Monthly Archives: September 2016

Chennai  Center stage -  by  V.V.Ramani

A monthly feature on art events in Chennai – previews and reviews for Art & Deal

Meera  -  The Soul  Divine

Meera  the poet princess is an epitome of bhakti and total surrender, and her life story that is so strongly embedded  in the minds of Indians , has been a popular theme recurring time and again in Indian folklore ,classical and folk performing arts and visual arts. Swami  Dayanandha Saraswathi  had a strong desire to throw light on Meerabai  during  the centenary year celebrations of M.S.Subbhulakshmi  ,the great  carnatic musician who immortalised the story and music of Meera on celluloid. He was keen that the carnatic vocalist Bombay Jaishri Ramnath  design the musical score for a new dance production. Chitra Visweswaran ,the bharatnatyam exponent  was then entrusted with the task  of giving a visual design by choreographing  a dance production.  Funded by Aim For Seva, the two artists worked together to present a dance production ‘Meera—The Soul  Divine ‘ which was premiered  in Chennai  recently and has embarked on a tour of U.K and U.S.A.

The nostalgia of M.S’s music is so strongly embedded in the viewers mind , that Jaishri  had to work on a musical score which could hold  attention .’’The deep thoughts  that are embedded in these lyrical gems was great inspiration for me to compose ‘’says   Jaishri , who created a melodic score retaining the Bhakthi bhava  of the songs with a fine blend of Carnatic and Hindustani ragas ,and her music reached exalted heights in the final segment where Meera unites with her lord Krishna. Chitra ,left with  the task of  encapsulating  the story  and  the bhakthi element of meera into a short performance duration  ,choreographed the narrative to flow smoothly touching upon the salient points .Cleverly ,using four different dancers as Meera ,the transformation from the child ,to the young,then middle aged to the final mature state of total surrender ,the facets of varied stages was portrayed convincingly by the dancers Sahasra,Sruthi Rammohan,Uma Namboodaripad and Chitra Visweswaran ,respectively .The largely narrative style of choreography that was danced by her students culminated with a focus on abhinaya  extolling bhakthi bhava danced by Chitra herself .

The lighting design  conceptualised by Chitra and  handled  by Murugan enhanced the mood of the sequences .The costumes that captured the flavour of Rajasthan in its colours could have had a better impact ,had it followed the stylistic patterns of the region , rather than the Bharatnatyam costume style in its design .This production not only highlighted the bhakthi  element but also looked at Meera as an inspiring role model , to women who choose the path of their lives.

Simhanandini – the Dancing Lion  

A notable aspect of the artistic traditions of India, is the fact that each form of art moves beyond its boundaries , getting  inspired or inspiring  another art form ,each being enriched by the other. One such art that encompasses visual art and performing art ,is the dancing of ‘Simhanandini  ’a dance feature, a unique gem from the archives  of the temple traditions  in the  Kuchipudi dance style , where  the dancer sketches the picture of a lion with her feet while dancing on coloured powder .Part of a ritualistic tradition ,this was traditionally  performed on Vijayadashami  day of the Navarathri festival ,when goddess Kanakadurga is  taken on a chariot .The devadasis would sing and dance in praise of  Mahishasuramardhini  and then draw the picture of a lion to the beat of the Simhanandana tala, the thirthy-seventh tala[and longest  one]of the 108 tala system.

Lasya Mavillapalli ,the daughter and disciple of Narasimhacharis, learnt this dance from her mother Vasanthalskshmi and premeired  it in Chennai  as a tribute to her father Narasimhachari  on his first death anniversary .Lasya beginning the performance with a mishra  chapu tala composition ‘Narasimham Bhajeham’ composed and choreographed by Vasanthalakshmi  in a lively manner,impressed with her depiction of the navarasa ,before proceeding with  the dancing lion .Even as her mother was demonstrating the complicated tala pattern ,Lasya stepped on to a white screen stretched on a frame placed over coloured powder.Within one avartana of the Simhanandana tala lasting nearly two minutes ,she was able to sketch with graceful movements ,a picture of the lion with ease .

