Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Vyjayanthimala Bali a copybook of Bharatanatyam”

— Photo: S.S.Kumar

N. Murali, Managing Director,The Hindu, launching three DVDs of Bharatanatyam exponent Vyjayanthimala Bali, which were received by Cho S. Ramaswamy, Editor of ‘Thuglak’(left), at a function in Chennai on Sunday. Ms. Bali is in the picture.

CHENNAI: “Vyjayanthimala Bali has been in the forefront of those responsible for the renaissance of Bharatanatyam for three or four decades,” said N. Murali, Managing Director, The Hindu.

Speaking at the release of three DVDs of Ms. Bali’s Bharatanatyam recitals here on Sunday, Mr. Murali said the most striking aspect of Ms. Bali’s dance was her fidelity to tradition. “She is a copybook of Bharatanatyam, traditional and classical,” he said.

The themes captured in the three DVDs provide testimony to Ms. Bali’s adherence to tradition. ‘Aichiar Kuravai’, an episode from the Tamil classic Silappadikaram, represented the essence of Vaishnavism, said S. Balachandran, creative director of eParampara Infotainment, which endeavours to propagate performing arts of India through technology. The DVDs of Ms. Bali’s performances are a part of their Kalakriya series, he said. The DVDs contains excerpts of Ms. Bali’s performances.

Ms. Bali said such old items feel like new now because they had been forgotten for a long time. She said her method was traditional and through her performance she infused freshness into classical pieces. Cho S. Ramaswamy, Editor of Thuglak, who received the first copies of the DVDs, said he had observed Ms. Bali’s dedication during her tenure as a Member of Parliament, and “that dedication helps her even today,” he said. He commended her efforts in making people aware of our culture and tradition.

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