Mahagami’s Eighth Sarngadeva Festival
Nartanam Journal
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
Excerpts:
Unlike the usual run of institutions, Aurangabad’s Mahagami Gurukul established in a sylvan setup by the Mahatma Gandhi Mission with Odissi / Kathak dancer Parwati Dutta as director, has annually held a three day festival dedicated to the great 13th century genius who hailed from this region – Sarngadeva, whose work Sangita Ratnakara represents, in many ways the central moment of Indian musical history, with its summary of sastra from earlier and contemporaneous periods, but also a paradigm for the organization of sangita sastra from subsequent centuries. And in the inter-disciplinary approach of Sarngadeva, the term Sangita included dance, to which separate status was given for the first time, unlike the Natya Sastra, where dance was a part of total theatre. Marking the landmark of twenty years spent in being informed and inspired by the sastras of our music and dance, and understanding their relevance through prayoga in the presentscenario, Mahagami gurukul, far away from the madding crowd, has worked quietly.
The morning sessions during the festival are dedicated to lec/dems on techniques of art forms regarded as classical and also desi forms to which pre-eminent space is given in Sangita Ratnakara in the form of popular traditions, separated from what is identified as marga (which we have, perhaps inadequately identified with classical). Darshana Jhaveri’s talk with demonstration on Manipuri dealt with her late guru Bipin Singh’s artistic journey in taking Manipuri from temple to proscenium, ‘without polluting classical identity’. Emotionally, recollecting history when four sisters (she is the only surviving one to-day) Nayana, Ranjana, Suvarna and Darshana formed the group, she spoke of the period from 1949-1956 when the senior sisters went to Manipur to get a first hand idea of this tradition built round Gaudiya Vaishnavism, with its Raslila and Nata Sankirtan traditions, woven into the life style of a people – along with Lai Haraoba inspired by the ancient indigenous Meitei practices.
Parwati Dutta referring to Mahagami’s work based on the Sangita Ratnakara mentioned shushkaakshar and how abstract bols and sounds are used to represent Devas and Devatas and how the Natya Sastra’s poorvaranga vidhi also evoked deities through abstract sounds (perhaps as a means of pacifying the demons who were displeased about being painted in a poor light in the first play staged for the entertainment of heavenly beings). Nirgeet with just Veena sounds can evoke different types of energy. Working in close association with Dhrupad tradition and the Pakhawaj bols which were a part of old Kathak, Parwati Dutta in the course of her research had wondered about the absence of Vadya Pallavis in a form like Odissi, which delights in Swara pallavis. Wisely, she enlisted the help of Odisha’s Banamali Maharana, the Mardal expert (who has contributed to the training of a whole line of Mardal artists in the state) to work with her on a Vadya Pallavi (he composed a 14 matra Jati tala Pallavi). The inspiration of using fractional talas with half matra came from Sangita Ratnakara's desi talas and Parwati discovered certain similarities in Gyaneswari’s Ovi (from the same regioand coeval with Sarngadeva) which is traditionally sung in 3 ½ matras. The maatric chhand of Gyaneswari's Ovi inspired Parwati to work on other combinations for Kathak of 10 ½ matras, the arithmetic in the theka being 3+3+3+1 ½. In Odissi too, she tried 5 ½ matras and 3 ½ matras. This is all work based on abstract syllables and can be used to represent something too. She and the students presented the Vadya Pallavi.
Parwati Dutta’s Kathak recital with her students began with a Krishna Vandana followed by Vasant, both based on Sant Gyaneshwar’s 9½ matra keertan, which was on Vasant ritu. The poet makes a metaphor of new life springing under the earth during Spring as new wisdom dawning on people. Woven into this was a Parmelu and a Tihai comprising the bols of the theka and the entire gamut of intra forms in Kathak. Uthan had bols like “Dha Dha Thin Ta”. Next was an interpretative item based on one of the Ashta Chhap poets from Raas Adhyaya “Pheri Ayi yahi Suraa Rutara Sundara” where under the shade of the Kadamb one hopes for scenes of Krishna with the Gopis. In all the items while Parwati danced in front, the students formed the group in the hinterland. While they performed very correctly, one wished that one could get a more substantial solo rendition of the students. The best part of the Mahagami team however was their musical support. Rarely does one get to hear such sur perfect music, with Manoj Desai’s vocal, Sukhant Munde on Pakhawaj, Charudutt Phadke on Tabla, Sunil on Flute and Rudraka Sakshikar on Sarangi. In pitch, modulation, completely synchronized performance and verbal clarity, the accompanists were in a class by themselves.
Altogether a festival, both elevating and informative!
