An ode to the Nava Rasas

BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

Intrinsic to human nature, the Nava Rasas, or nine primal emotions have been the codified in many ancient philosophical treatises, the most notable among them being Sage Bharatha’s Naatya Shaastra Classified as shringara (romantic love), karunya (compassion), adbhuta (awe/wonder), haasya (laughter/mirth), veerya (valour/ heroism), bhaya (fear), bibhatsa (disgust), raudra (anger/fury) and ultimately shantha (peace/ equanimity), together represent the myriad strands that constitute a complete individual.

Over the course of the centuries, repeated attempts have been made to unlock, understand and portray the nuances of these central emotions and their responses through various art forms. For the experienced artiste, Rasas are a veritable repository, offering both a blank canvas and the poetic licence with which to experiment.

Dedicated to the cause of making Bharatanatyam accessible to the wider community, Manjula Viswanath, who follows the Vazhuvoor tradition, has for the past two decades choreographed many successful productions. Her latest dance ballet Navarasa Bhaaratha is a fitting homage to Bharatha Muni’s rich legacy that also effectively inculcates these nine primal emotions into a stellar performance.

The ballet, which was performed by the students of Rasika Dance Academy at UNSW Science theatre, raised $25,000 for Sri Venkateshwara Temple (SVT) in Helensburgh. The monies raised will be invested in social enterprise and educational ventures undertaken by SVT.

“The concept of rasas or emotions is an outstanding contribution of Indian culture to the world of art and literature. Earlier this year, while contemplating my next show, I was challenging the way I perceive dance to come up with something unique, that I had never done before. Thus came the Eureka moment and Navarasa was born,” Manjula said, explaining the origin of the concept to Indian Link

Once past the drawing board stage, Manjula took her concept to veteran musicians Balasubramanya

Sharma and Prof Sudha Ravi back in India to compose the original score and lyrics. Scene visualisation and choreography followed.

“I also had to select my students aptly to portray these nine characters who are the embodiment of nine emotions, or nava rasa. Putting theory into practise, my students followed my every move as I enacted every step, every emotion while explaining to them what it all meant. I am proud to say my students fulfilled my high expectations of them,” she added proudly.

For Manjula and Rasika Academy, Navarasa Bharatha has been quite a journey of selfdiscovery.

“While walking through each rasa, I also walked through my own childhood, when my grandmother would narrate powerful stories to me. In today’s world this is becoming a lost art and I felt it’s important to convey this to the audience through dance,” she explained.

Tapping into India’s vibrant multicultural history, Navarasa Bharatha explored the intricacies of the human emotional repertoire, weaving a sumptuous tale in the process. The dance drama, which cleverly integrated strong narrative techniques with traditional Bharatanatyam principles, appealed instantly to audiences young and old. As the stories unfolded, there was never a dull moment. Plenty of colourful costumes, skilful lighting arrangements and props added depth and dimension to the show.

The Rama Setu scene depicting adbhutham, for instance, was quite a feat. Not only were the props and costumes apt, the dancers with their supple movements and distinct abhinaya clearly stole the show.

Frame after frame followed seamlessly, with the junior students not only introducing the themes, but also providing the perfect backdrop for the action to unfold. The spotlight then turned on the more experienced performers (Madhumitha, Anjana, Sandhya, Shruti, Shalaka, Vaidehi, Anitha and Abisri) as the recurring themes were delineated in greater detail. This talented core group not only excelled in dramatic prowess and emotive abilities, but were also true to the fundamental values of Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam, subtle abhinaya, elegant postures and graceful movement. Each of the nava rasas was represented through a colourful story, thoughtfully chosen and succinctly portrayed, the pristine beauty of young love in Kalidasa’s Shakuntala and Dushyantha (shringara), wit and humour of Vikatakavi Tenali Raman, the court jester of Vijayanagar empire (haasya), the all consuming rage of Kannagi, immortalised in the Silappathikaaram (raudram), the Mauryan emperor Ashoka’s revulsion at his self destructive greed (bhibatsya), empathy of Gautham Buddha towards all human suffering (karunya), fear of authority (bhaya) exemplified by Purandara Dasa’s wife Saraswathi Bai, heroic valour of Chatrapathi Shivaji (veerya), awe inspiring feats of Hanuman as he strives to achieve the impossible (adbhutha) and finally, overwhelming sense of peace and tranquillity attained by Vasavadatta.

While adhering to the broad parameters of Bharatanatyam, Manjula also incorporated strands from other celebrated art forms like Kalaripayatu or martial arts (war scenes of Veerya and Bhibatsya), Kathak (Vasavadatta tale) and Laavani (Marathi folk tradition) to make the whole experience a rich and varied one. “Often, language is a big barrier when it comes to understanding other classical dance forms. Keeping Bharatanayam pure while blending it with other classical traditions is the whole point. People like what they see and my goal is to take classical dance to people who have not been exposed to it,” Manjula explained.

Navarasa Bharatha, true to its title also celebrated India’s linguistic and cultural diversity by borrowing extensively from the various regional stories, both famous and relatively unknown.

For instance, few know the story of Purandara Dasa (Srinivasa Nayaka, a greedy goldsmith) before he became a devout composer. Likewise, Raudra or rage is best exemplified by tale of Kannagi as is Tenali

Raman for humour.

The powerful use of colour and symbolism to mirror the underlying theme is also another favourite trademark of Manjula’s. In Navarasa Bharatha, the nine colours that signified each emotion were green (shringara), white (hasya), grey (karuna), red (roudra), orange (veerya), black (bhaya), blue (bheebhatsyam), yellow (adbutham) and white (shantham). Manjula’s family, both immediate and extended, have been a constant source of strength and support. Pulling off a show of such depth and diversity would certainly not have been possible without their commitment to her cause.