Jagyaseni Chatterjee's ‘Flame to Fragrance' was an ode to feminine energy

The Hindu

28-05-2025

'Flame to Fragrance ' presented by Jagyaseni Chatterjee for R.R. Sabha, was an evening devoted to ideating her perceptions and responses as a dancer to some classic compositions.
The stark red and black costume and lighting design enhanced the visual impact of the first composition 'Thaka thaka endru Aaduvom'. The composition, by Subhramanya Bharati, was an ode to the feminine energy, with the dancer drawing parallels to the multiple roles played by women. This was visualised through a powerful depiction of the mother goddess as a creator, destroyer, and an embodiment of five elements.
Isn't the nayika's wait for her hero a reflection of the anticipation that every human being experiences for something or the other? was the underlying thought conveyed in the commentary for the varnam. However, the focus was rooted in representing the traditional portrayal of a woman in love, specifically in the varnam 'Sakhiye inda velaiyil', in Anandabhairavi raga.
Jagyaseni handled this piece in a leisurely manner and her imagery captured the emotion of longing with sensitivity. Moving away from the routine representation of pleading and cajoling, the dancer's depiction of the heroine as a dominant woman instructing her sakhi on how her behaviour and demeanour should be, when she goes to meet her lord, was interesting. The other sancharis of creeper clinging on to a tree, torment of watching birds in love, moonlight burning her body were handled with conviction. For the lines 'Magitalam pughazhum', which highlights the stature of Mannargudi and Rajagopalaswami, the incorporation of a few leelas of Krishna was distractive.
The jathi segments were short and were filled with appealing pirouettes and poses, however, a little more emphasis needs to be placed on 'Azhutham ' while executing the footwork patterns.
The song 'Irakkam varamal ponaddu ' by Gopalkrishna Bharathi, where a devotee pleads for the benevolence of the lord towards him, was a poignant portrayal where the dancer communicated the emotions effectively. . The Purandaradasar kriti gave scope for dramatic moments of Prahlada-Hiranyakashipu, Arjuna-Duryodhana episodes, which added interest to the narrative.
The whole concept of forming a thematic narrative, could have been explored with greater conviction of creative ideas, to elevate it from the idea of a Margam presentation.
The flute and violin played while introducing each composition was a bit disturbing. Vocal support by Sai Sabapathy was appealing. Dhananjayan on the mridangam, Anantaraman Balaji on the violin and Yakeshwaran on the flute provided able support. Lakshmi Ramaswamy conducted the performance.