Odissi: Kumkum Lal performs at a Noh theatre
Director: Ashok Lal
Duration: 01:24:00; Aspect Ratio: 1.366:1; Hue: 67.186; Saturation: 0.203; Lightness: 0.216; Volume: 0.356; Cuts per Minute: 6.000; Words per Minute: 21.606
Summary: Kumkum Lal spent four years in Tokyo, Japan, teaching and performing Odissi extensively. In 1986, with her husband Ashok, she hosted Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (Guruji) and a group of musicians including the renowned composer Pt. Bhubaneswar Mishra, from India, for a month. During his stay there, Guruji taught Kumkum and held workshops for her students. Kumkum and Guruji also travelled across Japan, holding lecture demonstrations at universities and performing in different environments.
During their tour, the group was once allowed permission to perform at a prominent Noh theatre, or Nohgaku-doh, in Tokyo. Performing something other than Noh at a Nohgaku-doh is a privilege that is hard to come by. The Noh stage, with its sloping roof and long walkway (hashigakari) is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra immediately capitalises on the Noh architecture by weaving its pillars and walkway into the performance. Thus an errant Krishna might watch Radha guiltily, hiding behind some form of forest cover, veiled in the semi-darkness of dawn, as he watches Radha waste away in their secret grove. The mangalacharan and Saveri Pallavi are performed by Kumkum, followed by an ashtapadi, after which Guruji performs an Oriya abhinaya. Kumkum returns to perform Khamaj Pallavi, after which they perform two pieces from the Gitagovinda, ‘yahi madhava’ and ‘priye charusheele’. The first portrays Radha as khandita nayika, an angry lover who takes Krishna to task and is unwilling to forgive him. Radha in ‘priye charusheele’ is a lover torn between the urge to stay angry and the desire to forgive him and return to their blissful existence together.
The programme ends with a short moksha performed by Kumkum.
Kumkum Lal has been a disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra for more than four decades. Her initial training in Odissi was under Guru Harekrishna Behera, and she has also studied and performed creative dance with Narendra Sharma, and Chhau under Guru Krishna Chandra Naik. She has taught English at Delhi University. She was a keen reviewer of dance and has acted in plays. She has worked with Sangeet Natak Akademi as the head of their dance section and was awarded a senior fellowship by the Indian government to work on a Sanskrit treatise on Odissi.
Guruji is at his histrionic best in his pieces from the Gitagovinda. Endearingly, he brings Krishna to life with his attention to detail – right down to the stains from the ‘grapes’ he ate while he was busy kissing another woman’s collyrium-stained eyes.
Here, her student Ranjana Dave converses with her as they watch these videos again, while reminiscence and hindsight come together. The years Ranjana spent learning from Kumkum were full of invaluable dancing, enriching conversations on all and sundry, and much relief from hostel food.
Translations of all the ashtapadis seen here have been adapted from 'Sri Gitagovinda' (trans. Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, Gaudiya Vedanta Publications, Mathura, 2005) with inputs from Kumkum Lal.
The traditional Noh stage consists of a pavilion whose architectural style is derived from that of the traditional kagura stage of Shinto shrines. It is normally composed almost entirely of hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood. The four pillars bordering it are named for their orientation to the prominent actions during the course of the play. The polished floor lets the actors move by gliding across the stage. Giant pots or bowl-shaped concrete structures buried under the floor enhance its resonant qualities when actors are required to stomp heavily. Hence the stage is built approximately three feet higher than the audience area. The kagami-ita, a painting of a pine-tree, is the only backdrop used. The hashigakari, or the narrow bridge towards stage right, is another important feature. It is used by principal actors to enter the stage. All stages solely dedicated to Noh performances are likely to have a hook or loop in the ceiling, only to lift and drop the bell for the play Dojoji. Musicians in a Noh performance sit on a raised platform at the back.
Noh
Guruji
Kelucharan Mohapatra
Kumkum Lal
Nohgakodu
Nohgakodu, Tokyo, Japan
Odissi
The camera pans across the stage, focusing on the main performance area.
Kumkum: Polished wood, pillars and a sloping roof are integral to Noh - it looks like it should have been outdoors because it has a roof, but it's actually a roof under another roof here. In Noh there is one character and one supporting character. Very slow movements. A lot of people go to sleep. We were very lucky to perform here. This was an extra show. It wasn't a scheduled show. The impresario who organised our programmes in Japan managed to get us the theatre.
