With assured nritta, expressive abhinaya and remarkable stage presence, 18-year-old Bhavika Reddy made an impressive Bharatanatyam arangetram under the guidance of Guru Geetha Ganesan.
Eighteen-year-old Bhavika Reddy marked an important milestone in her journey as a Bharatanatyam dancer with her recent arangetram under the banner of Uttara Centre for Performing Arts. Trained by eminent guru Geetha Ganesan, the young dancer presented a demanding repertoire with confidence, poise and an impressive command over both nritta and abhinaya. From the opening Pushpanjali to an expansive pada varnam and a spirited finale, the recital revealed a performer whose rigorous training was matched by a striking stage presence.
Bhavika, who is pursuing a BBA in Digital Technology, has participated successfully in several of her guru’s productions. Her arangetram was a recital brimming with quiet confidence, brilliance and poise, and Guru Geetha Ganesan deserves credit for the rigorous training of her young student.
Geetha Ganesan handled the nattuvangam and vocals with exceptional skill. The rest of the orchestra — Rajagopala Chari on mridangam, Dinakar on violin, Dattatreya on flute and Srikanth handling sound effects — provided excellent support throughout the recital.
Bhavika looked charming in a violet-and-gold brocade aharya. Commencing with a mangalacharanam, the Pushpanjali was set in the melodious Kalyani ragam. Geetha’s voice was lyrical, while Bhavika’s extraordinary stage presence enchanted the audience. She was a vision as her trim figure and lithe, supple movements in the floral offering to the gods captured all eyes. The perfection displayed in stance, eye movements and clean anga shuddhi in this brief preliminary item raised expectations for the rest of the evening.
“Madagaja Mukhane”, a Malayalam composition invoking Lord Ganesha and set in Madhyamavati, followed. Lyricist Sarath Vayalar beautifully blends prayer with Puranic references. As the elephant-faced god promenades in his characteristic gait, the son of the divine couple is invited to reside as the master of the devotee’s intellect.
The sancharis were exquisite as Bhavika depicted the foolish pride of Kubera, who attempts to exhaust Ganesha by setting a gargantuan feast before him, assuming that the Lord would be unable to finish it. Ganesha, however, devours everything set before him in a trice. It is Kubera who is ultimately discomfited as the vast array of pots of food disappears into the Lord’s belly.
The cameo depicting Ganesha breaking his own tusk to scribe the great epic Mahabharata to the dictation of the immensely knowledgeable Vyasa was delineated with fidelity. The eight sacred ingredients are served by his worshippers after the holy bath to elicit the Lord’s infinite grace. The composure of the young artiste throughout was a tribute to her guru’s meticulous teaching.
The magnificent centrepiece of the evening was the pada varnam “Mohamaginen”, composed by Dandayudapani Pillai in Kharaharapriya. It explored the emotional world of the nayika, portraying her admiration for the attributes of Lord Shiva.
The heroine is filled with deep infatuation and longing as Cupid’s arrows pierce her, causing pain she is unable to bear. She wonders whether her Lord, who dances in the ambalam at Chidambaram, will arrive to accept and embrace her. The cooling moon, which once brought joy, now feels hostile, seemingly radiating heat. Her isolation and hesitation intensify as confusion overwhelms her in the anguish of separation. She is left in complete despair, unable to think or act.
The combination of natya, nritya and abhinaya in this complex piece was interpreted with acumen by Bhavika. She rose to the difficult task with élan, negotiating the pallavi, anupallavi and charanam with fluid ease. As she covered the stage with vigour and balletic precision, every flourish at the end of the jathis, declaimed sonorously by Geetha, drew well-deserved applause.
Annamacharya’s Sanskrit keerthana “Rajeeva Netraya” brought alive episodes from the Ramayana — Tataka Samharam, Yaga Rakshanam, Sita Swayamvaram, Surpanakha’s Nasika-Karna Chedanam, Setu Bandhanam and Ravana Samharam.
Bhavika’s angika abhinaya was stunning as she created a vivid tapestry of vignettes. The baffled suitors trying to lift Shiva’s bow, getting trapped in their attempts and retiring dejectedly; the vanaras straining to lift heavy boulders to create the bridge to Lanka — these picture-perfect depictions thrilled the spectators.
The carefully chosen costumes enhanced the visual appeal of the recital. An entrancing blue costume for the middle pair of items and a luminous scarlet ensemble for the final two were both aesthetically pleasing.
The javali “Sako Ninna Sneha” in Kapi, by Venkataramanayya, gave the artiste an opportunity to display intense abhinaya. As the nayika waits for her beloved, he goes away to another woman’s home. The shades of longing, hurt and quiet reproach were subtly and maturely emoted, appearing, mingling and fading in turn.
“Aaz Gokula” by Suresh Bhat was a spirited celebration of Holi in Vrindavan. Bhavika excelled in creating a mood of colour, joy and playful devotion as Krishna, Radha and the gopikas danced together.
A vibrant thillana in Kadana Kuthuhalam by Balamurali brought the recital towards its conclusion. Its crisp pure dance and brisk steps indicated that the dancer still had an abundance of stamina. Intricate nritta formed jewelled patterns before the recital ended with a mangalam.
The performance elicited a standing ovation — a fitting conclusion to an evening that this reviewer counts among the finest arangetrams he has witnessed.
