Dwita by Rama Vaidynathan explores the double take on different aspects of life. For example, the Devi is compassionate as well as ferocious, love for the Divine can be sensual as well as spiritual. The danseuse spoke to UK Banerjee
Does duality in principle hold a fundamental place in universeIJ After all yin (active) and yang (passive) forces emanate from the oldest Chinese ethos as the roots whose combination led to all creation. There is a very parallel phenomenon — of Purusha and Prakriti — the union of which gave rise to the cosmos, according to the Indian ethos. There is nothing similar to such a dualism in the Western philosophy. In the entire Semitic tradition — including the Hebraic and the Christianity — God is exclusive and immanent in having commanded the creation of universe. The Devil, as the fallen angel, is eternally at odds with God and is banished from Paradise for ever. Dante’s Inferno is the Devil’s perennial abode. The Satanic concept — also there in Islam — does not exist in the theology of the East, where duality is endemic.
At mythological level, Krishna the pastoral God, with his bovine flock, is a metaphor of complimentary duality, where he tends to the cows as much as he chaperons men in their temporal journey, his ethereal flute signifies directions to the herd, as it does to mankind. At another mythic boundary of human and divine, nayika (heroine) does not draw a line between shringara (eroticism) and bhakti (devotion) in her all-consuming passion for Shiva. And what a charming duo the divinities themselves make! If Gauri is bedecked with fragrant flowers from heavenly orchards, Shiva is smeared with ashes from funeral pyres, if Gauri is draped with the best of attires, Shiva’s is a naked torso, save a tiger-skin, if Gauri has the best of accouterments, Shiva has a dangling snake, if Gauri gives benedictions, Shiva dispenses dissolution. And yet, they commingle in one single body — as Ardhanareeshwara (half-male, half-female deity) — as an ultimate instance of inclusive duality!
Dwita-Duality of life, presented recently by the ace Bharatanatyam danseuse Rama Vaidynathan with daughter Dakshina under the aegis of Wednesday Charity Club, which renders commendable service to the needy and the deprived, brought out many manifestations of the theme. They began a duet with verses from Narayana Teertha’s Krishnaleela Tarangini, using raga-malika (string of ragas), to praise Krishna: A simple cow herd and yet the Supreme Divine. Next came Rama’s elaborate Varnam in raga Bhairavi, composed a century ago by the Tanjore Quartet: depicting nayika’s physical as well as spiritual amour with lord Thyagaraja of Thiruvarur temple. Dakshina followed with Adi Shankara’s Ardhanareeswara Ashtakam: Celebrating Shiva as the vivacious male along with qualities of a sensuous female.
The evening’s tour de force was Possessive Mother. from the ancient Sangam poetry: Exploring a mother’s dual emotions of seeking to keep, as well as wanting to let go, her daughter. Can sandalwood give fragrance without being peeled from the tree-barkIJ Can pearls shine without being gathered from the dark ocean-floorIJ Can blossoms adorn a diva without being plucked from the gardenIJ Can melodies resonate without the veena-strings being pluckedIJ To achieve full potential, one has to be not bound but released. The Rama-Dakshina duo was simply spell-binding.
Excerpts of an interview with the choreographer:
What gave you the ideaIJ
A mother and her daughter remind us of a duality that exists in every walk of our lives. While both complement and empower each other, one symbolises the present and the other is significant of the future. There are always two sides to a coin, two perceptions and two paths to a goal. The challenge, however, is to recognise both and for both to co-exist. Dwita, a Sanskrit term that means duality, explores the double-take on different aspects of man and divinity.
What were the special features of choreographyIJ
I wanted the concepts to speak for themselves. Dancing was not formalised but kept stark and simple. Movements and actions were meant to reveal ideas, and not ornamented at all.
The finale was a chant — Jeevoham Shivoham, Shivojeevoham…What did it signifyIJ
They were verses in raga Charukesi from Skanda Purana that speak of man being a mortal and yet a manifestation of the eternal. It’s yet another level of duality.