Resplendent Kuchipudi

A. RAMALINGA SASTRY

Two performances by Kuchipudi Kalakshetra members brought to fore the talent of students and staff members.

Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

RHYTHM TIME Students of Vempati China Satyam's Kuchipudi Kalakshetram staging Rabindranath Tagore's drance drama `Chandalika'.

The students and staff of Kuchipudi Kalakshetra, an offshoot of Padmabhushan Vempati's Kuchipudi Art Academy, Chennai, presented a dance-drama titled Chandalika, an adaptation of Viswakavi Rabindranath Tagore's original work in Bengali into Telugu by late S.V. Bhujangaraya Sarma. The dance drama had exquisite music by S. Mallik, and was staged at Kalabharathi on Sunday. The team also staged Bhamakalaapam yakshagaanam at the VUDA Children Theatre the next evening.

Vempati's Chandalika stands acclaimed for its fine blend of dance and drama in optimum proportions in choreographic studies. The story is unveiled through an ingenuous character of a young girl, Prakruthi, who seeks solace in Buddhism with the help of a compassionate monk. She turns to Buddhism as she could not bear the ignominious treatment meted out to her by different sects of the society that brand her an untouchable simply because she was born as a Chandala, the families of which stand considered ignoble even today.

US-based artiste Sandhyasree performed to the best of her abilities encompassing all attributes of Loka and Natya dharmi traditions of Abhinaya, and the Saatwikam in particular, as they are described in the Natya Sastra, in meticulously chosen proportions. Satyabhaanu (wife of the Principal of Kalakshetra, Harirama Murty) as the sorceress Maya (mother of Prakruthi), Y. Hanumantha Rao as the monk Ananda, NVSSR Teja, URS Raju, S. Ravi and P.R. Patrudu, as his associates, K.V. Ramana Rao and J. Vengayya as the soldiers portrayed their roles empathetically. The sprightly looking young students of the Kalakshetra, Kavya, Sulakshana, Manjari, Swetha, Vijayalakshmi, Swarnalatha, Sunitha, Lakshmiprasanna, Raviteja and Subbaraju executing the invocation number, Himabindu, Samidha and Sudha donning the roles of flower vendors and evil spirits, Bharathi, Anuradha, Aparna, Revathi and Lakshmi as the milk vendors, Kiranmayi, Viswasanthi, Sraddha and Subbaraju as bangle sellers, Gangabhavani, Divya and Chamundeswari as Anusasanikulu in groups performed enchantingly.

Expressively melodious vocal by Lakshminarasamma and TVS Sastry, expert nattuvangam by Harirama Murty, mridangam by L. Suryakanth, veena by Sudhakar, flute by veteran Nagaraju, violin by Satyavishal constituted the scintillating backdrop of the music. On the next day, Bhamakalaapam started on a rather dull note, and picked-up tempo after the arrival of the character Madhavi (Vedantham Venkatachalapathi from Kuchipudi who also assisted Harirama Murty in directing Yakshagaanam), the sakhi of Satyabhama (Sandhyasri) and continued in an enlivening spirit from the Lekha episode onwards to conclude on a positive note. Samidha Satyam ably donned the role of Krishna. The backdrop of music was the same without veena by Sudhakar and vocal by Lakshminarasamma. The credits for make-up, costume, lighting, stage-decor, and coordination, were shared by Surya Rao, Kurma Rao and Bharani, K.V. Ramana Rao, Y.V. Jagannadha Rao and Y. Hanumantha Rao for both the performances. Popular compere Dr. Perala Balamuralikrishna was the master of the ceremony, and Commissioner of Central Excise, P. Nageswara Rao and former AU Rector, Prof. A. Prasanna Kumar were the guests of honour.

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