It was an evening of harmony at the Music Academy, Chennai, on Sunday, August 21.
The pupils of Manjulika Sen presented 'Samaswara - A Symphonic Odyssey' to an appreciative audience.
From the first "Sa", the dance drama struck the right chords and took the spectators on a guided tour of the evolution of music.
The dramatic opening, with P C Ramakrishna's deep voice breaking the silence, introduced the seven swaras against a backdrop of black and white, darkness and light, and a foreground of hissing stage steam.
From the cry of a newborn it was but a short step to the insistent beat of jungle drums as tribal man hunted for food and celebrated his dominance over the animal world. The young dancers twirled and twisted and brandished their staffs, their colourful short skirts swirling around them as the drums throbbed and thumped.
From the primitive animal skins, the percussion instrument evolved quickly around the world, and in India, it was redefined by "Amir Khusrao's creative hand". The tabla he immortalised was celebrated by some of Manjulika Sen's senior students, who rendered a vibrant Kathak number, their ankle bells providing a counterpoint to the beat of the instrument, just as it did in the courts of ancient India.
Then the wind whistled through the tall bamboos, and passers-by stopped to wonder at the melodious sound. Thus was born the flute.
The all-time flautist par excellence is, of course, Lord Krishna, who had the power to draw such melody from the reed that the birds of the air and the beasts of the field forgot their routine and flocked to him. As did the gopikas. On the stage of the Music Academy on Sunday, the gopikas were pint-sized, Krishna cherubic. And the audience sat mesmerised as the little ones performed with aplomb.
The haunting melody of the flute was replaced by the vim and vigour of a lusty war dance, performed with verve by a group of senior students, sporting turbans and brandishing swords. So convincing was their performance that one little boy in the audience was heard asking if he could have a sword to take home after the show!
Down the ages, various civilisations developed their own sorts of music. On the banks of the river Nile, a minstrel plucked the strings of a musical instrument, and sensuous ladies swayed to the sound. Clad in striking blue, gold and black authentic looking costumes, a group of Manjulika Sen's students recreated the magic of Egypt, gyrating and sashaying with obvious enjoyment.
Then a gypsy troupe took over the stage, all swirling skirts and tinkling tambourines, paying tribute to the tribes who roamed the world, taking their own brand of music and dance wherever they went.
A piece of choreography coalescing the different forms of music - percussion, wind and string - brought the evening to a close, and sent the audience home with the message that magic is the common factor binding music, both old and new.
The dance-drama was scripted by Manjulika's daughter, Manjira Sen, herself a talented dancer and an executive with a private firm based in Hyderabad. Special mention must be made of the costumes, provided by Sri Lakshmi and Company. They were well chosen in terms of both aptness and colour schemes. Shiva Pillai of Crayz Lighting Solutions handled the lights expertly and L Vijaykumar wielded the make-up brush, the foundation tube, the lipstick and the mascara wand to create instant beauties. Little girls preened and pirouetted in their costumes and even the older, seasoned students admitted to being pleased with their appearance.
Manjulika is trained in Kathak, Mohiniattam and Bengali folk dance as well as in Bharatanatyam. She has been teaching dance in Chennai since the mid-seventies. As her students are mostly drawn from north India, and their parents wish them to keep in touch with their cultural roots, she concentrates on dances from north of the Vindhyas in her classes. Her troupe showcases its talents with a performance once every two years. 'Samaswara' was skillfully choreographed - the dances were vibrant, the costumes appealing and the music appropriate.
A total of 61 students, aged from four-and-a-half to forty-plus, participated in the show. The lone boy in the troupe, nine-year-old Prashasth Agarwal, made a charming Krishna, and danced with confidence among the bevy of girls.
The concert was conducted with precision, starting on the dot of 7 p.m., and going on without a hiccup. And if there was a dupatta which slid here and a hairpiece that went awry there, it only added to the charm of the show, reminding the audience that this was a recital by amateurs in a wide-spanning age-group who put in hours of gruelling practice to come up with a sterling presentation. Fond parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts by blood and by proxy, and a handful of husbands left the hall well pleased with the performance of their loved ones.
Kudos to Manjulika Sen and her students!
Susan Philip
Harmony forever and after
