A tribute to

1. ATA
In memory of the ‘queen-mother of Abinaya’ Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan (1928-2016)
05.04.2017 NEHRU CENTRE, HIGH COMMISSION OF INDIA, MAYFAIR, LONDON
jivatma paramatmanah
Abinaya through the Ages
A Quest through Love

2. 1. Heroine’s friend
3. Her Royal
Highness
Alamelumanga
4. Her Royal
Highness Parvathi
2. Heroine’s neighbour
Characters in the Quest
Performer 1
Performer 2
1. Court Dancer
2. Heroine’s neighbour
3. Heroine

3. ‘Abinaya through the ages’ (ATA) is a story of the
evolution of Indian poetry exploring the depths of love
between a man (nayaka) and a woman (nayika),
embodied in music and movement.
A young heroine (Mughdha Nayika) in grief (viraha), a
blunt heroine (Samanya Nayika) in anger (Kanditha
Nayika), a noble heroine (Uttama) in the company of
her Lord (Sambhoga Sringara), an impatient (married)
heroine eager to meet her lover (Abisarikha Nayika), a
confident heroine ridiculing her husband (Ninda stuti)
and a lovelorn but separated heroine (viraha), are
myriad expressions of love captured through the voices
and bodies of three ATA performers.
In this innovative work within the traditional
Bharatanatyam paradigm, the performers express,
hone, finesse, search and reach out to the base emotion,
going beyond gender and into primordial expression,
seeking and restless, fulfilled yet forlorn …pitching
tradition against the traditional, breaking free of
trappings, social and moral mores, to quest unfettered.
A quest to elevate the spirit.
This quest is captured in Sanskrit as ATA eva jivatma
paramatmanah, and is the central tenet of the
abhinaya professed by Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan.
Performer 3 1. Ghanam Krishnaiyer (c19th)
Velvare Ummai Tedi
2. Chinniah (c19th)
Muttavadhura
3. Annamacharya (c15th)
Alughakha Kootami
4. Kshetrayya (c17th)
Choodare
5. Marimutha Pillai (c17th)
Edukkithanai modi
6. Jayadeva (c12th)
Sakhi He
Kshirabdhi Kanyakaku
The Story

4. A young heroine in grief pining away for her Lord Balamurgan of Swamimalai
A young heroine (Mughdha Nayika) awaits Velave, the hero. The moon has risen and yet he
doesn’t come. She sends her friend in search of Him. The friend (Sakhi) finds Velave, and
tries to convince him to go to her.
‘Her glancing eyes are like darting fish, her eyebrows trace the arch of a bow, her slender
hips and oh, her face – moonshine! Her skin is golden hued and she lights up the place as
lighting does the sky. Go, go to her. On her young breasts lie rows of precious ornaments,
and oh! her lissom thighs, those rosy lips, gorgeous hair and most of all, her sharp intellect
and vibrant manner, all make it a pleasure to be in her company. It’s not right for you to
remain here, go.

5. A very blunt heroine in anger, composed and performed in the Royal Court of
Tanjavur
Don’t touch me, oh Charming lover,
don’t touch me now.
Why dally with her, while you are
bounden to me,? Don’t justify
With those paws that eagerly
dislodged her upper garment and
then slapped a promise on her
hand to marry her, with those
hands do not touch me.
After enjoying her kisses why come
here now, our bond is severed, you
anointed her body with sandal
paste, with those hands do not
touch me.
You lustily embraced her, O King,
with those hands do NOT touch
me.

6. • a noble heroine (Uttama) in the company of her Lord (Sambhoga
Sringara),
Alamelumanga, in the company of Lord Venkateswara, experiences both bliss and separation
You say that we should first quarrel and then make love, for that heightens
the pleasure? No don’t say that. The moment you turn your back on me, I’d
waste away. Why do say that union is tastier after a tiff?
My body thrills and my eyes close in contentment as I gaze into your face,
within that short time, I wonder how many days have passed.
When desire overcomes me, a hug turns into an ever tightening embrace,
we come so close that I perceive even the necklaces to be a barrier between
us. Tearing them away and flinging them out, I return to your embrace.

