Few artistes have the ability to bring that extra spark to conversations. Lakshmi Viswanathan was one. A fine dancer, scholar and writer whose tongue-in-cheek repartee and sense of humour endeared her to many, off the stage too.
To commemorate her memory, Lakshmi’s sister Sujaya Menon recently organised ‘Woven Words’, an evening of conversations and abhinaya sessions. The show was anchored and presented by Priya Kakkar and Madhumati.
Pavithera Lingedra
From the garlanded portrait at the entrance to a simple floral setting on stage by Kiran Rao, the aesthetics were in tune with Lakshmi’s tastes.
The programme began with a prayer by Samanvitha, followed by three speakers sharing their insights on Lakshmi’s art and life. Jeetendra Hirschfeld, a long-time associate and a collaborator on her research work in later years, spoke about Lakshmi’s scholarship and artistic journey. A small video clipping of her teaching methodology was shown.
Jayanthi Subramaniam performed a Kshetrayya padam
Dancer Sharadha Narayanan shared her personal experiences with Lakshmi, both as a friend and an artiste. Lakshmi was known for her abhinaya prowess, and Nityakalyani Vaidhyanathan gave a beautiful talk on the nuances of abhinaya. She then demonstrated the four ways in which a dancer could approach a single line.
Vaishnavi Srinivasan and Nivedhita Harish performed the Huseni Swarajathi ‘Emayaladira’
The dancing session began appropriately with the Huseni Swarajathi ‘Emayaladira’ that Lakshmi had taught two young dancers Vaishnavi Srinivasan and Nivedhita Harish, disciples of Roja Kannan. The edited version gave a glimpse of the natyam of yore that Lakshmi was so fond of — she had even designed the costumes to reflect that period. Vaishnavi and Nivedhita were impressive, both in the nritta and abhinaya segments .
Avijit Das
‘Theruvil Varano’, a padam composed by Muthu Thandavar bringing out the emotions of a lovelorn nayika, was rendered by Pranathi Ramadurai. Lekha Prasad’s depiction in myriad ways of a bird in flight and then cajoling and conversing with it in ‘Paingili vannan’ in Tilang was endearing.
Showcasing her ability to communicate a range of emotions through mukhabinaya was Jayanthi Subramaniam in the Kshetrayya padam ‘Valapudasa’. It was a mature portrayal as she danced with finesse at a leisurely pace, a fitting dedication to Lakshmi.
Lekha Prasad
The emotional turbulence that Radha experiences is the essence of the Ashtapadi ‘Nindati chandana’ and Pavithera Lingendra brought it out well.
The evening concluded on a vibrant note with a Kuchipudi rendition of the Sarangapani’s Kalyani raga composition ‘Chittike vesithe’ by Avijit Das, the only male dancer of the evening. The flourish with which the plaited hair was tossed back, the nonchalance of Krishna and the lilt in the body movements made his presentation engrossing.
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Published – March 18, 2025 07:25 pm IST
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