<p>The NGO Sakshi brought to Delhi, ‘Fire and Ash’ a unique new-style Dance Drama by Justus Repertory, Chennai. Directed by noted award winning playwright Gowri Ramnarayan, the play was inspired by the poems of legendary poets like Kalidasa, Appar Muthutandavar, Surdas, Shahaji Raja and Rabindranath Tagore. The show sought to present the ancient and puranic archetype of Shiva in a contemporary idiom, making the metaphoric image relevant to modern times. <br /><br /></p>.<p>According to Ramnarayan, “Shiva is the oldest living Godhead, representing the aspirations of countless generations of humankind. He also symbolises the indispensability of the many art forms in our lives today. He stands as the representation of the human imagination” <br /><br />The play, divided into six sections, began with the sutradhar, played by Ramnarayan, talking about who Shiva is — he is present in the cave paintings of Madhya Pradesh and the Pashupati seals in Mohenjodaro; the Aryans refer to him as Rudra while the Dravidians claim him as their own. <br /><br />Subsequently, the piece explored Shiva’s meeting and marriage with Parvati. The forest is burning due to Shiva’s intense tapasya; Parvati enters bringing with her spring and a refreshing renewal. As Shiva becomes the Ardhanareshwar, the message rings out that <br />power needs to be tempered with tenderness. <br /><br />The meaning of Shivam is explored as a mantra in our daily lives, and Shiva as the destroyer. Says Ramnarayan: “What is it that he wants to destroy? My answer is that he wants us to control our negative thoughts.” <br /><br />The production featured a unique blend of music, dance, vocal narrative and specially commissioned paintings that narrate the story. The vocalist, Savita Narasimhan a disciple of Chitravina N Ravikiran was outstanding. Her pitch-perfect tones brought forth the emotive beauty of the poems in all the different languages which challenged her skills. Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Sanskrit – Narasimhan proved equal to singing the famous compositions in each language with the hallmark of a true artiste. She also has to her credit six paintings of Shiva and the five elements. <br /><br />Ramnarayan explains “It was nice to portray Shiva’s connection to the different elements with the help of paintings. The imagery enhances the understanding and the visual experience increases manifold the intensity of what would be achieved only through words in a narrative or drama.”<br /><br />The Bhakti poet Surdas tells a story of Shiva going to meet the infant Krishna in Vrindavan. The mother Yashoda has one god in her arm and another on her doorstep but she doesn’t have the eyes to see them. Only art can made you see what human eyes cannot.<br />Anjana Anand’s abhinaya and footwork left the audience spellbound as her mesmerising grace brought alive the deity himself, as also the other characters that she portrayed in her performance. The dance was choreographed by Anand. <br /><br />Ramnarayan’s superb narrative and the powerful script brought forth the myriad ways in which Shiva is perceived –“The Destroyer, The Protector. The Ascetic, The Yogi, The Lord Of The Senses, The God of forests, plants and animals, The Lord of all the arts”. Ramnarayan formed a direct connect with the audience as she spoke, sometimes conversing, other times informing and always delightfully emoting the quality of a sutradhar.<br /><br />The overflowing audience at the Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre over the weekend, was replete with artistes and art critics. <br />Sakshi NGO’s president Dr Mridula Satish Tandon said it was her endeavour to present the widest available platform for superlative performances so that the general public has easy access to the rich cultural legacy of art and music. "Performances like Fire and Ash are very necessary in the present times as they tie the ancient to the contemporary and show us how destruction can be followed by positive reconstruction," Tandon said. The theme was especially relevant in our troubled times.<br /><br /></p>
<p>The NGO Sakshi brought to Delhi, ‘Fire and Ash’ a unique new-style Dance Drama by Justus Repertory, Chennai. Directed by noted award winning playwright Gowri Ramnarayan, the play was inspired by the poems of legendary poets like Kalidasa, Appar Muthutandavar, Surdas, Shahaji Raja and Rabindranath Tagore. The show sought to present the ancient and puranic archetype of Shiva in a contemporary idiom, making the metaphoric image relevant to modern times. <br /><br /></p>.<p>According to Ramnarayan, “Shiva is the oldest living Godhead, representing the aspirations of countless generations of humankind. He also symbolises the indispensability of the many art forms in our lives today. He stands as the representation of the human imagination” <br /><br />The play, divided into six sections, began with the sutradhar, played by Ramnarayan, talking about who Shiva is — he is present in the cave paintings of Madhya Pradesh and the Pashupati seals in Mohenjodaro; the Aryans refer to him as Rudra while the Dravidians claim him as their own. <br /><br />Subsequently, the piece explored Shiva’s meeting and marriage with Parvati. The forest is burning due to Shiva’s intense tapasya; Parvati enters bringing with her spring and a refreshing renewal. As Shiva becomes the Ardhanareshwar, the message rings out that <br />power needs to be tempered with tenderness. <br /><br />The meaning of Shivam is explored as a mantra in our daily lives, and Shiva as the destroyer. Says Ramnarayan: “What is it that he wants to destroy? My answer is that he wants us to control our negative thoughts.” <br /><br />The production featured a unique blend of music, dance, vocal narrative and specially commissioned paintings that narrate the story. The vocalist, Savita Narasimhan a disciple of Chitravina N Ravikiran was outstanding. Her pitch-perfect tones brought forth the emotive beauty of the poems in all the different languages which challenged her skills. Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Sanskrit – Narasimhan proved equal to singing the famous compositions in each language with the hallmark of a true artiste. She also has to her credit six paintings of Shiva and the five elements. <br /><br />Ramnarayan explains “It was nice to portray Shiva’s connection to the different elements with the help of paintings. The imagery enhances the understanding and the visual experience increases manifold the intensity of what would be achieved only through words in a narrative or drama.”<br /><br />The Bhakti poet Surdas tells a story of Shiva going to meet the infant Krishna in Vrindavan. The mother Yashoda has one god in her arm and another on her doorstep but she doesn’t have the eyes to see them. Only art can made you see what human eyes cannot.<br />Anjana Anand’s abhinaya and footwork left the audience spellbound as her mesmerising grace brought alive the deity himself, as also the other characters that she portrayed in her performance. The dance was choreographed by Anand. <br /><br />Ramnarayan’s superb narrative and the powerful script brought forth the myriad ways in which Shiva is perceived –“The Destroyer, The Protector. The Ascetic, The Yogi, The Lord Of The Senses, The God of forests, plants and animals, The Lord of all the arts”. Ramnarayan formed a direct connect with the audience as she spoke, sometimes conversing, other times informing and always delightfully emoting the quality of a sutradhar.<br /><br />The overflowing audience at the Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre over the weekend, was replete with artistes and art critics. <br />Sakshi NGO’s president Dr Mridula Satish Tandon said it was her endeavour to present the widest available platform for superlative performances so that the general public has easy access to the rich cultural legacy of art and music. "Performances like Fire and Ash are very necessary in the present times as they tie the ancient to the contemporary and show us how destruction can be followed by positive reconstruction," Tandon said. The theme was especially relevant in our troubled times.<br /><br /></p>
