G. Narendra brings alive episodes from Hanuman’s life

G. Narendra’s performance was themed on Hanuman.
| Photo Credit: S. Thanthoni

Senior Bharatanatyam dancer G. Narendra followed a simple concept — to focus on Hanuman during the entire allotted time of 75 minutes. A dhyana sloka ‘Manojavam Maruta tulya vegam’ led to the varnam ‘Pavanam thanda bhuvana mudhale’ (Ritigowla, Adi, lyrics by Professor Raghuraman, tuned by Hariprasad Kaniyal).

One felt one was watching a purana of Hanuman’s adventures. The sancharis were unhurried, and every episode was painstakingly built up with intense concentration and well-planned mime. Narendra, one of the first male dancers in his generation to achieve popularity, has been successful as a choreographer, using Bharatanatyam to create stunning contemporary works such as Abhyaasa and The Living Tree.

All Narendra needs is to be inspired, and he certainly was motivated that afternoon and gave his best in a recital that was heart-warming, descriptive and entertaining as well as classical in every sense, with some added theatrical flourishes.

Narendra savoured every moment. An enthralling moment was Hanuman as a bright child trying to fly. He is first unsuccessful, and then egged on by his parents, tries again and succeeds. He looks down, discovering how small others look. His father ensures a safe landing, catching him as he descends. The hunched walk and the rolling on the floor were uninhibited and endearing.

While on a mission to check on the citizens of Rama’s kingdom, Hanuman slaps a Rama bhakta, who was chanting his name during his ablutions, earning Rama’s ire. This was detailed next, followed by the famous episode of the child Hanuman chasing the Sun mistaking it to be a big fruit on a treetop. Hanuman’s visit to Lanka and lifting and bringing the Sanjeevani mountain were the other episodes presented.

Narendra did not just present stories. The theermanams in the varnam were executed with straight lines and grace, with due respect to the finishes.

The orchestra played with sensitivity — Sruthi Sagar (flute), Kalaiarasan (violin) and Ramesh Babu (percussion: mathalam, mridangam). Binu Gopal (vocal) and Mahalakshmi Kameswaran (nattuvangam) kept the show together with good rendition of jathis and interpretation of Narendra’s free-flowing ‘manodharma sancharis.’

There was to be a padam and a thillana, but there was no room for anyone but Hanuman.