Kadachit kalindi tata vipina sangeeta kavarau
Mudabhiri nari vadana kamala swadamadhupa
Ramashambhubrahma surapatiganesharchitapadau
Jagannatha swami nayana pathagami bhavatu me (x3)
Translation:
At one time, in the forest on the banks of the Yamuna, that resounded with music,
In joyous ecstasy he would be found, like a bee sucking nectar, at the lotus lips of the gopis.
Now all the other gods worship his feet.
He Jagannatha! May you be the object of my vision.
mangalacharan
Guruji plays the opening bols of the mangalacharan, the invocatory piece that is to follow.
Mangalacharan
Bhumi pranam - Salutation to the earth, asking to be forgiven for stamping on it.
Kumkum also leaves an offering of petals by moving downstage. The flower offering is sometimes made to the idol of Jagannatha that is placed on the stage, which is absent here.
Ranjana: You're not wearing
chita (sandalwood paste) here.
Kumkum: I think I only wore it for the Studio 200 performance. Nowadays, I wear it regularly.
Vandana, a verse in praise of the deity or figure being invoked during the mangalacharan.
The following verse/ sloka is from the
Abhinaya Chandrika of
Maheswara Mohapatra, a medieval text on Odissi dance. It is a common sloka, generally referred to as Ganesh Vandana.
Namami vighnarajatvam
Kalpavriksham tala sthitam
Uma putram mahakayam
Dantikam nrityakovidam
Tandava priya putraya
Tandava priya rupinam
Namo chintamani nityam shuddha buddhi pradayakam
Translation:
I salute the one who rises over obstacles,
The one who is to be found at the base of the Kalpavriksha (a mythical tree),
The son of Uma, the big-bodied one,
The tusked one, the one who is proficient in dance,
The son of he who loves tandava,
The image of he who loves tandava,
I salute thee, the one who bestows pure thought.
Kumkum: I like '
namami' very much. It is short and simple and allows you to pray.
Sabha pranam - A rhythmic piece of dance with the hands mostly in
Anjali hasta, the sabha pranam ends with
trikhandi pranam, a set of three salutations, where the dancer pays her obeisance to the divine, the guru and salutes the audience, specifically in that order.
(Break in recording, it moves to the beginning of the next piece. The musicians can be heard playing the first few notes. Manjul Mathur begins singing
Saveri Pallavi.)
Saveri Pallavi
Raga: Saveri
Tala: Talamalika
Choreography: Kelucharan Mohapatra
A
pallavi is a pure dance (
nritta) composition where a string of meaningless syllables called
ukutas might be strung together in various rhythmic patterns.
The first two cycles of the
ukuta are only sung and played by the musicians. The dancer is yet to enter. But in this case, Kumkum Lal starts walking towards the performance space on the second
avartan because she has to cross a long walkway before she reaches the stage.
Tala: 8 beats in one cycle
Ukuta:
Ta-jham-ta-jham-tari-jham
Tari-jham-tari-jham
Tari-jham-Tari-jham
Tari-jham...
The syllables 'ta', 'jham' and 'tari' are used in different combinations.
Kumkum: This
pallavi has a lot of variety. There is
sringara, there are different
talas...
Tala: 8 beats
Ukuta:
Drim-ta-drim-drim
Ta-drim-ta-ta-na-na
Ta-na-na-dere-na
Ta-drim-ta-dere-na
Kumkum: Now you don't keep your hands on the floor - you keep it on your knees, isn't it?
Kumkum: Nowadays, because of my bunions (enlargement of bone or tissue at the base of the big toe, dislocating it towards the second toe), I cannot scrape my toe on the ground, like in this step. I can't do the circular movements in Batu, where one sits down and stretches the foot.
Tala: 7 beats
Ukuta:
Drim-ta-drim-drim
Ta-drim-ta-ta-na-na
Ta-na-na-dere-na
Ta-drim-ta-dere-na
The
talas just change constantly. Now the
ukuta is being sung in seven
matras.
Tala: 6 beats
Ukuta:
Drim-ta-drim
Ta-drim-ta-na-na
Ta-na-na-dere-na
Ta-drim-dere-na
Tala: 7 beats
Ukuta:
Drim-ta-drim-drim
Ta-drim-ta-ta-na-na
Ta-na-na-dere-na
Ta-drim-ta-dere-na
Concluding portion of the pallavi. The original
ukuta is sung at a faster pace.
