Representing Ramayana visually

Pallavi Academy of Fine Arts headed by Guru PB Krishna Bharathi presented a Kuchipudi recital titled ‘Katha Kelika’ at Telugu University recently. Poorva Rangam was a charming prelude by young students in the traditional style of Kuchipudi, in which the dancers set the stage with Punyavachanam, Muggu, Deepam, Dhoopam and offers prayers to the elephant headed god Ganesha with the song “Tandavanritya” for the smooth going of the performance. 

Vande Uma Nandanam is an invocatory item in which the dancers pay salutations to the elephant headed god Ganesha for the smooth going of the performance. He is praised as the pranava swaroopa who is being worshiped by all the sages and bhaktas. Next came a visual representation of the epic Ramayana from birth of Rama to Sita’s Agni Pariksha. Arishadvargalu is a Kuchipudi dance drama on the negative characteristics of which prevent man from attaining salvation scripted by Sri Bnim and Choreographed by PB Krishna Bharathi.

Kaamam: The stories start with Lord Indra, the king of Devatas enjoying the performance of Apsaras and suddenly hearing the echo of someone performing penance ie. Vishwamitra. 
Indra orders his most beautiful Apsara, Menaka to distract Vishwamitra's penance with her beauty. Initially unaffected by her charms and beauty, Vishwamitra eventually succumbs to his desires and is ensnared by her beauty. He loses sight of his goals and gives up his penance to be with her thus making Indra victorious.

Lobham: A greedy tradesman wishing to get very rich, prays Lord Shiva to be granted a boon that everything he touches turns to gold. Despite Shiva's warning on how the boon can turn into a curse, the tradesman insists on it and is bestowed with the boon. The elated tradesman rushes home to embrace his awaiting wife and daughter, only to see them turn to gold! The tradesman pays a heavy price for his greed.

Madam: We follow the tale of a young princess who is extremely proud of her immense beauty. She rejects many kings who ask for her hand, saying none would match her splendor. Her wise guru asks her to accompany him to admire the real beauty outside the palace. Guru elucidates how flowers in a garden provide fragrance and beauty in their short life span and how a beggar's life has a purpose to support her family through her daily earnings in spite of not being beautiful. The princess soon learns her mistake and is grateful to the guru PB Vaishnavi and a host of other students took part in this production.