The use of the river as a metaphor for the feminine, flowing through different spaces and time spans until it reaches the present was a common thread running through ‘Srotasvini,’ conceptualised by Malavika and her mother Saroja Kamakshi.

It began with the metaphysical. The dance of the cosmos was followed by ‘Rasa Vahini,’ presented in a varnam format, that spoke of the manifestation of the universe, including the river and the feminine form personified by dancers that surrender to the Lord in temples and to kings and nobles in their courts. Composed by violinist Sikhamani in ragamalika, Adi talam with S.V.Seshadri’s lyrics, the item was only technically impressive.

It was ‘Shokadhara’ that brought in something more than pure visual beauty. The possibilities in the verse, ‘I see in the far horizon a vision…is it a mushroom cloud of nuclear war or a tree spreading hope?’ were explored with sensitivity, first bringing in the present tense with its violence mirrored through images from the Kurukshetra war, and later in the ushering of hope with the symbolic tree. The reality of aggression was given a context with verses from the Mahabharata depicting Uttara’s grief over Abhimanyu’s unjust killing, and Gandhari’s pain on losing her hundred sons. Gandhari becomes a modern woman carrying a dead child in her arms, her eyes brimming with tears and questions; the pathos of the moment did not require any explanation, the heartbreaking image was enough.

Through despair comes hope in ‘Ashadhara’ in the form of the story of Timakka, a childless woman from Karnataka, who found her calling in planting and nurturing trees to fulfil her mothering instincts. Dr.Balamurali Krishna’s Brindavani Thillana in Adi talam was a continuation of ‘hope’ and it set ablaze the audience with the vigour of the lively korvais and the wonderful melody.

Malavika swayed the audience with her intense expressions of sorrow and hope that characterize every journey in life. It was not so much the emotive technique, but her sincerity and earnestness that added to the strength of her communication. And isn’t art all about communication?

The orchestra was as deeply involved as the dancer. A.S.Murali was the mainstay with his mastery with the cymbals and music; N.Sikhamani on the violin enhanced the mood of the pieces even as Bhagyalakshmi gave emotive content to the lyrics. P.K.Ranganathan on the mridangam provided good support.