Mahati Kannan takes the Bharathanrithyam legacy forward

Mahati Kannan’s Bharathanrityam show for Krishna Gana Sabha’s Pongal Dance Festival was grounded successful tradition. She was supported by Gayathri Kannan connected the vocals with Anantha Shree providing vocal enactment and nattuvangam, Shreelakshmi Bhat connected the violin, and Nagai P. Sriram connected the mridangam.

The recital opened with a Pushpanjali, pursuing which Mahati took up the Tiruppavai of the day, ‘Koodarai vellum’. This prime mirrored the customary signifier successful Carnatic concerts wherever the Tiruppavai of the time is rendered. Its translation into question brought a time-tested model into the creation space.

One of Mahati’s strengths is the assortment of compositions she chooses. This was evident successful ‘Ma mayil meedhu eri vaa’, a creation by Meenakshi Subrahmanyam connected Muruga. The portion permitted ample scope for sancharis, peculiarly episodes depicting Muruga arsenic Swaminatha, the divine guru who revealed the meaning of the Pranava to Shiva himself. These narratives were handled with clarity, making country for the philosophical thought to look without excessive elaboration.

The cardinal portion of the evening was the varnam ‘Vanamala shri gopala’ by Kunrakudi Krishna Iyer, acceptable successful Valaji. The varnam’s restrained philharmonic and lyrical operation provided fertile crushed for dance, allowing question to stay astatine the forefront. For each line, Mahati drew upon episodes from the Bhagavatam, sometimes juxtaposing them creatively — arsenic erstwhile she questioned Krishna connected the opposition betwixt his stealing the gopis’ garments and his extortion of Draupadi’s honour. Such moments added an constituent of introspection to the presentation.

In the post-charanam section, the tempo increased, and Mahati demonstrated a notable interplay of karanas and adavu-based nritta. Karanas were not treated arsenic isolated inserts but were woven into rhythmic passages, peculiarly successful the endings of ettugada swaras, each concluding with a chiseled spatial resolution. This thoughtful saltation enhanced ocular involvement and highlighted a Bharathanrityam attack that integrates karana vocabulary with structured adavu patterns.

The pieces that followed continued this exploration. ‘Neela vaanam’ successful Punnagavarali by Oothukkadu Venkatasubbaiyer, which describes Krishna amidst the lushness of Vrindavan, was approached with sensitivity. The creation people lends itself to suggestive alternatively than descriptive abhinaya, and the inclusion of jathis structured with karanas added rhythmic involvement without disturbing the contemplative code of the song.

‘Vandeham sharadaam’ by Swami Dayananda Saraswati included a sanchari drawn from the ‘Shankara Vijayam’, narrating the occurrence of Adi Shankara and Sharadamba, which was conveyed with restraint. The concluding ‘Adbhuta natanam’, a creation by Puliyur Doraiswamy Iyer connected Nataraja, tuned by dancer-scholar Padma Subrahmanyam, presented an expanded karana inventory, connected appropriately utilizing charis to springiness the choreography a implicit kinetic expression.

Gayathri’s pleasant and dependable vocal beingness contributed importantly to the recital, supported ably by Anantha Shree. Shreelakshmi’s violin complemented the creation sensitively, portion Nagai Sriram’s intuitive mridangam accompaniment responded intimately to the dancer’s rhythmic needs.

Mahati’s recitals proceed to basal retired for the proportionality and precision of karanas employed alongside adavus, reflecting the choreographic imaginativeness of Padma Subrahmanyam. With continued guidance, Mahati is well-positioned to find caller ways of presenting Bharathanrityam that resonate with younger audiences.