CHENNAI: kshvaakuvamshaprabhavaH raamaH naama janaiH shrutaH niyataatmaa mahaaviiryaH dyutimaan dhrithimaan vashii (One emerged from the Ikshvaku dynasty, known to people as Rama by name. He is with a controlled self, highly valorous, resplendent, steadfast and a controller of vice, vile and his senses) writes Valmiki introducing Lord Rama, in Srimad Valmiki Ramayana.
This version of the epic is divided into six cantos, each narrating the different stages of Rama’s life. Most of our childhood days are spent listening to our grandparents recite the story or watching artistes act the epic on stage or screen. Bringing the characters to life, yet again, are the students of Anitha Guha’s Bharanthajali School. They will perform the episodes of Rama’s life from the Kishkindha Kandam and Sundara Kandam in a dance drama, Parishvanga Pattabhishekam.
Portraying a saga
Parishvanga Pattabhishekam is the exact moment when Hanuman returns from Sri Lanka and says to Rama ‘Kanden Sithaiyai’ (I saw Sita). Hearing this, an overwhelmed Rama did not know how to pay back Hanuman. Having no materialistic possessions, Rama hugged him. Hanuman was enthralled by this gesture and he started singing, ‘Ini ellam jayam, ini ellam sugam’ leading the march to Lanka.
Performing this at various auditoriums in the city are 35-odd dancers trained by Anitha Guha, a Bharatanatyam dancer. The music for this production is composed by Neyveli R Santhanagopalan, rhythm interludes by PR Venkatasubramanian, vocals by Santhanagopalan, Gayatri Venkat Raghavan, Nisha Rajagopalan, and Sriranjani Santhanagopalan, and percussion by Sruthi Laya Sri Suresh. Thiru Chelvan has choreographed fight sequences.
The production also has alumni from Kalakshetra. “Along with them, my senior-most student Sathvikaa Shankar plays the role of Hanuman. My student then, a faculty at the school now, Smrithi Vishwanath plays Lakshman and Sita. They have carried this long journey with their talent,” says Anitha, adding that the beauty of Valmiki Ramayana is the earthiness of characters.
Staging the performance
Anitha is among the foremost ballet producer of her generation. She has choreographed around 29 nritya natakams. Her first dance drama was Basmasura Mohini when she was just 12 years old. All her productions revolve around epics and mythology as she strongly believes that it is important to make the younger generation understand the roots of our land.
The Ramayana production was staged for the first time in 2010 for the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. Six choreographers, commissioned by Cleveland VV Sundaram, collaborated to present six cantos of the epic for three hours and Anitha was entrusted with producing the Kishkindha and Sundara Kandams. Cut to 2023, she is presenting her choreography and a revived version this Margazhi season.
“Usually, the practice sessions go on for six months. We hardly got a month to practice this season, but the performers are giving their best,” she notes.
The challenging part of this one-hour-and-45-minute-long production is to present two cantos without missing any details. Anitha says, “The beauty of Lanka is described in thousands of slokas in Valmiki’s Ramayana. And to contain this in three to four minutes was a huge task.”
Going past these challenges, Anitha is excited for the performance. “This is a special year for the students and Bharathanjali to be presenting this production as the Ayodhya Ram temple is under construction. The performance will be our offering to the deity,” shares Anitha, who believes that Ramayana and Mahabharatha teach mankind how to lead life with the required skills.
“Bhakti is important in life,” she adds.
Dancing through the cities
The rendition has been staged across India in 2010 and 2011. In 2015, an abridged version of this titled ‘Sundara Kandam- Signet of Hope’ was produced by Aim for Seva and was toured in 19 cities in the USA. This year, the performances started early this month and are scheduled till mid-January. In the line-up for this Margazhi season is one of her popular productions ‘Praise of Seven Hills’.
For details, visit @anithaguhasbharathanjali on Instagram and Facebook
Call: 9840520231/ 9940072283
PARISHVANGA PATTABHISHEKAM