Nartanam Journal
LEELA VENKATARAMAN
Excerpts:
Unlike the usual run of institutions, Aurangabad’s Mahagami Gurukul established in a sylvan setup by the Mahatma Gandhi Mission with Odissi / Kathak dancer Parwati Dutta as director, has annually held a three day festival dedicated to the great 13th century genius who hailed from this region – Sarngadeva, whose work Sangita Ratnakara represents, in many ways the central moment of Indian musical history, with its summary of sastra from earlier and contemporaneous periods, but also a paradigm for the organization of sangita sastra from subsequent centuries. And in the inter-disciplinary approach of Sarngadeva, the term Sangita included dance, to which separate status was given for the first time, unlike the Natya Sastra, where dance was a part of total theatre. Marking the landmark of twenty years spent in being informed and inspired by the sastras of our music and dance, and understanding their relevance through prayoga in the presentscenario, Mahagami gurukul, far away from the madding crowd, has worked quietly.
The morning sessions during the festival are dedicated to lec/dems on techniques of art forms regarded as classical and also desi forms to which pre-eminent space is given in Sangita Ratnakara in the form of popular traditions, separated from what is identified as marga (which we have, perhaps inadequately identified with classical). Darshana Jhaveri’s talk with demonstration on Manipuri dealt with her late guru Bipin Singh’s artistic journey in taking Manipuri from temple to proscenium, ‘without polluting classical identity’. Emotionally, recollecting history when four sisters (she is the only surviving one to-day) Nayana, Ranjana, Suvarna and Darshana formed the group, she spoke of the period from 1949-1956 when the senior sisters went to Manipur to get a first hand idea of this tradition built round Gaudiya Vaishnavism, with its Raslila and Nata Sankirtan traditions, woven into the life style of a people – along with Lai Haraoba inspired by the ancient indigenous Meitei practices.
Parwati Dutta referring to Mahagami’s work based on the Sangita Ratnakara mentioned shushkaakshar and how abstract bols and sounds are used to represent Devas and Devatas and how the Natya Sastra’s poorvaranga vidhi also evoked deities through abstract sounds (perhaps as a means of pacifying the demons who were displeased about being painted in a poor light in the first play staged for the entertainment of heavenly beings). Nirgeet with just Veena sounds can evoke different types of energy. Working in close association with Dhrupad tradition and the Pakhawaj bols which were a part of old Kathak, Parwati Dutta in the course of her research had wondered about the absence of Vadya Pallavis in a form like Odissi, which delights in Swara pallavis. Wisely, she enlisted the help of Odisha’s Banamali Maharana, the Mardal expert (who has contributed to the training of a whole line of Mardal artists in the state) to work with her on a Vadya Pallavi (he composed a 14 matra Jati tala Pallavi). The inspiration of using fractional talas with half matra came from Sangita Ratnakara's desi talas and Parwati discovered certain similarities in Gyaneswari’s Ovi (from the same regioand coeval with Sarngadeva) which is traditionally sung in 3 ½ matras. The maatric chhand of Gyaneswari's Ovi inspired Parwati to work on other combinations for Kathak of 10 ½ matras, the arithmetic in the theka being 3+3+3+1 ½. In Odissi too, she tried 5 ½ matras and 3 ½ matras. This is all work based on abstract syllables and can be used to represent something too. She and the students presented the Vadya Pallavi.
Parwati Dutta’s Kathak recital with her students began with a Krishna Vandana followed by Vasant, both based on Sant Gyaneshwar’s 9½ matra keertan, which was on Vasant ritu. The poet makes a metaphor of new life springing under the earth during Spring as new wisdom dawning on people. Woven into this was a Parmelu and a Tihai comprising the bols of the theka and the entire gamut of intra forms in Kathak. Uthan had bols like “Dha Dha Thin Ta”. Next was an interpretative item based on one of the Ashta Chhap poets from Raas Adhyaya “Pheri Ayi yahi Suraa Rutara Sundara” where under the shade of the Kadamb one hopes for scenes of Krishna with the Gopis. In all the items while Parwati danced in front, the students formed the group in the hinterland. While they performed very correctly, one wished that one could get a more substantial solo rendition of the students. The best part of the Mahagami team however was their musical support. Rarely does one get to hear such sur perfect music, with Manoj Desai’s vocal, Sukhant Munde on Pakhawaj, Charudutt Phadke on Tabla, Sunil on Flute and Rudraka Sakshikar on Sarangi. In pitch, modulation, completely synchronized performance and verbal clarity, the accompanists were in a class by themselves.
Altogether a festival, both elevating and informative!
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