Tamrapatra series decodes Annamayya kritis for dance

Metres of diaphanous cloth, intricate jewellery, nail marks in the shape of crescent moons, and the fragrance of sandalwood create the mise en scene for one of the greatest love stories: the union of Venkateshwara and Alamelumanga. These images were brought to life by the 15th century saint-poet Taallapaka Annamayya, also known as Annamacharya.

Hailing from an illustrious family of poets and musicians, Annamayya was the first Telugu poet to write poetry in the format of a song, with a main line (pallavi), a refrain (anupallavi), and a series of verses (charanams). It is said that he wrote as many as 32,000 sankeertanas, but only 12,000 survive, etched on copper plates (known as tamrapatra) and discovered in 1922. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Trust published a 29-volume set of these discovered compositions titled Taallapaka Pada Sahityamu, which inspired maestros such as M. Balamuralikrishna and Nedunuri Krishnamurthy to set to tune 1,500 of them.

In concert

While Annammacharya’s compositions found their way into the Carnatic repertoire through the voices of iconic artistes such as M.L. Vasanthakumari and M.S. Subbulakshmi, they did not quite become part of the south Indian classical dance tradition. Barring some bhakti keertanas such as ‘Sriman Narayana’, Annamayya’s more descriptive compositions were overlooked. Perhaps the poet’s verbose style didn’t offer enough scope for the dancer’s imagination, or the sensuality in the verses demanded mature and sophisticated treatment.

In 2010, young Carnatic musician and composer Sathiraju Venu Madhav set 108 of these complex poems to tune in 108 ragas under the aegis of Sujanaranjani. This facilitated their use in dance.

At the peak of the pandemic, Sathiraju’s work once again gained prominence when dance exponent Ananda Shankar Jayant’s institution Natyarambha launched a year-long online workshop series titled ‘Tamrapatra’, which offered dancers an opportunity to learn 12 Annamacharya compositions tuned by Sathiraju.

Realising the differences in technique followed by dance schools, Ananda kept the teaching method fluid by focussing on abhinaya pieces. She also ensured that each participant was provided with a translation of the text, a transcreation of the lyrics, and a basic outline of the music.

Dr. Anupama Kylash.
| Photo Credit: K.V. SRINIVASAN/The Hindu Archives

Kuchipudi and Vilasini Natyam practitioner and scholar Anupama Kylash was roped in to provide theoretical and contextual clarifications, since she has done her research on the nayikas in Annamacharya keertanas. It is rare to find a dance workshop that provides such a high level of academic context in its approach to choreography.

The ongoing workshops have used artistes as diverse as Anita Ratnam, who choreographed a piece in her Neo Bharatham style, Methil Devika in Mohiniattam, and Sharmila Biswas in Odissi, thus demonstrating how the compositions lend themselves to different dance forms. “Each of the artistes featured bring in their unique approach. This is significant as their interpretation of the lyrics will help widen the perspective of the young participants,” says Ananda.”

According to Anupama, “There is a separate dictionary for Annamacharya’s compositions. His Telugu has elements of Marathi, Tamil, and Sanskrit. This is may be because he belonged to Chittoor district, which is at the cusp of several regional cultures.”

The compositions address the four major godheads of Vaishnavism, often taking a very intimate approach to the idea of divinity. “Anammayya was more cerebral than Kshetrayya, and dancers have to engage with a long descriptive pallavi that often paints a very specific idea,” says Anupama, talking of the elaborate metaphors he used for erotic expressions in his poems. “They need to be choreographed sensitively, paying attention to the strong visuals within the text,” she adds.

The Tamrapatra workshops cover a range of poetry including those on love, devotion, and humour, to avoid making the sessions monotonous. “I am happy that the lyrics are finding resonance with today’s dancers,” says Ananda.

Held on the first week of every month, the sessions are preceded by conversations, where Ananda and the guest artiste analyse the composition to be taken up.

Those interested can register at https://tamrapatra.mystrikingly.com/ for upcoming sessions as well as recordings of previous sessions. A portion of the proceeds go towards supporting artistes in Hyderabad.

The Bengaluru-based writer is a dancer and research-scholar.