Masterpiece of a ballet

Hyderabad Art Festival presented the marvelous Kuchipudi dance drama ‘Bhagwadajukeeyam’ by the Veteran maestros Padma Bhushan Raja and Radha Reddy on a cool Saturday evening. This ballet was originally conceived in 1969 by Raja Reddy. Cyber Convention Centre was the venue for this performance.

Presented in traditional Kuchipudi format, the story was refreshingly original with wit, sarcasm and polished repartees abound. The plot of the drama revolves around Vasantsena, a courtesan; a Buddhist monk Sandilya her paramour, his revered guru Parivrajaka and ‘Yamadoota’ the envoy of the God of Death. The author of these thousands of years old Sanskrit drama is Bodhayana.

Raja and Radha Reddy gave a brief invocatory item on Ganesha to live orchestral music before the drama, which had prerecorded music of outstanding quality. Despite their age, the well matched renowned dancing couple was brisk, vigorous and perfectly synchronised. The main characters of the drama were first shown in silhouette behind a lighted screen with brief descriptions of their characters and roles, which enabled the audience to better understand the story.

Yamini Reddy as Vasantsena entered in a ‘Pravesa Daruvu’ where her beauty and accomplishments were highlighted. Then she frolics in the garden with her sakhis, young dance students of Natyatarangini in beautifully designed costumes of cream and ochre colour. Yamadoota is sent by the Lord of Death to bring the soul of a lady called Vasantsena.

Mistaking the courtesan with the same name for her, he assumes the guise of a snake, bites her injecting her with poison and kills her. Sandilya the monk, seeing his beloved’s body and being informed of the reason for her death breaks out in lament. He approaches his elderly guru Parivrajaka and explains his love for Vasantsena and bewails his separation from her.

Raja Reddy playing the guru attempts to console him and reminds him that renunciated monks should not be bound by worldly ties. Taking pity on his beloved and inconsolable disciple, guru Parivrajaka in Yogic meditational stance sends his soul into Vasantsena by the method of ‘Parakaya Pravesam’. Vasantsena comes alive but with the guru’s soul in her body.

She starts preaching the Buddhist doctrine to the consternation of Sandilya who approaches her, rejoicing at her coming alive. He is firmly admonished to keep his distance. Yamini aptly and subtly depicted the situation. Going back to his guru, sandilya grieves when he sees dead. Yamadoota who comes back to restore Vasantsena’s life having realised his mistake is astounded at seeing her alive.

Deciding to enjoy the situation he infuses her soul into the guru. To the utter bewilderment of Sandilya, well played by Manoj; Parivrajaka displays the coquettish mannerisms of Vasantsena. Raja Reddy’s Abhinaya in this role of the courtesan’s soul in the revered Guru’s body was superb.

Sandilya runs from one to the other unable to understand this transformation in utter misery. Shloka as Yamadoota finally exchanges the souls to the right bodies bringing an end to this enjoyably comic dramatic masterpiece.

By G Anna Rao