Tala: 8 beats
Ukuta:
Ta-jham-ta-jham-tari-jham
Tari-jham-tari-jham
Tari-jham-Tari-jham
Tari-jham...
Kumkum: This is from the second canto of the
Gitagovinda. It describes Krishna's dalliance with the gopis. As far as I remember, this was composed as part of a ballet called
Krishnagatha. A group of dancers come and perform a dance inside a temple. This was the song they danced to.
Ranjana: Is this from the Annapoorna theatre days?
(Break in recording)
Kumkum enters stage with her hands in anjali hasta. Guruji recites the opening bols. After he finishes the tihai, Manjul begins to sing.
Kumkum: No, I'm talking of my generation. This must have happened sometime during the sixties or early seventies. This was done in Delhi, in the Gol Market school. Padmavati was played by Sonal (Mansingh), Harekrushna Behera was the Raja of Puri; I played a dahiwali and a gopi. We came with a thali and other things required for puja. We also entered with the
chamar (flywhisk). The movement that begins
Arabhi Pallavi takes the swirl of the
chamar (demonstrates). Now that entry bit has been cut out. There, it was a puja dance. It was composed as a group item with the gopis and Krishna.
Because of its group potential, we performed it many times. I also performed it at Kala Vikas Kendra (KVK). When we went to Cuttack to learn from Guruji, we used to stay there. Also, he used to take classes at KVK. Those days, his house was not equipped to handle so many people. Also, they had a well, no running water; the well didn't have potable water. So a lot of water had to be sourced from outside.
Harir iha mugdha-vadhu-nikare
vilasati vilasini keli-pare
Translation:
Krishna, with great elation, revels in amorous pastime amidst an assembly of playful heroines in the Vrndavana forest.
(Not far from him, Radha stands with her
sakhi, observing Krishna and his admirers play with each other)
Kumkum: Hari is here with the
vilasinis - the young amorous women. He places each of his arms on the shoulders of a gopi. He finds a flower for the bun of one gopi. He notices the other gopi feeling slightly jealous, so he praises her beauty and dances with her.
Then there is a description of his looks - his blue body, which is the colour of the sky, has been anointed with sandal paste and he wears yellow garments. He is called '
vanamali' because he wears a garland of wild flowers.
chandana-charchita-nila-kalevara-pita-vasana-vanamali
keli-calan-mani-kundala-mandita-ganda-yuga-smita-sali
Translation:
Smeared with sandalwood and dressed in yellow cloth with a garland of forest flowers,
his earrings swing to and fro; the beauty of his cheeks is astonishing and his playful laughter is like honey.
Kumkum: When he walks about joyfully, his earrings sway vigorously; their swaying accentuates the beauty of his smiling face (cheeks).
Kumkum: Here, Jagannath is depicted, just for a fleeting moment.
'
Iha' means here, '
mugdha' - intoxicated (with love). So Hari is here in the crowd of intoxicated maidens.
Harir iha mugdha-vadhu-nikare
vilasati vilasini keli-pare
Translation:
Krishna, with great elation, revels in amorous pastime amidst an assembly of playful heroines in the Vrndavana forest.
chandana-charchita-nila-kalevara-pita-vasana-vanamali
Translation:
He is smeared with sandalwood and dressed in yellow cloth with a garland of forest flowers...
Kumkum: The heavy-breasted women embrace Krishna and lean upon him.
Pancama raga, which the women are singing, has some sort of an erotic connotation. It is said that
pancama is the note of eroticism, though I'm not very sure.
Pina payodhara-bhara-bharena harim parirabhya sa-ragam
gopa-vadhur anugayati kacid udancita-pancama-ragam
Translation:
A gopi passionately embraces Krishna, her full breasts pressing against his chest,
while they sing together in pancama raga.
Kumkum: Both the costumes I have used during this performance are old ones, probably stitched in the seventies.
Kara-tala-taala-tarala-valayavali-kalita-kalasvana-vamse
Translation:
Clapping her hands in perfect rhythm, her bangles tinkle, making sweet sounds that complement the melody wafting out from Krishna's flute.
Kumkum: This is a very beautiful analogy; the line says that the melody of the tinkle of a gopi's bangles matches the pitch of Krishna's flute.
