Aesthetic Display of Kuchipudi

Classical-dance icons Raja and Radha Reddy are bustling about ensuring all arrangements for the 17th anniversary of Natya Tarangini, Hyderabad, are going as per plan. The Kuchipudi legends and Kaushalya Reddy have all come down from Delhi to supervise and support this event. Their daughter-disciple and founder of this Hyderabad institute, Yamini Reddy, is celebrating the anniversary with a dance event featuring scores of her students, from the young ones to seasoned performers.

Yamini has now established herself as an accomplished performer and teacher who is doing her famous parents proud by carrying on their legacy with competence. With this event, she also cemented her reputation as a choreographer.

Natya Tarangini is a renowned Kuchipudi dance institution that was founded in Delhi by the legends and Padmabhushan awardees Raja and Radha Reddy with Kaushalya Reddy being the Artistic Director. Raja and Radha have dazzled audiences across India and around the world including at prestigious venues with their outstanding artistry. Their two daughters have been among their many students. The perfectionist teachers have spent decades grooming students who in turn are being recognised as talented performers who are thus bringing laurels to their gurus and this institution.

The elder daughter Yamini established the Hyderabad centre in 2007 and has trained hundreds of students over these last 17 years. Every time, there is a major event at this institution, her parents are sure to come from Delhi for the show of support especially at the Kuchipudi Rangapravesams i.e. stage-debuts of Yamini’s students, all of which happen with live music. Also, at these events, much to the delight of the audience, Raja Reddy also takes to the stage to give the audience a brief explanation about the greatness and unique qualities of the Kuchipudi dance tradition and puts in a brief appearance on stage in one or two of the dance items, receiving enormous applause as always.

As they wait for the curtain to go up, Raja and Radha tell us how proud and gratified they are to be here. Raja Reddy reminiscences briefly about his own career: “All these accolades, awards and standing ovations that we have received around the world are the result of decades of uncompromising hard work, unwavering commitment and dedication to perfecting our art. We have lived and breathed dance.”

Talking of their institution and work as a dance-teacher, he says: “We came to Delhi from a small village in Telangana, and began teaching with only three students in the 1970s. Today, as we see how the institution has grown in Delhi and over here in Hyderabad and how we have helped spread the great art of Kuchipudi among younger generations of students, we feel humbled and thankful.”

As a young student approaches Radha, anklets in hand, for her blessing, Radha graciously touches the anklets, and wishes her a wonderful performance and career. Turning to us, she adds: “Look at these scores of young students. We are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that we could groom so many students in our Delhi institution and in this city too through Yamini’s efforts. We give thanks to Lord Nataraja for his grace.” Kaushalya too is both delighted and excited for this event: “It has been plenty of hard work and effort by all of us,” she says.

We learn that Natya Tarangini, Hyderabad also offers outreach programmes and specialised workshops as well as scholarships to economically underprivileged students who are passionate about dance. The institution also presents an Annual World Dance Day award. This year it was given to critic and connoisseur V.A.K. Ranga Rao, who received it in absentia.

Yamini herslf is all excitement and even a little nervous. She remarks: “It feels surreal that Natya Tarangin Hyderabad has completed 17 years. In 2007, I was new to the city of Hyderabad, I simply started out with the thought of teaching a few students and keeping busy. But since its inception, it has grown year by year, very organically. The institute’s growth has been in tandem with my growth as an artist, teacher and person. Going forward I wish to continue spreading the joy or Kuchipudi in the coming generations and take Natya Tarangini Hyderabad to greater heights.”

The two-hour performance at Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad began with the customary lighting of the lamp. All the students from the beginners to the seniors and seasoned performers gave an impressive performance which goes to the credit of their teacher Yamini and the legacy of Raja and Radha Reddy that she is carrying forward.

The aesthetic aaharyam was a plus in the event. In addition, the seniors displayed well-synchronised, fluid movements and mature and expressive abhinaya. As always, Kaushalya Reddy’s superb nattuvangam skills added value to the programme. It was however, a little late to start and hopefully, next year will see a punctual commencement.

All the performances featured groups of artistes with no solo items since an entire institute and its many students were being showcased. Among the initial items was the Mandooka Sabdam in Mohana ragam (Mishrachapu thalam). Shlokas or prayers to God are an integral part of most Indian classical performing art forms and were part of this programme to give the younger students an experience of stage-performance. Jathikattu in Arabhi ragam (Adi thalam) was all about pure nritta and sans sahityam was an apt item for the junior students. It showcased basic mudras and adavus that beginners are trained in.

The dashavatharams or 10 avathars of Shri Mahavishnu find expression in all major Indian classical dance forms given their deep religious significance as well as the enormous scope they offer for abhinaya and nrittha. The Dashavatharams in Mohana ragam (Mishrachapu thalam) was another item and it was executed well by the students of Natya Tarangini.

An interesting innovation was an item ‘My Heart is a Temple. It paid homage to all religions including Christianity and even had verses from the Bible including the famous prayer, Our Father...We learnt that it had come to Raja Reddy in an inspired moment--when he had just finished reading the Bible at at time when the family was performing in Durban, South Africa.

Among the very lilting compositions of 15th-century saint-composer Annamacharya is Sirutha Navvula Vaadu Chinnakka. The great composer created deeply philosophical lyrics in complex Sanskrit as also compositions in very colloquial Telugu and this is a popular example of the latter. Though this composition has been tuned to different ragas, this dance performance used the one in Sindhubhairavi ragam and was brisk and lively and brought to life, the different avatars of Vishnu aka Lord Venkateswara, the ishtadaivam of Annamacharya.

A thillana Thanom Nom by music-colossus, vocalist, instrumentalist and composer Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna was another impressive item presented by Natya Taragini artistes. The rare composition is in Thayya Ragamalika in Kalyani ragam, though it has charanams which sound like Shankarabharanam, Darbari Kaanada and Hindolam through a shift in the basic note. This is a tribute to Balamuralikrishna’s genius wherein he creatively included a tapestry of seemingly multiple ragas within one composition. Since it was choroegraphed by Raja and Radha Reddy, the item was a coming together of outstanding talents and the highlight of the evening. The rhythmic variations and fast pace were handled competently by the artistes.

The Tharangam is among the most anticipated items in a Kuchipudi repertoire especially because audiences love the segment where dancers balance their feet on the rim of a brass plate and execute steps to rhythmic patterns. It demands dexterity and calls for assiduous practice. This was part of the finale. Understandably, it was assigned to the seasoned performers from the dance-school. This item Navadurga Aradhana in Ragamalika (Adi thalam) was chosen given that Durga Navarathris were approaching. This item had choreography by Yamini and it was both intelligent and creative. She is indeed a worthy disciple-daughter of her illustrious parents.

Vocals by Deevi Ravikanth, violin by Saikumar, mrudangam by M Chandrakanth and flute by Koduru Prakash enhanced the event. All of this contributed to the success of the event. After the customary mangalam, the programme concluded with the institute promising to come back next year with a bigger anniversary event.