Vasanthalakshmi ,who had learnt this art from guru C.R.Acharya ,and performed it widely ,felt that this art  form needed to be documented and also shared ,so that young dancers and  academicians could benefit  from it. She re-invented this treasure with guidance from scholars and texts and worked on the music ,tala and choreography to produce a DVD of this dance . This  video covers various aspects  ranging from its origin and history,codification of talas,a verse on devi ,jathi in simhanandana tala, preparation of a screen used in proscenium stage for the dancer to dance and sketch the lion ,to a final section of a full performance of this dance. Produced by swati soft solutions Sanskriti series ,this DVD priced Rs 650 is a collector’s item for dance enthusiasts. A part of the proceeds from the sale of this DVD will go towards IMPFA[institute of mouth and foot painting artists].

Krishna Bharatham –The Natyarangam Festival .

The problems faced by a multitude of dancers to find a platform for dance ,led to the birth of Natyarangam  a dance wing of Naradha Gana Sabha. A group of dedicated committee members with the aim of providing a platform talented young dancers and also to create an enlightened audience base by initiating art appreciation lectures . Besides presenting young talents in their monthly programmes and lectures on related subjects by experts, they have conceptualised an annual dance festival held in august  /September which provides  young dancers an opportunity to hone their creative skills .

Every year a specific theme is given to the dancers and with an aim to bring in an interdisciplinary approach ,brings together dancers, scholars ,musicians, artists, composers ,poets ,writers and theatre professionals as resource persons to guide .This festival which has become a major event in Chennai’s cultural calendar has successfully completed  20 years, and recently they  had their 21^st festival titled ‘Krishna Bharatham’ .Krishna ,the darling child was thechosen theme and the dancers explored the various poets and composers of India ,ranging from Alwars to Jayadeva .

The festival honoured Saroja Vaidhyanathan,Bharatnatyam exponent and guru,M.Balachander ,Mridangam artist,Praveen Kumar ,senior Bharatnatyam dancer and Medha Hari ,young Bharatnatyam dancer  for  promotion of talent .The success of this festival is largely due to the tireless efforts of the committee members Sujatha Vijayaraghavan,K.S.Subramanian,S.Janaki,S.Viswanathan [Charukesi]S,Kannan,Hon.Secrataries,Mohan Sreenivas and K.Harishankar and associates Hyma ,P.C.Ramakrishna and ‘’Aanmajoti’’K.S.Natarajan whose passion for the arts have driven them to continue this honorary work for so many years .

Maniosai – A Musical Opera

Ilango Kumanan,Muralidharan and Anand Krishnan,three enterprising entrepreneurs  in the field of outdoor publicity and advertising ,ventured onto the arena  of performing arts in April 2012, wanting  to promote and nurture talented artistes across all genres   and also present  star performers  in new experimental  explorations and creative collaborations to a wider audience base . From classical music and dance, folk arts, western music, fusion music, film music and theatrical shows their company SS International Live  ,in a short span of four years  have successfully completed their hundredth show ,recently .

Maniosai  a musical opera  featuring a galaxy of front ranking musicians enacting roles in a play was their hundredth presentation.

Charukesi  a writer had worked extensively on tracing the life and musical journey of a genius – Mridangam  maestro  Palghat  Mani Iyer ,interviewing his family members and musicians to come out with a book on this legend. Written in simple tamil this book gives us a complete insight on this artiste.

Based on  this book Nityashri Mahadevan, eminent carnatic vocalist and granddaughter of Mani iyer, conceived the idea of giving it a visual dimension in the form of a play .Since the story revolved around  many great musicians he had accompanied spanning  nearly 70 years of his life ,musicians from the current generation were brought in to enact the varied roles. The singers besides enacting other musicians ,also sang imitating them. With Nityashri donning the role of a Sutradhar-Narrating the story ,the musicians enacted the sequences.

The play worked well in bringing to us an entire lifetime of creative artistes of the past century ,in an encapsulated form in a span of three hours. It is truly commendable that leading musicians came forward to take part in this effort. Some of the artistes got into the skin of the characters with ease , while the others were projecting their own individuality rather than the characters. Audio ,so important for a musical show was below the mark.A lot more care taken in presentation  , with attention to aesthetics in costumes , sets and lighting could have added value to a visualization of a great artiste’s life.

