Aparna Mohan and her refreshing Bharatanatyam recital
Aparna Mohan's Bharatanatyam recital, though rooted in tradition, had a freshness to it. Hailing from Thrissurand trained under gurus, Shafiquddin and Shabana, Aparna presented a well-structured recital, which was a part of the Natyarangam monthly series.
She began with a Ganapathy stuti in raga Tilang and Adi tala, a composition by Agathiyar titled 'Prabho Ganapathe'. This opening piece was performed with clarity in footwork and composed expressions, setting a devotional tone for the evening.
The central piece of the evening was the varnam, 'Sakhiye indha velaiyil', in raga Ananda Bhairavi and Adi tala, composed by the Thanjavur Quartet. This composition depicts a nayika's yearning for her beloved Lord Rajagopala of Mannargudi. Aparna portrayed the conversation between the nayika and hersakhi with convincing expressions. Particularly notable was her subtle use of eyes, conveying love, longing and impatience. The sancharis (narrative sequences) were brought out with clarity, especially when she compares her sakhi to a peacock or when she is struck by the arrows of Manmatha. Her footwork was well-paced and confident, providing rhythmic depth without overwhelming the emotive aspect of the performance.
Next came the padam, 'Theruvil varano', composed by Muthu Thandavar in raga Khamas and Rupaka tala. This evocative piece allowed the dancer to delve deeper into the realm of abhinaya. As a maiden longing for Lord Nataraja, her expressive storytelling stood out. The moment when she imagined the Lord standing at her doorstep whispering secrets was delicately portrayed. Her hand movements were soft and precise, and the subtle changes in expression effectively captured the transitions from hope to frustration and, finally, acceptance.
Aparna concluded her recital with a vibrant thillana in raga Dhanashree and Adi tala, a composition of Swati Tirunal. This brisk piece provided a fitting end to the performance. The choreography showcased neat rhythmic patterns, while her costume and jewellery added to the visual appeal. The nattuvangam support kept the rhythm lively.
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The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Aparna Mohan and her refreshing Bharatanatyam recital
Aparna Mohan's Bharatanatyam recital, though rooted in tradition, had a freshness to it. Hailing from Thrissurand trained under gurus, Shafiquddin and Shabana, Aparna presented a well-structured recital, which was a part of the Natyarangam monthly series. She began with a Ganapathy stuti in raga Tilang and Adi tala, a composition by Agathiyar titled 'Prabho Ganapathe'. This opening piece was performed with clarity in footwork and composed expressions, setting a devotional tone for the evening. The central piece of the evening was the varnam, 'Sakhiye indha velaiyil', in raga Ananda Bhairavi and Adi tala, composed by the Thanjavur Quartet. This composition depicts a nayika's yearning for her beloved Lord Rajagopala of Mannargudi. Aparna portrayed the conversation between the nayika and hersakhi with convincing expressions. Particularly notable was her subtle use of eyes, conveying love, longing and impatience. The sancharis (narrative sequences) were brought out with clarity, especially when she compares her sakhi to a peacock or when she is struck by the arrows of Manmatha. Her footwork was well-paced and confident, providing rhythmic depth without overwhelming the emotive aspect of the performance. Next came the padam, 'Theruvil varano', composed by Muthu Thandavar in raga Khamas and Rupaka tala. This evocative piece allowed the dancer to delve deeper into the realm of abhinaya. As a maiden longing for Lord Nataraja, her expressive storytelling stood out. The moment when she imagined the Lord standing at her doorstep whispering secrets was delicately portrayed. Her hand movements were soft and precise, and the subtle changes in expression effectively captured the transitions from hope to frustration and, finally, acceptance. Aparna concluded her recital with a vibrant thillana in raga Dhanashree and Adi tala, a composition of Swati Tirunal. This brisk piece provided a fitting end to the performance. The choreography showcased neat rhythmic patterns, while her costume and jewellery added to the visual appeal. The nattuvangam support kept the rhythm lively.
