Vaishnavi Natyashala recently presented a thematic dance-drama, Bibi Nachiyar, as a part of the centennial celebrations of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. This coincided with the 80th birthday celebrations of eminent flautist and lyricist, Dwaraki Krishnaswamy,
who composed the music for the ballet.
Directed by Mithun Shyam, the well-choreographed dance-drama highlighted the historical value of Acharya Sri Ramanuja, a saint and social reformer of the 11th century.
Ramanuja reinstalled the presiding deity of Melkote — Lord Tirunaraya — by bringing him up from the anthills, with the help of the neglected community of the harijans.
Even today, on a few days of the year, the harijans are allowed to enter the temple at Melkote, which is quite a welcome break of societal norms.
With grace and excellent synchronisation, the power of the gods was brought out in the careful movements of the performers, who showcased the fine nuances of bharatanatyam, mohiniyattam and kathak. The space on stage was used well, with the dancers moving around swiftly from one corner to the other.
Another story brought to life was how Ramanuja retrieved the processional idol of Shelva Pillai from the sultan of Delhi. When the sultan saw the idol take a child's form and go dancing towards Ramanuja, he let him take the idol back to Melkote. Bibi, the sultan's daughter, could not bear the separation from the beloved idol and follows him to Melkote.
"I noticed the Hindu-Muslim equality come out quite well in the performance, since I know the original story. When the sultan honoured the Hindu priest and when Bibi entered a Brahmin village, it was a beautiful moment to watch as a dance form," shares Nalini, who helped put the performance together.
The audience seemed to enjoy watching as the energetic dancers kept them entertained for 90 minutes. "There was passion in the dancers, despite how young some of them are. The story of Ramanuja has always fascinated me and it was impressive to see it in the form of a dance-drama, with all the elaborate costumes," says Jagadish, an audience member.
who composed the music for the ballet.
Directed by Mithun Shyam, the well-choreographed dance-drama highlighted the historical value of Acharya Sri Ramanuja, a saint and social reformer of the 11th century.
Ramanuja reinstalled the presiding deity of Melkote — Lord Tirunaraya — by bringing him up from the anthills, with the help of the neglected community of the harijans.
Even today, on a few days of the year, the harijans are allowed to enter the temple at Melkote, which is quite a welcome break of societal norms.
With grace and excellent synchronisation, the power of the gods was brought out in the careful movements of the performers, who showcased the fine nuances of bharatanatyam, mohiniyattam and kathak. The space on stage was used well, with the dancers moving around swiftly from one corner to the other.
Another story brought to life was how Ramanuja retrieved the processional idol of Shelva Pillai from the sultan of Delhi. When the sultan saw the idol take a child's form and go dancing towards Ramanuja, he let him take the idol back to Melkote. Bibi, the sultan's daughter, could not bear the separation from the beloved idol and follows him to Melkote.
"I noticed the Hindu-Muslim equality come out quite well in the performance, since I know the original story. When the sultan honoured the Hindu priest and when Bibi entered a Brahmin village, it was a beautiful moment to watch as a dance form," shares Nalini, who helped put the performance together.
The audience seemed to enjoy watching as the energetic dancers kept them entertained for 90 minutes. "There was passion in the dancers, despite how young some of them are. The story of Ramanuja has always fascinated me and it was impressive to see it in the form of a dance-drama, with all the elaborate costumes," says Jagadish, an audience member.