(Rhythmic piece in bols, enunciated by Guruji)
Kara-tala-taala-tarala-valayavali-kalita-kalasvana-vamse
Translation:
Clapping her hands in perfect rhythm, her bangles tinkle, making sweet sounds that complement the melody wafting out from Krishna's flute.
(Rhythmic piece in bols, enunciated by Guruji)
Kara-tala-taala-tarala-valayavali-kalita-kalasvana-vamse
rasa-rase-saha-nritya-para harina yuvatih prasasamse
Translation:
Clapping her hands in perfect rhythm, her bangles tinkle, making sweet sounds that complement the melody wafting out from Krishna's flute.
As they dance the
rasa lila together, the enraptured young gopi entrances Hari and is praised by him.
Kumkum: This is the moment of the
rasalila - Hari dances with the enraptured gopis.
Kumkum: There's an entire
arasa here.
Concluding portion of ashtapadi. The song ends with a rhythmic piece.
Harir iha mugdha-vadhu-nikare
vilasati vilasini keli-pare
chandana-charchita-nila-kalevara-pita-vasana-vanamali
Translation:
Krishna, with great elation, revels in amorous pastime amidst an assembly of playful heroines in the Vrndavana forest.
He is smeared with sandalwood and dressed in yellow cloth with a garland of forest flowers...
Ahe nila saila
Jagannath
Oriya abhinaya
Puri
Salbeg
(Break in recording. The camera switches to the next dance sequence. Guruji is not at the mardala anymore. Now in his dance costume with a bare upper body, he enters from stage right and sits in profile, going through the motions of a devotee doing namaz.
Kumkum: This (Ahenila) was composed with me, in 1973 or 1974 at Triveni (Kala Sangam). The basic version was composed then. Guruji kept adding to it later. But it was there in our recording in 1979 (a music recording Delhi dancers jointly paid for). We probably had performed it before that...
Ahe nila saila
Kumkum: Salbeg is praying the Muslim way...making all the motions of namaz.
(While the music playing is recorded, Bhubaneswar Mishra continues playing the violin and Sudarshan Das continues playing the flute.)
Ahe nila saila prabhala matta barana
mu arata nalini banaku kara dalana
Translation:
Behold the blue mountain, as majestic as a great intoxicated elephant,
Just as the elephant tramples upon the water lilies in a pond, I implore you to destroy the weakness in my heart.
Kumkum: '
Saila' means mountain. '
Prabhala matta varana'; '
varana' is elephant, residing on the blue mountain. The imagery is of an elephant playing in a pond and these things growing in the muck, like lotus flowers. While he plays around them he destroys it. In that manner, may you also destroy the weaknesses of my heart; that is my '
arata', my prayer, says Salbeg to Jagannath.
(Rhythmic interlude)
Gajaraja daka dela thai ghora jalena
chakra pesi nakra nasi uddharile apana
Translation:
The king elephant Gajendra called you to his rescue, there, in the deep waters; (when he was trapped by a scheming crocodile)
Brandishing your
chakra, you killed the crocodile and saved the day and proved your greatness.
Kumkum: Salbeg recounts several incidents where Jagannath has come to the rescue of his devotees. When the elephant was in the deep waters, a crocodile grabs his foot. The elephant called on you and with your chakra, you annihilated the crocodile.
(Rhythmic interlude)
Kumkum: In the '
kuru sabha', he heard Draupadi's appeal.
In the original composition, in 1973-74, this was a very compact part. Here he spends a lot of time elaborating the gambling away of the kingdom and then the five brothers and Draupadi.
That year, he composed dances to many Oriya songs - '
tolagi' and '
ahe nila' at Triveni and '
malli mala' in the summer workshop in Orissa.
Kuru sabha sthale suni draupadi ku janana
Koti bastra dei hele lajja kara barana
Translation:
In the court of the Kauravas, you heard Draupadi's fervent appeals
and bestowed on her an unceasing length of cloth, thus protecting her modesty.
Kumkum:
Itna karenge toh thak jayenge na! (He will get tired if he performs so vigorously). After his performance at Aoyama, he got so tired that he announced he would never perform on stage again. Of course, that didn't happen, but it was significant for him.
Ranjana: I just realised a male voice is singing! Why are they all pretending to play then?
Kumkum: All of them are playing, it seems. But Manjul is playing the manjira. I don't know why they're doing that!