7. Sambhoga Shringara
Relaxed and holding Him in her thoughts, Alamelumanga begins
to undress, unscrewing her earrings...
Gracefully drawing the curtain on the external world, she turns her
attention to her Lord
Obtaining the ultimate pleasure, drained, she lies on his breast,
unable to utter a single word, lost

8. Three friends gossip about an impatient (married) heroine eager to meet her
lover (Abisarikha Nayika)

9. A: ‘where is she off to now, the sun has
barely risen’? Look at her manner of gait,
the impertinence!, go ask her where she is
off to’ We shouldn’t let this go
unquestioned.
B: Ok. ‘Hey, where are you going this early
in the morning?’ .
C: They are appalled by how brazenly she
brushes past them.
A: Do you know the type of family she is
married into? Their palatial residence, the
comfortable palanquins, the valorous
husband, Is she content with all this? No,
she goes in search of Gopala.
B: This is fate, I tell you. Even that chatur-
mukha Brahma himself would not be able
to change it!
C: They then hear her footsteps, the nayika
returns
A: ‘Oh my God, look at that. Her upper
garment is slipping and she doesn’t care.
B: Go, set it right for her, it embarrasses us
as women. ‘
A: Did you see? Did you see that? The way
she stared at me, when all I was trying to
do was to put her upper garment right.
C: ‘She vilifies her family, bringing them
infamy, ignoring her in-laws, husband and
brother-in-law, what is she? A woman or
an unfeeling log? Why does she make
haste to Muvvagoppala?

10. A confident heroine ridicules her husband (Ninda stuti)
This husband of mine, has he gone off on a
tantrum again? Where is Shiva? Pillaivare,
Maaarimootha Pillaivare, have you seen him?
That man with a broken moon on his head.
Have you seen him? He professes to be the
Lord of Thillai. He is all about ‘ones’ you know.
He lifts ‘one’ foot to dance, he has ‘one’ cow,
brahman is ‘One’. For the record, you didn't
hear all this from me......
Did I tell you he went around naked for 12
years going by the name Bhikshadana, with a
skull stuck in his hands, out of which he ate!
He burnt cities made of gold, iron and silver
you know! Chee chee, he had echchal.
He doesn’t have any family except me, he
allowed his son to marry a girl from the hills.
He undertook menial jobs and I didn’t reveal
any of this to you, ok?
Well, well, despite being revered by yogis, he is
still a loafer, I say!
He has gone off on one of his tantrums again,
let me go find him.

11. A (married) lovelorn, separated heroine expresses
anguish…wants to have Him back

12. O friend, those evenings in this bower.
On a bed of tender shoots, we lay that day. He lay on my chest, kissing and caressing, and with an eagerness for intimacy met me.

13. • a lovelorn but hopelessly separated heroine (viraha) are all states of
mind and being captured through the voices and bodies of the three
ATA performers.
On the appointed day, at this bower, he was supposed to come. But
when I got here there was nobody there, so I stood wondering. Then,
all of a sudden he sprung from nearby and startled me. He is naughty,
o Friend, will you not bring back those happy times for me?
On the first tryst, I was a bit
bashful, but he put me at
ease with reassuring words,
and then with a haste for
intimacy met me.

14. • And finally, an ode to primordial energy
The daughter of the milk ocean, Sri Mahalakshmi, the one
who sits on a lotus, Neerajanam.
Lotus-eyed face, breasts that curve like the jakava bird,
bumbl-bee like plait, lotus-like hands, Neerjanam.
Tender shoot-like feet, lissom thighs, eternal pearl
Neerajanam
Rare pelvis, to her navel, Neerajanam
You are the queen of well known Venkatesa, Neerajanam
An Ode to Mahalaskhmi

15. And thus they become one…
….until they separate

16. Dr Chamundeeswari Kuppuswamy (Performer 2)
Dr Annapoorna Kuppuswamy (Performer 1)
Mr Balakrishnan Raghavan (Performer 3)
Photo Credits: Mr. Aaditya N. Kaza
Nandavana Dance 2017