The Hindu
6 hours ago
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Gieve Patel: A canvas of camaraderie
When a deeply loved and admired artist passes away, it is the city left behind and the vast pastiche of friendships made and sustained in it, that offer the best possible summation of a working life in the arts. When that artist is poet, playwright and painter Gieve Patel (1940-2023) and the city as capacious as Mumbai, the unusual can be expected. A Show of Hands: In Memorium, the recently concluded exhibition, curated by poet and critic Ranjit Hoskote was held at the Jehangir Nicholson Arts Foundation Gallery (NGAF) in the (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya (CSMVS), Mumbai. The exhibition, supported by Vadehra Art Gallery, featured works by artists Aditi Singh, Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Areez Katki, Biraaj Dodiya, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Jitish Kallat, Mahesh Baliga, Nilima Sheikh, Ranbir Kaleka, Ratheesh T. and Sudhir Patwardhan and Sujith S.N. — many of whom were friends and colleagues of Gieve. The show also included younger artists whose works Gieve was interested in and those who were inspired by his work. This might have become a sombre occasion; instead it was a joyous, tender and unfussy act of remembering a friend in the midst of works of art, that had some sort of connection with Gieve. Locating the exhibition in the JNAF gallery also unambiguously alluded to a steady, solid philanthropic tradition, which had contributed to the making of a rich, varied, public-spirited and free-thinking arts ecosystem in Mumbai. The gallery's core collection is from Jehangir Nicholson (1915-2001) one of the early patrons and collectors of modern and contemporary art practices and as much a Bombay institution as Gieve. Defying labels As friends narrated one story after another amidst laughter and even gossip, it was clear that Gieve was an artist with wide-ranging interests. He was often seen at poetry readings at the NCPA lawns or the Sassoon Library, or silently watching a Bharatanatyam programme or reading out his translations of the medieval Gujarati poet Akho, whose six stanza form of chappas he had worked on for decades. Attempting to draw a simplistic correlation with the man and his artistic selves or trying to slot him definitively in a particular movement in the arts is simply unworkable. He had the ability to be precise, specific but also in service to certain principles that he could not be dissuaded from such as the enduring value of the classical arts, not a popular position to take today. Here he is speaking to his friend Sudhir Patwardhan in Art India (volume 5, 2000) 'I am indeed a sucker for permanent values in art, and for the landmarks of the past. An artist will ignore them at his peril. Identifying with this 'eternal' stream gives one a strong conviction about what is significant and what is not. 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Sudhir, who moved to Mumbai straight out of Medical College in Pune, to be in a city where exhibitions and meetings with fellow artists were likely to be more frequent, met Gieve, also a young doctor. His painting as a tribute to his friend is titled 'Marine Drive' and shows two friends sitting by the sea late and having a free-wheeling chat. Sudhir says they would meet at Marine Drive for some quiet time after Gieve closed his GP clinic on Lamington Road for the day, while Sudhir came in from Thane before taking the last train back from VT station. Atul Dodiya chose to share his series of paintings on the 'Nayanars' made for the scholar David Shulman, whom he met through Gieve. But it was the painting titled 'Laughter', which used one half of a human skull and another of Gieve's laughing face that opens up many stories. Dodiya points to Gieve's well-known fascination with death and the decaying of the human body. 'He is probably the only painter who has painted 'Death' in so many ways,' says Dodiya. Among Gieve's works at the exhibition were his ink sketches of the 'Dead Politicians Series'. 'You might say that as a doctor he was drawn to the idea of death, but I think it was more of a very insistent philosophical questioning and seeking that drove him,' he says. This was also evident in his famed series of paintings on 'Wells' in which the self and reflection are examined. As a young student at J.J. School of Art, Dodiya says, he had taken to dropping into his clinic in the evenings. A decade later later, when he approached the senior artist to write a note for his first solo exhibition at Chemould, he agreed setting off another cycle of artistic friendships and possibilities in the city.
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