nishagandhi nights

'sandhye varoo nishagandhee- nikunjamithil
manjeera sinjithamunarthoo..'

Every year i come to Nishagandhi to watch, to enjoy and to re-live certain memories. What started as a random visit in 2003 has since become an annual pilgrimage of sorts. It may be a small event compared to the likes of the Soorya festival, but Nishagandhi has always been special. Perhaps because when I came here for the first time, i was sixteen and in love. Every visit is a rekindling of those memories of unrequited love, mad dreams and desperate summers.


Some performances in the past come to mind...Hariharan weaving Ghazal magic in the moonlight ...Shila Mehta's rhythmic feet that challenged the tabla...the soulful music and sensual performances of Odissi...the visual delight and acrobatic finesse of Manipuri...the percussion solo of Shivamani which was so powerful that i thought my chest would collapse...


This year at Nishagandhi I fell in love, again. With a beautiful danseuse named Alarmel Valli and her enchanting dance. I have watched Padma Subramanyam, I have watched Chitra Visweswaran, I have seen many dancers large and small, yet rarely have I seen such sheer brilliance. Such bhava, such abhinaya, such involvement and passion. Her passion shone through her like a light. I think the previous sentence sounds a bit cliched and gaudy, but i think i can think of no other words. What I experienced was the joy of watching a genius whose avocation was her vocation. True, her nimble grace and beauty did have its impact: it seemed as if she was built to be a dancer and nothing else. The joy in her art was unmistakable. Ten minutes into the performance and I was her fan.



I must add a comment on the stage decoration. Of late too many visual elements and overuse of dominant warm tones like red have made it less of a stage and more of a showpiece. It fails miserably in being a good background. A good background must get us to focus on the performer, without drawing too much attention by itself. Flex boards look neat but they are not aesthetically pleasant elements. A couple of years back the stage used to be less showy and more innovative. I wonder where all the artists have gone.