Poet Subramania Bharathi is a voice as great as the Mahatma or any of those who fought for the freedom of this country. In fact, not only did he compose songs and fiery poetry about freedom, but also for the empowerment and respect for women. He called them an aspect of the Devi or the Goddess and to him, Parashakti was evident in every aspect of womanhood - she be a child, a young girl, a mother and Mother India. Celebrating his memory and his poetry, is always such an inspiring experience thanks to the passion and strength of emotion that one just cannot miss in any form it is presented.
Bringing Bharatiar to the stage is nothing new and many artists are constantly looking to his genius for that spirit that transcends language, sect and space. And in the world of dance, this is a perfect opportunity to examine the courageous and strong sentiments about what a woman actually stands for.
Bharathi Shakthi opened to a full Narada Gana Sabha under the auspices of the Natya Rangam, the dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha with four bright, vivacious dancers who took up the poetry of Bharathiar and set it to a choreography that was marked by some excellent dancing. The artistes, Nidheesh Kuma, Indu Nidheesh, Pranathi Ramadorai and Shweta Prachande, were guided by Isasikavi Ramanan, who researched and scripted the production. Rajkumar Bharathi a musician who does immense justice to his lineage of the activist poet, and brought out some really memorable melodies that not only enhanced the value of the production but also offered promises of more such endeavours.
With an endowment by Saroja Vaidyanathan, the four dancers saw to it that each one of them reflected the mood and the aspects of Shakhti that came with the words uttered so many years ago by Bharatiyar. Starting with a Pushpanjali that showcased Tunbam Illada Nilaye Shakhti, had all four of them in sync - not only with their movements, but also in their yellow and red costumes that somehow seemed to fit the theme well.
Setting it in the idiom of classical Bharatanatyam and concentrating every element of the woman who personifies the Goddess -whether it be Lakshmi, Saraswathi or Kaali, she is also the beloved one where love is pure and yet earthly as evident in Katru Veliyidai Kannamma (the word Kanamma has no proper English translation as the endearing quality is expressed so beautifully only in Tamil). Juxtaposing solos along with the group presentations, and ending in a thillana like Thagathaga Yendra Aadumo, Bharathi Shakthi was mostly an enjoyable experience. It meandered in parts and slowed down the pace, but the good dancing amply made up for the lags and dense portions.
If there was anything that truly contributed to the overall vigour of the production, it was the fiery vocal support by JB Keerthana. Her voice and notes at times even overpowered the dance on stage. Despite her going off key on that rare occasion, her singing was uplifting and full of passion and strength. Girish Madhu on the nattuvangam, Guru Bharadwaj on the mridangam, K P Nandini on the violin and Sashidharan on the flute, provided excellent accompaniment. Nandini's violin in some of the questioning moments of the poetry, was filled with some kind of a pathos that is hard to put into words.
As for the dancers, Shweta Prachande is someone who undoubtedly stands out. The quality of her dance, reflects great training and her movements rarely fall short of excellence. It is easy to see how in the coming years, she is likely to be one of the top dancers assuming she will continue with such an eye for perfection. Nidheesh Kumar is another one of those whose hand and leg movements are mostly on the mark and a pleasure to watch. The other two, Indu and Pranathi are not far behind( their abhinaya being strong and etched)- though they could do with a little bit more of vigour. It is that or their pieces were meant to showcase the pace of the item! However despite the slight variations in the individual strengths and techniques , all four brought out the theme which they set out to do, very admirably. Mention must be made of the lighting that highlighted the key positions, stances and the mood of each piece chosen.
