CHENNAI : Staged three times in a span of six months, Agre Pashyami, a mega dance theatre production based on the Narayaneeyam, was once again witnessed by audience on Gandhi Jayanthi at Narada Gana Sabha. It was conceptualised and presented by eminent scholar Dushyanth Sridhar to the effective choreography of Bharatanatyam exponent, Anitha Guha. As expected, it turned out to be spellbinding.
The musical delight revolved around the life and works of Melpathur Narayana Bhattadri. History has it that the 16th-century scholar of astronomy, Vedic scriptures and Sanskrit inflicted upon himself his Guru’s disease of rheumatoid arthritis. Bhattadri was advised by a Malayali poet and linguist, Thunchaththu Ezhuthacchan, to start writing about Sri Vishnu’s Dashavataram.
As Dushyant put it before the show, the 100th dasakam of Bhattadri’s Narayaneeyam is a poignant one for the simple reason that the ailing author being blessed with a vision of Krishna. The key factors were the musical score of Rajkumar Bharathi, soundscape design of Sai Shravana, eye-catching costumes designed by Anitha and performed by the students of her Bharathanjali School along with a handful of pupils from other dance schools.
The highlight was in every segment layered with the music, lyrics and showcased with the traditional style of the presenters. No mistaking the devotional tone in the background of Venkateshwara with the various forms of Lord Vishnu striding majestically.
Predictably and with reason too, focus was on Guruvayoor, the place where Narayaneeyam was given shape. Thrust was on the segment where Bhattadri put his foot down when placed a request by Poonthanam, to edit his Malayalam devotional work. The sufferings of Bhattadri which led to the creation of Narayaneeyam gets the deserving space.
The hustle and bustle in the stage was pronounced, a plethora of young dancers lighting up the stage with astute movements, the efficient lightning of Murugan, underscoring the importance. Bhoodevi rewinding her happy moments in Varaha Avatara episode was a moment to relish. That no play can be complete without the presence of Narada was pronounced in the frame where he divulges to Hiranyaksha on how Vishnu came to the rescue of Bhoodevi in that episode.
Post the play, Anitha revealed that the whole intention was to give a detailed account of the birthplace of Narayaneeyam. “Including other art forms like Krishnattam Kalli and Mohiniattam was to give the production a colourful coating,” she said.