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Mature Abhinaya From Pratibha A dancer from Bangalore, Pratibha Prahlad, with her beautiful eyes and her expressive face, danced to a meager but appreciative audience, at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. The dancer was a disciple of Muthuswamy Pillai, and Kalanidhi Narayanan. Her invocation was a composition in Kannada ragam, of Dr.Balamurali Krishna, in Rupaka talam, 'Brihadeeswara Mahadeva'. 'Yendan vaidan idam poi sholladi, Sakhiye' in Vachaspathi ragam, Adi talam was the main item of the programme. This is a composition of her guru, V.S.Muthuswamy Pillai, wherein the nayika asks her sakhi to convey to Muruga, her message of love. Her frame did not allow her to move around the stage easily; to that extent her nritta was deficient. But her involved abhinaya was a pleasure to watch. In the line 'Maalai poludunilai...', she describes the beautiful abode of Muruga. Nature at it's best was vividly described by the dancer. In the second half, she performed a jathi with only the percussionist, B.P.Haribabu, and the cymbals wielded by K.R.V.Pulakesa, accompanying her. Together with the sound of ankle bells, it was pure rhythm all the way.
Pratibha chose a padam as a continuation of the nayika-sakhi situation with Muruga. Her sakhi returns from her errand in a disheveled state. Upset with her friend, she says 'Unnai thoodu anipinein....You belied the trust I put in you. Did you get carried away by the beauty of the place and let yourself go, with my nayaka?' The dancer took her time to warm up. She is at first waiting for her friend. She sees her, and describes her sakhi's alankaram as it was, before she set out with the message. Then only comes her anger and hurt. It was a good effort. So few take the time to get into the situation and build up the mood. This padam in Saveri ragam is a composition of Ganam Krishna Iyer. An ashtapadi in Kapi ragam, Adi talam, 'Mugdhe Madhumatanam Radhe', followed. Radha and Krishna have had a fight. Radha's sakhi tells her, 'Don't let pride come in your way. Didn't Krishna come and ask for your forgiveness? He is waiting for you. Go to him.' This was also sensitively handled by Pratibha. She concluded with a tillana in Hindolam ragam, Adi talam. Her mangalam was an Annamacharya kirtanam on Vishnu and Lakshmi. The programme was well supported by the musicians: vocal, P.Ramaa, violin, M.Ganesh Kumar and flute, Jayaraman, and, K.M.Balasubramaniam. It was embarrassing to see such a scanty audience for such a refined and hardworking artist as Pratibha. |
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