New Delhi : It was a speechless evening of Samvaad! Yes, Speechless! A dialogue between like-minded classical dance forms at an evening hosted by Centre for Mohiniyattam, led by Eminent Mohiniyattam veteran Padmashri Guru Bharati Shivaji. The evening featured scintillating dance presentations of Mohiniyattam and other like-minded classical dance forms, namely Odissi, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mayurbhanj Chhau.

The performances were given by the Senior Disciples of Guru Bharati Shivaji including Vinaya Narayanan, Manjula Murthy, Vani Bhalla Pahwa & Momm Ganguly (all Mohiniyattam) and well-known performers Anwesa Mahanta (Sattriya), Kavita Dwibedi (Odissi), Rakesh Sai Babu (Chhau) & Bimbavati Devi (Manipuri). Samvaad expressed how the styles, in spite of their well delineated vocabulary, complement each other beautifully and can come together to weave a poetic tapestry of grace and rasa.

The evening kicked off with formal lamp lighting. The performance commenced with samvaad of Mohiniyattam by Vinaya Narayanan and Sattriya by Anwesa Mahanta.

It began with Sattriya. Graceful, lyrical and soft-footed in nature, Sattriya is practiced as a ritual in the Vaisnava monasteries, Sattras. Dr. Anwesa Mahanta commnced her presentation with an invocation based on the compositions of Namghosha by Sri Sri Madhavadeva who was the principal apostle of Srimanta Sankaradeva, it was set to Raga Bhatiyali and Ektala. Followed by Mohiniyattam, that began with Thyani, an invocation to Gaja Devi Lakshmi who is accompanied by elephants. She is the beloved of Vishnu the preserver of the universe. This was in raga Desakshi performed by Vinaya Narayan. The duet concluded with the Mela Naach in Sattriya and a segment from Melam which is one of the percussion ensembles performed in the temples of Kerala.

The next presentation of the evening was Mohiniyattam by Manjula Murthy and Odissi by Kavita Dwibedi. The performance began with obeisance to Lord Jagananath residing in Puri followed by Obeisance to Lord Padmanabha, the patron deity of the Travancore rulers, a composition of Maharaja Swati Tirunal. It was followed by an excerpt from Geetha Govind depicting Radha and Krishna, where Radha is disappointed to see Krishna in a disheveled state. Radha is humbled by Krishna’s surrender to Radha.

The third Dance Samvaad was between Mohiniyattam by Vani Bhalla Pahwa and Mayurbhanj Chhau by Rakesh Sai Babu. The presentation depicted Shiva and Parvati in a union when Parvati sees a woman on Shiva’s locks. When she questions him, Shiva tries to distract her, saying it is only nature. But Parvati is certain, and feeling hurt and angry she leaves Shiva along with their children. Just then Kailasa rocks and she is terrified and looks for her husband. Their subsequent reunion symbolises the union of jeevatma and Paramatma. Samvaad was concluded with a presentation by Momm Ganguly in Mohiniyattam and Bimbavati Devi in Manipuri. They together presented obeisance to Krishna and described the divine beauty of the Lord.

An elated and happy Guru, Bharati Shivaji said, “We just saw some of the finest performances by the artists here. As a Guru and dancer myself, I’m totally enthralled & have still not been able to come out of the magical Samvaad created by such lovely performers. My effort has always been to continually enrich and expand Mohiniyattam beyond its existing frontiers, even in terms of exploring possibilities of its growth in conjunction with other styles that can complement its mood and aesthetics well. SAMVAAD – the collective, is another attempt towards this goal, to synchronously explore Mohiniyattam’s adaptability with like-minded dance traditions. The dance traditions chosen as part of the Collective lend well to each other,” she added.

Vani Bhalla Pahwa thanked the efforts of her guru, saying, “She’s more than a Guru. She is a motherly figure for all of us. She has always been there through and we have imbibed and gained immensely from her experience, and selfless guidance. We feel honoured and proud to present ‘Samvaad’ and to be a part of this great effort and vision.”

CFM stands as a glorious symbol of India’s timeless cultural heritage. Since its inception, CFM has made relentless efforts towards research, training, and propagation of this enchanting dance form of Kerala.