Srikanth and Aswathy’s well-crafted ‘Paraaparame’

Srikanth and Aswathy put their best foot forward at Natya Darshan - 2024

Srikanth has matured as a dancer and seems to have found his niche. Aswathy on her part adds enough creative weight to the duet performance

Clarity, grace and excellent timing in the pace variation marked the nritta. It was not explosive in terms of energy, but there was a calm confidence in the mathematical permutations.

The Chatusra Alarippu was notable for its musical accompaniment — the violin (Anantharaman Balaji) playing the emphasis beats and the mridangam (Nagai P. Sriram) enhancing the dancers’ usi beats and Ganesha symbolisms. The instrumental ensemble also included the veena (Ananthanarayanan) that provided the subsequent ‘Kaithala’ Thirupugazh (Gambhiranattai, Adi) with a dramatic high-pitched end.

Verses from Paraapara Kanni by the Tamil saint Thaayumaanavar were woven into a mega tapestry of nritta and abhinaya tuned in ragamalika, Rupaka tala, by up and coming musician Samanvita Sashidhar. Each verse of surrender was followed by a refrain (composed in the raga of the verse) and swaras, one in the same raga and the next in the raga of the following verse. The last verse in Sahana was followed by the swaras in reverse order — Sahana, Varali, Vaasanti and Saranga. Intelligent planning by Srikanth.

In another instance of clever thinking — they performed yesteryear jathis by stalwarts, Kathirvelu Pillai (trikaala jathi), S.K. Rajaratnam Pillai, Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai and Thanjavur Kittappa Pillai. While ‘Tat dit takatarita’, the opening one was unusual, the second ‘Takajam ta di tadana’ was lilting, the tisra jathi ‘Tagedhi tagedhi din’ and the last ‘Tanekuta ginagutaka’ were traditional masterpieces. Nattuvanar M.S. Ananthashree was well-cued in.

Srikanth’s mature abhinaya was amply displayed in the Markhandeya Shiva leela while Aswathy’s liquid eyes captured the pain of Nandanar well. Thiruchaazhal by saint Manikkavaasagar, a dialogue between the saint and the mute daughter of a king, who breaks into speech to defend Shiva against Manikkavaasagar’s mocking, was not upto Srikanth’s standard of dramatic timing and mime. The traditional tune was lively with Murali Sangeeth (vocal).

Srikanth and Aswathy finished with a tillana in Purvi, Rupaka (Thirugokarnam Subbarama Bhagavathar). It was enjoyable blend of accurate rhythm and deep sahitya on the formless Nirguna Brahman who resides within each of us.