Kumkum:
Karodo vastra dekar...by giving her an infinite flow of cloth to drape herself with, Krishna shielded Draupadi's modesty.
Ahe nila saila prabhala matta barana
mu arata nalini banaku kara dalana
Ahe nila saila...
Translation:
Behold the blue mountain, as majestic as a great intoxicated elephant,
Just as the elephant tramples upon the water lilies in a pond, I implore you to destroy the weakness in my heart.
Behold the blue mountain...
(Rhythmic interlude)
Guruji used to rest in the afternoon and compose all this. He remembered everything even without any practice. He composed something in his mind and he could translate that into action without any gaps.
Prahlada pita seje bada dushta daruna
stambha ru bahari taku bidarile apana
Translation:
Prahlada's father, that extremely cruel demon
you emerged from a pillar and tore him asunder.
Kumkum: Prahlada's father was a very cruel and evil man...
Kumkum: His histrionics! (laughs)
Kumkum: Vishnu emerges from the pillar to destroy him.
Kumkum: Oh my!
Kumkum: When he composed this part, he conferred with a Muslim musician to check the accuracy of his movements.
Kahe salbega hina jati re mu jabana
Sriranga charana tale karu acchi janana
Translation:
Salbeg says that he belongs to a very low caste of the yavanas
At the feet of Sriranga, I place all my entreaties.
Kumkum: The word '
jabana' is used here; '
yavana' was a term used to refer to the Greeks and non-Hindus. Guruji also portrays him as a leper.
Ranjana: But isn't Salbeg generally taken to be a leper?
Kumkum: Hmm, that's probably true.
Ahe nila saila prabhala matta barana
mu arata nalini banaku kara dalana
Ahe nila saila (4)
Translation:
Behold the blue mountain, as majestic as a great intoxicated elephant,
Just as the elephant tramples upon the water lilies in a pond, I implore you to destroy the weakness in my heart.
Behold the blue mountain (4)
Kumkum: Salbeg can only stand at the door of the temple. He is not allowed beyond that. He can only imagine what Jagannath must look like and can see the mountain. The temple, if you've noticed, is constructed on a small hill of dark rock. That is the '
nila saila'. And the entire structure is likened to the strong elephant. Because, for Salbeg, the mountain itself, in its form as an elephant, becomes the image of Jagannath.
Ranjana: One image of Jagannath that the choreographer uses in the piece is a common one - the hands squared, in '
tripataka' hasta; sometimes, the dancer might sway from side-to-side. While writing this, it struck me that Salbeg may have seen the idol on one occasion - the annual
ratha yatra, when Jagannath, recovering from a fever that lasts a fortnight, pays a visit to his aunt's 'house', a temple some distance away from his own. The crowds that throng the streets of Puri during the
ratha yatra slow the movement of the idol down immensely. Hence those pulling the chariot must strain against the crowd and pull it with a rocking motion to make any progress. The swaying motion with the hands in '
tripataka' is derived from that very rocking motion of Jagannath's chariot during the
ratha yatra.
Another thing that strikes me is how Puri is home to a number of Jagannath devotees, not always Hindu by birth or of Indian origin. Some have spent decades in Puri, calling themselves Jagannath bhakts but unable to enter the temple, which still does not allow foreigners or non-Hindus to enter. Attempts to sneak in with the crowd are a regular feature at the temple gates, but are mostly thwarted. Only once in a year, when the annual
ratha yatra is conducted, those who do not have access to the temple in its regular form can be part of this mobile tableau of the temple. Some even get close enough and manage to touch the chariot or pull it. The maddening crowds at the
ratha yatra are a great leveller.
Applause rings out as Guruji steps backward along the walkway, exiting the stage.
(Break in recording)
The audience can be heard talking. This is probably the interval. People are moving around. A group is heard laughing. The camera moves upwards to take in the wooden beams that form the roof of the Nohgakodu.
(Break in recording)
Kumkum: I think I perform my next piece after the interval. What is it,
Khamaj Pallavi?
That orange dress I wore in the first half was made in Delhi. I used to wear a nylon chunni with it. Then I began to show a bit of a tummy. My friend Diana, who was good with stitching, made the pallu for this costume from a bit of cloth I had saved from the sari.
Bhubaneswar Mishra plays the opening notes of
Khamaj Pallavi on his violin. Sudarshan Das then begins playing the flute. Guruji plays the mardala as Manjul starts singing the
ukuta. Guruji also recites the
tala.
