SRIJAN TEERTH | Journey through Glorious times : Sounds from seven forts
The classical dance festival Ananya at the exotic Purana Qila showcased the vibrancy of contemporary creativity in the Indian dance
Utpal K Banerjee
Utpal K Banerjee
Hindustan Times
17 October 2006
The neon-lit ramparts of the old Fort, with every niche and cornice illumined tastefully, provided a wonderful backdrop to the Aurangabad-based troupe of Parwati Dutta. Here was a recapitulation of some of the finest melodies and rhythms created by the practitioners of yore around the fortresses and citadels that their kings and Nawabs occupied and had their crunchy walls reverberate with sweetest songs and dances. What a lovely idea!
Srijan Tirth begins with a leisurely Dhrupad composition by Tansen in which he addresses Emperor Akbar in Agra Fort. Set in raga Mian ki Malhar, the master’s own creation Shuva Muhurat, the dancers’ anklets resound into the corners of the sprawling space. The production flows into another panegyric Bhagya Vidhata, Tum Hi Ho Sukhadata. It is a Bandish and Khayalnuma, set to raga Devgiri Bilawal created by Gopal Nayak at Devgiri Fort, Aurangabad, “We held our first musical concert there,” declares the danseuse.
It is now a sonorous rendition of Pakhwaj and its intricate Padhants- sans any melody, but with a reverberating Shiva Stotra, the favorite of all Pakhawaj-players – that comes through with the group’s finely-eteched hand-gestures and footwork. The compositions are the handiwork of Raja chhatrapati Singh at Bijna Fort. An exquisite Padam follows, which was created decades ago by the king Swati Thirunal Fort,- emphasisting the Alap Ang. Bandish by Raja Chakradhar Singh of Raigarh Fort is the fifth fort highlighted.
Pandit Bindadin Maharaj, ancestor of Birju Maharaj’s family, takes the viewers north now with a perennially favorite Ashtapadi: Bahe Pawana Sukhada Shital…… created in his Awadh habitat. The concluding serenade is another Dhrupad by Tansen set to raga Gurjari Todi, Says Parwati,” Some musicologists aver thet the this special melody was dedicated to Empress Mriganayami of Gwalior Fort,
Who was herself a great artist,” Does one savour the faint aroma of a romance there?
Adds Parwati helpfully, “Mine is a dance-journey that re-discovers the glorious times of royal patronage to art. Spanning a period of a few hundred years, we cull out references of many traditions created or sustained in this interregnum in the field of dance, music, percussion and literature. Our sojourn weaves together creations of three great artists and three great artist-monarchs. Our dance-delineation sequences the ethos of that by-gone era through the vision of each artist.”
The finale was Varna Riti, chants of mnemonic syllables. The Padhani of the abstract language of the tala system was treated as equivalent to the utterance of holy chants: Jaya Govinda Jaya Gopala: and danced with ecstasy, making it the best treat of the evening. Explains the director,”the syllables are not numerical arrangement of mnemonics on a time-scale, but find a deep connection to the sacred chants of our traditions. We’ve attempted to make our rhythmic Padhants on the Pakhwaj to transcend the cerebral, seeking the spiritual.”
Srijan Tirth begins with a leisurely Dhrupad composition by Tansen in which he addresses Emperor Akbar in Agra Fort. Set in raga Mian ki Malhar, the master’s own creation Shuva Muhurat, the dancers’ anklets resound into the corners of the sprawling space. The production flows into another panegyric Bhagya Vidhata, Tum Hi Ho Sukhadata. It is a Bandish and Khayalnuma, set to raga Devgiri Bilawal created by Gopal Nayak at Devgiri Fort, Aurangabad, “We held our first musical concert there,” declares the danseuse.
It is now a sonorous rendition of Pakhwaj and its intricate Padhants- sans any melody, but with a reverberating Shiva Stotra, the favorite of all Pakhawaj-players – that comes through with the group’s finely-eteched hand-gestures and footwork. The compositions are the handiwork of Raja chhatrapati Singh at Bijna Fort. An exquisite Padam follows, which was created decades ago by the king Swati Thirunal Fort,- emphasisting the Alap Ang. Bandish by Raja Chakradhar Singh of Raigarh Fort is the fifth fort highlighted.
Pandit Bindadin Maharaj, ancestor of Birju Maharaj’s family, takes the viewers north now with a perennially favorite Ashtapadi: Bahe Pawana Sukhada Shital…… created in his Awadh habitat. The concluding serenade is another Dhrupad by Tansen set to raga Gurjari Todi, Says Parwati,” Some musicologists aver thet the this special melody was dedicated to Empress Mriganayami of Gwalior Fort,
Who was herself a great artist,” Does one savour the faint aroma of a romance there?
Adds Parwati helpfully, “Mine is a dance-journey that re-discovers the glorious times of royal patronage to art. Spanning a period of a few hundred years, we cull out references of many traditions created or sustained in this interregnum in the field of dance, music, percussion and literature. Our sojourn weaves together creations of three great artists and three great artist-monarchs. Our dance-delineation sequences the ethos of that by-gone era through the vision of each artist.”
The finale was Varna Riti, chants of mnemonic syllables. The Padhani of the abstract language of the tala system was treated as equivalent to the utterance of holy chants: Jaya Govinda Jaya Gopala: and danced with ecstasy, making it the best treat of the evening. Explains the director,”the syllables are not numerical arrangement of mnemonics on a time-scale, but find a deep connection to the sacred chants of our traditions. We’ve attempted to make our rhythmic Padhants on the Pakhwaj to transcend the cerebral, seeking the spiritual.”
No comments:
Post a Comment