The timeless appeal of the Bharatanatyam Margam

Roja Kannan performing at Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Margam as envisaged by the Tanjore Quartet is a repertoire conceptualised to unfold the intricacies and beauty of Bharatanatyam in a systematic manner. From simple rhythmic movements in Alarippu to introduction of abhinaya in Sabdam, and from exploring both aspects in detail in Varnam to expressive pieces such as Padam and Javali, the traditional line up concludes with a vibrant Thillana.
With changes in the performance space and shorter duration of recitals some pieces in the repertoire were edited out. To highlight the beauty of the hoary Margam, Natyarangam, the dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha, organised a programme titled ‘Poorna Margam’. The full-length performance not only helps dancers showcase the lyrical and emotional content of compositions but also gives them scope to revive rare and forgotten works.
Senior dancer Roja Kannan presented the entire repertoire — Alarippu to Thillana. Along with the orchestra, she shared the joy of revisiting classics. A Tisra Dhruva tala Alarippu, choreographed by her guru Adyar K Lakshman, with which Roja began her performance was followed by a Jathiswaram, composed by guru Kanchipuram Ellapa Pillai. The pranks played by Krishna were portrayed in the Ragamalika Sabdam, ‘Sarasijakshulu’. The Sabdam set the mood for the viewer to enjoy the elaborate exploration of ideas in the Varnam.

Apt depiction

The grandeur of raga Thodi unfolded in the Varnam, ‘Moha lahiri konden’, a composition of Tanjore Quartet, in praise of Mannargudi Rajagopalaswamy. The long experience of performing on stage was evident in Roja’s presentation. In the first Jathi, the slight elevation of the heel and the expressions of the dancer looking upwards, with arms stretched out to visualise the magnificence of Rajagopalaswamy’s form, was an interesting touch to introduce the nayaka of the piece. The shringara rasa, as experienced by the nayika, was depicted through a couple of sancharis. The sthayibhava of the nayika was established convincingly when her gaze shifts to the idol, and she begins to talk about her tormented, lovelorn state.
The beauty of the rains, the boatmen dismissing little Krishna’s help, their fear getting drowned in the flooding waters, and finally, surrendering to him was a narrative that was dramatically portrayed.

Roja Kannan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The sollukattus rendered with clarity and conviction by Parur M. S. Anantashree, the arudis and rhythmic flourishes on the mridangam by Nellai D Kannan, and the way Roja responded to them with her footwork made the theemanams impactful.
The dancer chose two popular numbers, a Kshetrayya Padam, ‘Choodare’ in raga Sahana and a Swati Tirunal Javali ‘Saramainamata’ in raga Behag for the pure abhinaya segment. The Padam on how a group of women though busy with household chores take time out to gossip about each other was handled well by Roja.
‘Don’t you have any compassion for me. I am completely drowned in the ocean of Viraha (pangs of separation). ‘Look at me’, entreats the nayika in the Javali. The two songs were danced beautifully, but one felt that by rushing through the viruttam and ‘Varugalamo’ that followed, the possibilities of delving deep into philosophical aspects of the compositions were not explored. The performance concluded with a Veena Seshayya Thillana in raga Chenchurutti. It had jathis composed by Adyar K Gopinath.
Radha Badri’s expressive singing enhanced the appeal of the performance. Devaraj on the flute and Anjani Srinivasan on the veena added colour to the musical arrangement. That the Margam is a fine amalgam of dance and music was evident in this presentation.