Kumkum: It is 2-3, 2-3 - the
tala pattern; it starts right from the centre of the tala. The tune they have used is 1-2-3, but the song picks up from the middle. The
tala is
khanda jati ektali.
Kumkum enters and begins walking down the long wooden pathway to the central performance area.
Kumkum: There was a time when my brother-in-law used to stitch and I gave him two dresses to be stitched. I'm wondering whether this was one of them. Maybe not. I think this was done by the Delhi tailor. There used to be a tailor called Ganapati in Paharganj. All the dancers would go to him.
Khamaj Pallavi
Raga: Khamaj
Tala: Khanda jati Ektala
Drim-ta-tana-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
di-re-na-tana-di-re-na
Aaa...(aspiration)
Kumkum:
Khamaj Pallavi was composed in Cuttack in 1979. That was when Sanju (Sanjukta Panigrahi) used to come to the house. They would work on new compositions throughout the night. Sanju was very generous and let me learn the
pallavi at the same time.
The original refrain was composed by Bhubaneswar Mishra but later it was composed again with Raghubhai (Raghunath Panigrahi).
ta-na-na-ta-na-na
ta-na-na-ta-na-na
Drim-ta-tana-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
Kumkum: I don't seem to have my attention on the
pallavi. Something is bothering me.
[
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na] x3
Drim-ta-tana-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
di-re-na-
[
ta-na-di-re-na] (x3)
Drim-ta-tana-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re
[
ta-na-di-re-na] x3
Drim-ta-tana-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
di-re-na-
di-re-na-tana-di-re-na
Aaa...(aspiration)
Drim-ta-tana-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
di-re-na-
di-re-na-tana-di-re-na
Aaa...(aspiration)
Various permutations and combinations of the
tala are explored.
Kumkum: This sequence of
bols was composed separately. Some of the movements are quite different from what one usually sees in
pallavis.
Drimi-kukundari-ta-jhena
Ta-drimi-ta-drim-drim-ta-rita-jhena
Drimi-kukundari-ta-jhena
Ta-drimi-ta-drimi-ta-drimi-ta-jhena
Drimi-kukundari-ta-jhena
Ta-drimi-ta-drimi-ta-drimi-ta-jhena
[
Ta-jhenam-ta-rita-jhena
Drim-drim-ta-di-re-na]4
Ranjana: I wish
pallavis had more movements like the one here - where the dancer just walks.
Manjul begins singing in
sargam while Guruji repeats the same dance phrase by saying the
tala aloud.
As their phrases become shorter and faster, they come together at one point, with both of them being heard over each other.
The song returns to the first
ukuta
Drim-ta-tana-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
ta-na-di-re-na
di-re-na-tana-di-re-na
Aaa...(aspiration)
(Break in recording)
Kumkum: Guruji used to love playing with
tala and using all types of permutations and combinations. After the
antara is sung, there are different types of
talas played. The movements are so complex. If you take 12
matras, you can use them as 3-3 or 2-4. So you can add steps that suit any combination.
Kumkum has now tucked a gossamer veil into her headgear (
tahia).
Rajani-janita-guru-jagara-raga-kashayitam alasa-nimesham
vahati nayanam anuragam iva sphutam udita-rasabhinivesham
hari! hari! yahi madhava yahi kesava ma vada kaitava-vadam
tam anusara sarasiruha-locana ya tava harati visadam
Translation:
Having kept awake all night, your tired eyes now droop persistently,
Your eyes have turned red from feverish lovemaking; even now, your thirst for her is visible in your eyes.
Hari! hari! (exclamations) Go away Madhava, go away Kesava, do not speak deceptive words,
Go to the woman who can take away all your sorrow.
(Break in recording)
Kumkum: This wearing of the veil is common in Bengal and Orissa. They pin it up on the shoulder or in the waistbelt or on the bangle. They do it in theatre and dance. Earlier we used to do this often; but now I find not many people use this.
TV_KM
Kumkum: Because clandestine meetings of lovers usually happen after dark, she comes with a lamp. She looks through through a latticed frame but cannot see him. He is nowhere in sight. She is now leaning on the door of the kutir and looking for him but he hasn't come; she goes off to sleep while holding on to the lintel. When she wakes up, she sees that it is the fourth and the last prahar of night. The moon has gone down but Krishna is not here yet.
