Among the Indian classical dance-genres, Bharatanatyam undoubtedly holds the pride of place, with its votaries coming from not merely the whole of India, but also from the far-away north America, the entire European continent and now the latin America as well. Here, the majority of the dance-practitioners seem to be female, with an apparent audience-preference for comely maidens as dancers with bedecked accoutrement. Although the original source-book of Natya Shastra talks about the male sage Bharata receiving the benediction of the basic dance-grammar from the gods and though the dance-legacy evinces preference for male gurus as nattuvanars (conductors), the platform for performance has mostly slipped to the fair sex.
Interestingly, if the ancient sculptural evidence is any guide, both the Nataraja temple in Madurai and the Peramban temple in distant Indonesia carry several statues of the dancing devadasis executing karanas (specific body-postures), whereas the Brihadiswara temple in Tanjore depicts, on its inner walls, the supreme male Shiva: demonstrating all the 108 karanas.
The Monsoon Festival of Dance — Purushakaram, recently organised by India International Centre, depicted “the male in Bharatanatyam”. In a welcome move, it showcased four youths over two evenings. On the first day, Bangalore-based Praveen Kumar — a Bismilla Khan award-winner — began with an incantation, followed by a shabdam, in raga malika (garland of ragas), eulogising Kartikeya’s childhood as well as his romance with the goddess Valli. later, his elaborate varnam was in raga Varsi, playing the hero and threatening the heroine to leave for Kashi (a known ploy to indicate renunciation in the southern tradition). His concluding padam was a Thygaraja kriti depicting the child Krishna’s pranks in raga Margosi. Praveen was thin-bodied and skeletal in appearance, decidedly needing more avoirdupois!
Next came Chennai-based Ranjit Babu, presenting compositions on Shiva in bhakti bhava (devotional mood). With a good physique and with a yoga acharya under his belt, he also held a qualification from Kalakshetra and had grooming in mukhavinaya (facial expression) in Kalanidhi Narayana style. His long varnam in raga Natya Kuranji was scintillating, showing many attributes of the divinity. This was followed by a padam in raga Kanjhi, visualising a devotee in abject self-supplication. The last padam brought forth many karanas of Shiva in a mesmerising manner. He explained, “I don’t use yoga in my dance and keep the two disciplines separate.” On male dancers getting a platform, he opined, “I hardly dance more than once or twice a year. Male dancers have to go a long, long way.”
On the second evening, Chennai-based S Vijay Kumar — highly skilled in the rigours of Pandannalur style of Bharatanatyam — broke the ice with a Thyagaraja Kriti, followed by a brilliant varnam in raga Todi. Tall, dynamiic and very talented, Vijay was a sheer delight to behold, dancing with obvious enjoyment. His next padam in raga Hemavati was a Muthuswami kriti, followed by another padam in the north Indian raga Bageshree. His final tillana in raga Hindolam (akin to Malkauns) was one more captivating piece. Perhaps the best dancer of the festival, he commented, “For male dancers, it’s important not to become effeminate. Yes, getting opportunity for the male is relatively hard”.
The finale was provided by the most mature dancer, out of the four, Delhi-based lokesh Bharadwaj. Combining qualifications in four of the arts — Bharatanatyam, yoga, martial arts and theatre — he was a picture of serenity and equanimity with a pleasant face, with a style reflecting ample peace and poise. His varnam in a purbang- dominated, deliberative raga Shree was clearly etched and captivated everybody’s heart. His dance with a Thyagaraja kriti, on the living and non-living, was majestically done, as was the concluding tillana in raga Todi. On the scope of his four artistic skills, he smiled to say, “They naturally flowed in my style, without any conscious efforts”. On the scope of male dancers, “They have to prove their excellence and get their due,” he concluded.