Chitra expressed herself in the traditional idiom of Bharatanatyam, with imaginative adaptations in movement to portray the characters of another realm, with grace and dignity. The waking up of the deity with ankle bells was very animated, and the excitement and anticipation of the dancer came through clearly. The Goddess stretching whilst waking up was conveyed imaginatively in a short theermanam. The delineation of the potter's wheel signifying human creativity was also ingenious with sholus and swaras simultaneously used. After a brief dialogue, where the dancer speaks of herself through verses from Kabirdas, from a Tamil padam, ``Netru varen endru...'', and from the works of Kalidasa, Halas and Surdas, the dancer and the Goddess dance together; this was the highlight of the show. The steps were well-coordinated and conveyed the joy of the moment, of total oneness between them.

This endeavour could not have been easy. For the most part, only swaras were used for communication. It is very challenging to convey a message without the use of words especially where the ideas relate to an alien culture and philosophy. Subtlety is sometimes a stumbling block in such situations and can lead to ambiguity. Perhaps it requires more dramatisation or clearer demarcation of the roles to get the message across?

The programme was organised by the Kalamandir Trust in memory of their founder, S. Viswanathan. Chitra, daughter and disciple of senior dancers, Prof. Chandrasekhar and Smt. Jaya, was dressed very tastefully in a mustard and gold costume with a black pallu. She exuded a poise and maturity that can come only with a deep understanding of the art.

Chitra's simplicity and sincerity were visible from the start. Her nritta was brilliant in spurts, but seemed very relaxed otherwise. The lighting was abysmal and detracted from the entire programme. The recorded music had Prof. Chandrasekhar on the nattuvangam, with S. Bhagyalakshmi and Chitra herself, as the vocalists. Sri T. Venugopalan composed the music. Chitra proved her capacity to create and choreograph novel themes. The tragedy is the absence of a supportive audience for such sincere dancers who are trying to enrich the art form with their own experiences.

Printed with permission from The Hindu