Ranjana: The choreography contains a wealth of architectural detail, some of which took me back to my elementary art and architecture classes at university. 'Gabakshya', a beautiful mudra with the hands at right angles and the fingers splayed, is specific to Odissi. It is used here to depict the trellis through which Radha first peeks out as she waits for Krishna. Perhaps emboldened by her despondency, she moves to the door and looks out directly, holding on to the door for support and falling asleep before she awakes with a start.
Kumkum: Guruji plays the entry on the mardala and then comes on stage to dance with me. For this program, Shibu (Ratikanta Mohapatra, Guruji's son) was supposed to come too, but he changed his plans at the last minute. Bhubaneswar Mishra is strumming his violin in tala to provide the beat.
Kumkum: Radha hears Krishna come. The
morpankh (peacock feather) has fallen from its perch on his head. In its place, a woman's earrings dangle from his head. Krishna knows he is guilty and cowers, waiting for her next step. Radha then sees how his
natwari has been replaced by a woman's veil. She is immensely saddened. She burns with the agony of jealousy and anger.
Kumkum: He has been awake all night, she says; his red eyes prove that. Having stayed alert all night, he now finds it difficult to keep his eyes open. He rubs his eyes languorously and stretches lazily, trying to stay awake and keep his eyelids from droooping. Even now, she says, his eyes are bursting with love for that woman he has spent the night making love to. Hari, hari! She laments, even as she falls down in distress. Go away Madhava, Kesava, she implores angrily, please do not speak these crooked words to me.
Kumkum: Go to the other woman, she says sarcastically, but don't tell me all your lies.
Kumkum: Performed solo, this song requires constant shifts between the character of Radha and Krishna. Guruji's dancing presumes the presence of another person; that is probably something he draws from his theatre background.
Kumkum: Radha feels sorry for herself too. Why are you pleading with me, she says. Go quickly, go to that other woman, o lotus-eyed one. She waits for you, she waits with a garland in her heart. She has the power to end all your suffering.
Kumkum: Having said this, Radha turns to him, her body shaking with anger, her eyes full of tears. This ashtapadi really brings out a number of such emotions, especially with sringara rasa. Sringara rasa is a favourite in theatre and dance because it is one of the few multi-dimensional rasas.
I learnt this item from Guruji at Nritya Niketan. Nritya Niketan was that flat of Mr. Khosla's on Bhagat Singh road. We would dance in the hall and he lived in the other room. I probably learnt it in the late 1960s or early 1970s. At that time, Guruji took one week to complete one line of the ashtapadi. He explained every nuance of it so carefully.
Kajjala-malina-vilocana-cumbana-viracita-nilima-rupam
dasana-vasanam arunam tava krsna tanoti tanor anurupam
hari! hari! ...ma vada kaitava-vadam
Translation:
You have been kissing her collyrium-smeared eyes all night;
the red lips that clothe rows of teeth have been stained black, they now resemble the complexion of your body.
Hari! hari! (exclamations) Go away Madhava, go away Kesava, do not speak deceptive words...
Kumkum: As she averts her head, Radha realises that she has seen collyrium on Krishna's lips. She says to him - the
kajal you kissed so tenderly shines on your lips. The woman you kissed and embraced - her
kajal marks your lips as if the red lips that clothe your teeth have been subsumed by the blackness of the rest of your dark body.
Krishna quickly makes up a lie to explain the
kajal marks. He rubs it off with a cloth tied around his waist and then casts around for an answer till he comes up with the idea of telling her that his lips were stained by eating the
jamun fruit and not by the other woman's eyes.
Kumkum: Guruji drew this tale from folklore and it is not a part of Jayadeva's text.
Radha is again distressed and angered by his lies and turns away from him. Krishna tries to embrace her but she struggles to break his grasp and pushes him away.
Kumkum: I can see on your body the signs of love's war and the marks of sharp nails. It seems as if your victory in lovemaking has been inscribed in gold on a dark emerald stone. Again, Krishna looks for a plausible explanation to give. He tells Radha that he entered the dense forest to search for a
ketaki flower she could wear in her bun. All the thorns that pricked him in the process of getting that flower caused all the scratches. She is disgusted by his lies.
Vapur anuharati tava smara-sangara-khara-nakhara-ksata-rekham
marakata-shakala-kalita-kala-dhauta-liper iva rati-jaya-lekham
...ma vada kaitava-vadam
Translation:
Your dark body is marked with scratches from the sharp nails of that passionate woman,
almost as if she has inscribed a certificate of victory in lovemaking in golden letters upon a dark emerald.
