant
best as a dancer, and so was his pretty wife Anuradha. Together, they provided a
‘Sambhavam’ that was just too good.
What was more, the lyrics in
Sanskrit, drawn from Kalidasa’s epic poem, were captivatingly mellifluous and
diction-perfect, all thanks to vocalist Sri Sukha, who sang in an extremely
pleasing manner. Nattuvangam by Prasannakumar, mridangam by Balakrishna, veena
by Chitra Lingam, flute by Jayaram and rhythm pad by Pramath Kiran provided
excellent team work to the ballet.
Dhananjayan and Prof
Chandrasekhar paid eloquent tributes to the model, orchestral support.
Enchanting Anagha, as little Parvathi, stole everyone’s heart by her charming
dance techniques.
The Shridhars, of course,
excelled each other, competitively. Shridhar was magnificently vibrant as the
dominant male and Anuradha was coy, bashful, and furious, when the occasion
demanded. They complemented each other meeting all the technical requirements of
Bharatanatyam without blemish. That was the essence behind the success of this
ballet.
The stage decor, with Himalayas
as the backdrop, needs particular mention. Well, to be brief, seldom has a
dance-drama been so well received both by the connoisseur and the lay public.
The Shridhars have a string of
awards and distinctions to their credit. The Karnataka government honoured
Shridhar with the prestigious Rajyotsava Award two years ago for his meritorious
services in the dance field. Need one say more!
R Srinivasan
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