OOTY – Of ground nuts, steaming tea, long walks, chats and chocolates, and some reading.

_ By Hema Iyer Ramani

“What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass….”

W.H.Davies ( Leisure, Songs of Joy and others)

Situated at an altitude of 2,240 m above sea level, Ooty is indeed a haven for anyone who wants to escape the heat. As one begins to climb along the winding roads , the air gets cooler and cooler, and the layers of clothing on our bodies increase too. There is a certain paradox that is at work between the landscape and humans- the cold air brings people closer to feel the body warmth, and the warmer the place, the more you need to physically distance yourself from human bonding !The drive is beautiful either by road or by rail. The toy train that runs from Mettupalayam to Ooty or the shorter trips from Coonoor to Ooty are surely enjoyable. The Metupalayam trains(heritage) are rather unpredictable because they depend on the favourable weather conditions and also get frequently delayed owing to the animals that cross the tracks. So the train chugs slowly but surely, and  one is immediately transported to an era where we had all the time to ‘stand and stare’.

As one begins the climb up, one notices coffee plantations at the lower levels even as the winding roads go uphill . The higher altitudes have acres of tea plantations and spices too. Coonoor , we discover is a Planter’s town. As Captain Ravi, our host drove us across the town, we came across a remarkable feature so distinct in these hill towns- when drivers spotted another vehicle chugging uphill or sliding downhill, they generously allowed the oncoming vehicle to pass- this gesture was extended by almost all the drivers , and said Ravi: “ You can be very sure it is not a local if he/she does not adhere to this simple gesture.”Small towns have a lot to teach big cities in terms of etiquette and culture, I realized.

Though a  tourist would notice a lot of cosmetic changes that have happened , yet Ooty has not lost its charm . There are many things that cater to the tourists specially, but when you remove the top layers of ‘tourist indulgence’, you are charmed by the generosity and the genuine warmth that the hill town has to offer. Just outside the beautiful Lawley Institute on Garden road, near Charing Cross in Ooty stands a peanut-seller called Gopalakrishnan with his charming wife, Visalakshi.  More than fifty years back, Providence brought him to Ooty when he had to face unpleasant family issues in his hometown of Trichur. It was his brother who introduced him to the town, and says the man, “there has been no looking back since”.  The Assembly Rooms Theatre which is more than a century old is situated across the Lawley Institute , and Gopalakrishnan decided to set up his little mobile shop there. Every afternoon at 1 P.M, he would set his cart, start roasting peanuts on a broad pan filled with rock salt. A small  oil lamp provided the necessary light. The cool climate in Ooty provided the perfect excuse to cinema-goers to step out of the hall to dive into packets of roasted peanuts that were really hot ! Irrespective of the weather, the old man and his wife stood outside and having the small hill town literally eating out of his hands.  Prakash, a long Ooty-ite and owner of Marlborough Homestays says of Gopalakrishnan: “ He has been here for several years catering to the needs of cinema-goers initially, but what brings back his loyal clients is that you cannot come across a single bad peanut.” That is truly a lot to say, and it was a fact that was reiterated by several others. It is not how important an office you hold, but how importantly you think of your job is what people like Gopalakrishnan have to share, and though he sells them at very reasonable rates, he still has the largeness of heart to share some warm roasted peanuts for the road, even though you don’t ask for them.

The Botanical Gardens are definitely worth visiting to anyone who loves gardens.  But to me, the entire hill town with its quaint cottages (and some not so beautiful structures) with its lovely small flower gardens across patches on the hillside seemed like a garden town by itself.  Poof(flower)nila(moon) who sold the wares of her community from a shop in the Gardens ,representative of a traditional Toda hut proudly spoke about her tribe, about how long they took to embroider the shawls and how close they stayed as a community. Some of these Toda huts can be found on the hills above the Botanical Gardens, where they still dwell.Today she says, “not many of these traditional homes can be found because most of our children have become educated, and we have also moved into homes with concrete roofs”. Yet, 16 self-help groups of their tribe live in peace supporting each other. The tribes are known to not only make beautiful shawls, but they also bottle forest honey that they gather, and of course the sweet smelling oils and perfumes that are now so popular.

