ET Madras plus

Teaching a Legacy

The desire to share a rare blend of cross rhythm has brought Prakriti Bhaskar, the flawless Nattuvanar to Chennai. ET Madras Plus catches up with the talented artiste

Sangeetha rajeesh

Thursday July 13 2006 Times of India Chennai Edition

We sat under the shade of a banyan tree at Kalakshetra College of Fine Arts. Her energy levels were amazing, (after all she had just finished a three-hour class on Nattuvangam!), and she was bubbling with passion (as if the day had just begun!). We embarked on a lively chat which led to our first query - why was she in Chennai? Prakriti's eyes came alive and she replied fervently, "I am here to bring alive a specialised and dynamic rhythmic pattern of jatis and an understanding of the carnatic thala system." "My visit is about bringing a gift - something new and challenging to Chennai," she smiles, tapping her palms together at my request to produce a jati - thak-ki-ta, thak-ki-ta, thak-ka-janu, in a sequence where solkattu(recitation) and thala(beat) match. This, Prakriti says, is the usual harmonious combination which form the base Nritta(footwork) for any dancer and when coupled with abhinayaa(expression), showcases a wholesome dance recital. She goes on to explain that Nattuvangam is the art of conducting a classical Indian dance recital addressing the Laya or sense of rhythm, an important aspect in classical dance. Skilled Nattuvanar that she is, Prakriti gives an example of how a jati can be musical even though the solkattu and the thalaas do not actually blend but synchronise in the end. Once again, she sets a beautiful thalaa in place and intertwines the solkattu in such a way that one barely realises that the pauses in the thalaa were replaced by the sollu. The jati picks up rhythm and somehow a meeting point occurs and both harmonise towards the end. "This is cross rhythm," explains Prakriti. "It can get more complicated but that's where the challenge is." Adding that a Nattuvanar must have a thorough knowledge of dance movements and the thalaa structure of Indian classical music, she says, "Some dancers have the inherent sense of rhythm while others imbibe and develop these through performing and understanding concepts of Nattuvangam." She asserts that students must have a strong foundation of the thalaas and most important is 'their perception of rhythm and their interest to experiment, adding value and enriching the art'. In her pursuit to teach this rare and innovative rhythm, Prakriti Bhaskar has been instrumental in training serious dancers at the Shiladhish Art & Research Institute, Mumbai for over a decade. Her passion and flair for rhythm were honed by her guru, the late Kalaimamani Talavidwan Shri TS Kadhirvelu Pillai and her talent as an elegant performer won laurels for her dimensions in choreography. Prakriti enthusiastically canvasses the cause of art awareness in Mumbai but rues over the city being a 'culturally dead' place. Talking of the Kalakshetra Foundation she says, "Chennaities are so lucky to be able to have such an ambience. We need to go to great lengths while conducting dance ensembles at Mumbai." The Institute has a two-day classical dance festival every year for artistes and art lovers in its attempt to enhance the country's cultural heritage and make it accessible to modern youth. Prakriti hopes to propagate and popularise her guru's unique tradition of rhythmic composition in India and abroad. Way to go!