CHENNAI: Eighteen-year-old Neha Jayadevan was a vision of grace and poise on Sunday evening. And for the dancer, who was giving her Mohiniyattam Rangapravesham performance, it was perhaps everything and more that a youngster could hope for. The backdrop, an aesthetic Kerala-style temple, complete with sloping tiled roof and a large lamp in the centre, was created by Thotta Tharrini. The Sivagami Petachi Auditorium at Mylapore seemed to be overflowing with friends and well-wishers. And the guest list boasted some of the most respected names in the city – former DGP of Tamil Nadu V R Lakshminarayan (IPS), correspondent of Chettinad Vidyashram School Meena Muthiah, popular actor and classical dancer Vineeth, lensman G Venket Ram among others. Certainly, this must have created a lot of pressure for the first showcase of the dancer. But with her fluid movement and a smile that reached all the way to her expressive eyes, a young Neha had the audience riveted from the very beginning. Choreographed by Mohiniyattam dance exponent Gopika Varma, each performance seemed to go well beyond expectation. The highlight of the evening was the Varnam (longest form of song in a classical music repertoire), where she depicts a smitten princess (nayika) who is in love with Maharaja Kulasekara. The princess is upset that the king is angry with her. As the Maharaja has submitted himself to Lord Padmanabha, she is anguished that he takes no notice of her and says that Manmadha (God of Love) is striking continuous arrows of love at her and this separation due to the anger of the king is too much to bear. Taking on myriad emotions, from deep sorrow to joy and anger at some points, Neha skillfully weaved across the stage, telling a tale with utmost grief and despair. One could only watch in awe and, for a moment, consider taking the grief-stricken princess to another kingdom with hopefully a better suited king! As V R Lakshminarayan described the performance, "We thought we were transported to the world of Kerala's black magic, back to the original Mohini." No exaggeration there.
Comments
0 comment