A hot drink is welcome anytime of the day in this hill-town, and localites recommend High-grown orthodox tea, the Orange Pekoe, which is the highest quality of Tea, because here the buds are hand-picked with fingertips ! The grades of tea depend on the number of adjacent leaves that are found by the bud. Of course, fannings and dust would be at the lowest in the hierarchy. Another big favourite with the locals is the home-made chocolates, which is a speciality of Ooty. Long-time resident of Ooty, Thesingh vouches for the chocolates sold in the old shop , Modern stores, since 1951.

Boarding schools are quite prominent  and a well known feature since the days of the British Raj. As you drive around, six kilometres away from Ooty  is the beautiful Lawrence School, where the magical Head boys and Head Girls from Enid Blyton’s description seem to come alive. As you drive further up, you come to the Doddabetta( Big mountain), where the temperature suddenly drops low, and the mist covers the man and mountains with its large blanket. Small farmers and vendors sell fresh vegetables and fruits across the way, but the weather tempts you to eat the less hygienic masala peanuts tossed in vegetables and lime !

The weather in Ooty makes it conducive for young and old alike to curl up in a comfortable large chair by the fireside  with a pile of books and a steaming cup of tea. The Nilgiris District Library facilitates such reading by throwing open its membership to its local readers.  A majestic building , it stands proud with its beautiful tall arches and long windows, an amalgamation of British architecture and traditional expertise.

Of course  a visit to Ooty remains incomplete without a visit to the beautiful lakes and the waterfalls , or even a drive into the forested regions of the famous Mudumalai, which has the distinction of being one of the few elephant resorts. Driving from Ooty , my young friend Rithika Madira organized for us to stay in a beautiful cozy resort aptly called Wildnerness ! Located amidst coffee  and pepper estates , Wilderness provided us with the most tranquil nights under the starlit skies. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, but it was the homely food that was so generously served that we enjoyed the most. Large imprints were telling signs that an elephant had visited our cottage maybe a few hours before we had occupied the room !

The Moyar river originates from a small town by the same name along the Masinagudy-Ooty road, and the flowing river separates the forests of Bandipur from Mudumalai. There are forest vehicles that take you on a conducted tour inside the forest, and you are suitably excited when you hear the stories that are told: “ We just spotted a leopard at close quarters today”. So we think we are going to be the lucky ones too , but you realize each time after you return having spotted the elephants, bisons, peacocks, spotted deer, that you are not going to spot the tigers or the leopards because they shy away from the human noise ! But the dream of probably getting lucky is so strong that you are willing to get ‘taken for a ride’ !

We had to wait for a while to watch the elephants being fed. So my children decided to go on a walk instead of just waiting. When they returned, my friend remarked, “ I caught your son watching Kamakshi having a bath”. I however didn’t bat an eyelid. Having spent all my holidays in the land  which boasted of so many elephants, I knew what it was all about.  Kerala abounds in stories of elephants- their gentleness, their strength, their wisdom and their anger too.  It is so therapeutical  to watch the large animals as they are being  fed.

At the resort, Ramesh took us on a quiet walk to the river- the stillness of the surroundings with just the sound of the birds, and the rustle of the leaves  brings an immediate sense of peace. As the walk  through the narrow winding path comes to an end, we hear the gushing sound of water. The river is covered by rocks, and we see some plantation workers deftly walk on the wet rocks as they make their way into the woods, where they go in each day to work on the plantations nestled in the midst of the forests. We look at them in admiration knowing the uncertainties that await them in the woods, but they promise us that it is less dangerous in the woods than the civilized jungles outside.

Getting back after a holiday to mundane existence of a city life can be painful- the noise of the blaring horns, the traffic line running for a few kilometres because someone felt the need to break the queue thereby causing an unnecessary jam awakens you in an instant about the madness of the so-called city-bred life. And the madness continues until I travel again, soon enough perhaps!

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( A  former lecturer of Political Science  at Mount  Carmel  College,Bangalore , Chennai-based writer Hemalatha Ramani contributes to newspapers,magazines and blogs.She is the author of a travel book, Soulscapes:Travels and Conversations in India)  She  writes under the name  of Hema Iyer Ramani.