Meenakshi Chitharanjan pays ode to Dikshitar through a well-choreographed production

Two-and-a-half centuries aft his birth, Muthuswami Dikshitar continues to inhabit a unsocial spot successful Carnatic music. His compositions, noted for their cleanable alignment of raga, sahitya, and spirituality, are not simply philharmonic creations but philosophical treatises. Each kriti, steeped successful Sanskrit poesy and infused with aesthetic precision, reflects his heavy knowing of Advaita Vedanta. That artistes proceed to find caller meaning successful his works adjacent aft 250 years is simply a testament to his enduring relevance.

It was this tone that the Janaki C.S. Ramachandran Trust sought to observe done ‘Guruguho Jayati’, a thematic creation accumulation presented precocious astatine The Music Academy, Chennai.

Choreographed and presented by Meenakshi Chitharanjan and her disciples, the show was based connected Shanmatham, the six systems of worship — Saiva, Vaishnava, Sakta, Soura, Kaumara and Ganapatya — arsenic codified by Adi Shankaracharya, utilizing Dikshitar’s compositions arsenic anchors. Carnatic vocalist Ashwath Narayanan led the euphony ensemble, portion student Dr. Sudha Seshayyan compered the presentation.

The show opened with ‘Vallabha nayakasya’ successful Begada, and Ashwath’s resonant timbre and unhurried gait created the ambiance of a accepted temple invocation. Before each segment, Dr. Sudha Seshayyan succinctly placed the compositions successful their philosophical and poetic context. Her commentary combined assistance with lucidity, allowing adjacent non-specialists to admit Dikshitar’s intricate wordplay and theological symbolism.

Before ‘Sri nathadi guruguho jayati’, Dikshitar’s archetypal composition, Sudha explained however the operation “māyāmālavagauḷādi deśa” concealed some a raga notation and an allusion to however Subrahmanya is worshipped by the kings of Maya, Malava and Gaula. Meenakshi executed this portion with aplomb, presenting a nuanced mentation of the panchabhootas oregon 5 elements. She focused connected however the opus hails the deity arsenic the interior aforesaid that guides the aspirant towards liberation.

In ‘Suryamurthe’ (raga Saurashtra), performed by the students of Kaladiksha, the choreography unfolded into spatial patterns. The dancers formed arsenic the Sun-god’s seven-horse chariot. The operation ‘Sarasa Mitra’, describing the Sun arsenic a person of the lotus, was interpreted done a radical enactment wherever the lotus bloomed successful effect to sunlight.

In the Saiva segment, Chidambareswaram, Meenakshi’s portrayal of Shiva’s acts specified arsenic wearing the tiger tegument and performing the Ananda Tandava stood out. The enactment ‘Vasuki pramukha upasitam’ was taken up for exploration. Set successful raga Dhunibhinnashadjam, the portion was sung with clarity and bhava by Ashwath Narayanan. Mudicondan Ramesh’s veena successful the little octave added gravitas to the communicative of Vasuki and the churning of the ocean, portion Pandanallur Pandian’s crisp sollukattu lent energy.

The Vaishnava portion ‘Sri lakshmi varaham’ stood retired for its communicative coherence. Meenakshi portrayed Vishnu’s rescue of the Earth, drafting from Vedanta Desika’s Dasavatara stotram for context.

Throughout the evening, jatis and swara passages were integrated betwixt the compositions, sometimes arsenic invocatory preludes and sometimes arsenic concluding embellishments. These rhythmic interludes showcased the geometric quality and structural precision of the Pandanallur bani, known for its system of question and architectural symmetry. Choreographing Dikshitar’s kritis, with their layered philosophical allusions and Sanskrit density, is nary casual task. Meenakshi retained their spiritual halfway portion remaining existent to the stylistic grammar of her creator lineage.

The Devi kriti ‘Anandamruthakarshini’ successful Amritavarshini followed, introduced by Dr. Sudha Seshayyan with the anecdote of Dikshitar invoking rainfall astatine Ettayapuram. The choreography mirrored this enactment of benediction — the dancers’ flowing movements and cascading formations resonated the operation salilam varshaya varshaya. The show concluded with lines from ‘Meenakshi memudam’, which is said to beryllium the last kriti jointly rendered by Dikshitar and his disciples arsenic helium peacefully departed the mortal world.

Pandanallur Pandian’s nattuvangam lent precision, portion Sakthivel Muruganandam’s mridangam added extent and texture. B. Ananthakrishnan’s violin and Mudicondan Ramesh’s veena reflected the melodic travel with warmth, and Sujith Naik’s flute brought a interaction of lightness. Together, they created a soundscape that supported the dance’s affectional layers.

In celebrating Dikshitar done the lens of Adi Sankara’s Shanmatham, the artistes reaffirmed the composer’s continuing resonance. His euphony remains a span betwixt doctrine and art, intellect and devotion. ‘Guruguho Jayati’ was not simply a commemorative show but a reaffirmation of a contented that remains arsenic inclusive contiguous arsenic it was 250 years ago.