Sita Ram Parinay, conceived and choreographed by danseuse Bharati Shivaji, was culled from Ayodhyakanda in Mohiniyattam style, with brief vignettes of Manipuri, Kathakali and Mayurbhanj Chhau forms. Utpal K Banerjee reports
When the Mughal empire was at its zenith and Emperor Akbar (1556-1605) was at its helm, a poetic retelling of the events of the Sanskrit Ramayana was taking place in Avadhi dialect — belonging to the eastern Hindi language family — and thereby causing a vernacular renaissance that challenged the dominance of high-class Brahmanical elitism in Sanskrit. Composed by Goswami Tulsidas (c. 1532-1623) and centered around the narrative of Rama, the masterpiece was called Ramcharitmanas that should literally translate as
“Rama’s Annals as Visualised in Mind” and not the usually construed: “lake of the Deeds of Rama leading into Holy Waters of the Himalayan lake Mansarovar.” However, the latter was never mentioned in Ramayana. Whatever, the epic comprised seven cantos, of which the first two, titled Balkanda (childhood episode) and Ayodhyakanda (Ayodhya episode) made up more than half of the work.
Sita Ram Parinaypresented recently by Centre of Mohiniyattam was culled from Ayodhyakanda in Mohiniyattam style, with brief vignettes of Manipuri, Kathakali and Mayurbhanj Chhau forms. Conceived and choreographed by danseuse Bharati Shivaji, the production was lavishly mounted and brilliantly illumined by the mise-en scene as visuals projected on the cyclorama. The dance-drama faithfully stuck to the melodious structure of the original’s chaupai metre (four-line quatrains), as separated by the doha metre (two-line couplets), while also bringing out the occasional soratha and various chhand metres.
The show began with a human curtain of sakhis (companions) bringing in Sita to the spectators, akin to Kathakali’s cloth-curtain of Tirushila: used to introduce characters from “there and then” to “here and now.” Sakhis reported the intriguing presence of two handsome men in the garden to pluck flowers, leading to Sita’s curiosity to sight them. The relatively thin storyline followed with Rama and Sita spotting each other in the garden and getting transfixed, the announcement about Haradhanu (Shiva’s bow) at Janaka’s court, Rama’s brave breaking of the bow and the blissful wedlock amongst much merriment. The usual fiasco about many royal princess — here from other classical genres with their characteristic music of edekka and chhenda for Kathakali; pung for Manipuri; dhamsa and shehnai for Chhau — unable to lift the bow and leaving disheartened, was tastefully executed, without being reduced to caricature.
Excerpts of an interview with director-choreographer:
Since both Avadhi and Ramcharitmanas are alien to Mohiniyattam, what made you conceive this dance-dramaIJ
I agree it’s an unfamiliar territory for us. But then I’ve always ventured to take Mohiniyattam beyond its identified frontiers and share my tradition with other forms. I have, for instance, choreographed Swan lake with Tcahikovsky’s music and taken it even to Bolshoi theatre. In Chandreshwaram, I have used the idea and vocabulary of Chandrima Moon Festival to show the depravation of the moon-god for a woman’s beauty. My Paryapta depicted the role of a prostitute’s door-soil in the worship of goddess Durga. Tagore’s Bhanusingher Padavali is based on Rabindra Sangeet. I have sought to interact with other traditions without diluting my grammar. Sita and Rama are today part of global psyche.
What attracted you most about RamcharitmanasIJ
It’s the bhakti element. As one of the greatest examples of Indian literature, Ramcharitmanas is steeped with sagun bhakti (devotion with forms). Tulsidas began every canto with an invocation because he believed that reading, and indeed the writing, of the story of Rama required right frame of mind and the divine assistance of God.
You have used classical ragas like Darbari Kannada, Kedar, Jay Jayanti…
Yes, but for swayamvara (self-selection of bridegroom), I’ve put in panchavadyam (five traditional instruments). You see, you can’t avoid Kerala’s music in any orchestration for Mohiniyattam.
The use of other classical styles in the swayamvara scene is quite innovative…
Thanks, but I have seen to it that they come out in their glory and are not debased.
Why is the video-projection a little mixed-up between tradition and modernityIJ
They were the best we could do under our circumstances. But I do admit that it could have been better.
Many a time you are showing the hero and the heroine left alone to emote…
It is an accepted idea in Indian tradition for sakhis to play the role of mediators, catalyse the union of the male and female protagonists, and then discretely withdraw! It’s happening all the time in Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, for instance. I have followed the haloed practice!
On the whole, the storyline for an hour-long play is so tenuous here…
True, but I have religiously followed Tulsidas in my depiction of events. For example, flowers and trees of pushpa vatika (flower garden) for the first encounter — complete with chandra (the moon) and chakor (the love-lorn bird) — are all there in the original work and have lent themselves to my choreography.