Do not speak deceptive words...
yahi madhava yahi kesava ma vada kaitava-vadam
Go away Madhava, go away Kesava, do not speak deceptive words!
'
Ma vada kaitava-vadam' is repeated as Radha reaches the heights of agony, ending in a calmly anguished interaction with Krishna, where she implores him not to utter further untruths.
Kumkum: Krishna has lied to her without restraint and she cannot bear his deviant words any longer. Radha resists all attempts at reconciliation. I have made my heart strong and your words have no effect on me, she seems to say.
This has a longish sanchari but it is a very well thought-out composition. I taught this to my Japanese students. When I was teaching this, I would also take language classes because they had to learn the exact pronunciation of these words. That's how Asako (Takami) learnt to write Hindi.
Kumkum: This is actually a cajoling item. Krishna methodically tries to win Radha over
Krishna is genuinely repentant now. He had gone to the other woman, he admits, but Radha is the one he loves the most. My heart belongs to her, he says. I offer my crown to her.
Oh, beloved one, stop being indifferent towards me, he pleads. Don't enforce this unreasonable separation on me. My heart is aflame with the fire of love. Cupid's arrows pierce me from all sides, my body burns with this passion. Let me drink the nectar of your lotus face.
The raga changes suddenly. Despondent Krishna who had no answer to Radha's questions is now recovering and tries to placate Radha.
priye! charusheele! munca mayi manam anidanam
sapadi madananalo dahati mama manasam
dehi mukha-kamala-madhu-panam
Translation:
My beloved! My graceful one, forget this causeless aversion
while you sulk, the fire of amorous desire burns my heart,
allow me to drink the honey of your lotus face...
Kumkum: Were you to say even a few words, one could see the beauty of your teeth, which dazzle like moonlight. Their radiance could remove the deep darkness of the night, in my heart.
He describes the glow on her moonlike face, saying that his eyes are drawn to her face like the
chakora to the moon.
vadasi yadi kincid-api danta-ruci-kaumudi harati dara-timiram ati-ghoram
sphurad-adhara-sidhave tava vadana-candrama rocayati locana-cakoram
Translation:
If you speak to me, even a little, the shining moonbeams of your teeth will dispel the terrible darkness of fear within my heart.
Your moonlike face makes the chakora bird of my eyes anxious to drink the nectar of my lips.
Tvam asi mama bhusanam
tvam asi mama jivanam
tvam asi mama bhava-jaladhi-ratnam
bhavatu bhavatiha mayi satatam anurodhini
tatra mama hridayam ati-yatnam
Translation:
You are my only ornament
You are my very life
You are the jewel in the ocean of my existence.
Therefore, always remain favourably disposed towards me - my heart continually strives only for the sake of receiving your favour.
Kumkum: You are my ornament, you are my very life.
The sanchari implies the inseparable quality of their relationship. Krishna and Radha are as bound to each other as the creeper which circles a tree, as the fish in water, as the bee attracted to a lotus flower, as the wick which helps light a lamp. Krishna poses with his flute; the image of Krishna playing a flute owes its life to Radha's presence, he says.
Kumkum: Lakshmi is the pearl of the ocean, just as Radha is to Krishna. May you always be in my heart, inside my heart, he says. Lakshmi emerged from the ocean during the
sagara manthan, becoming the
ratna (gem) of the universe.
May you be here, within my heart, constantly, compliant to me. That is what my heart wants.
Kumkum: The effects of Cupid's poison have destroyed me. His arrows come flying at me and I burn with unfulfilled desire. Please end my suffering by placing your enchanting bud-like feet on my head, as an ornament.
Radha is shocked at Krishna's request. As he tells her that he will be freed from the fire of
kama if she complies with his request, she attempts to say that she could never allow the lord of the three worlds to place his head at her feet. Don't curse me thus, she pleads.
He gives her the peacock feather in his crown which she places back, as she wipes his tears. They make up at last. She falls at his feet.
smara-garala-khandanam mama sirasi mandanam
dehi pada-pallavam udaram
jwalati mayi daruno madana-kadanaanalo
haratu tad-upahita-vikaram
Translation:
The devastating effects of Cupid's poison will be alleviated when you place on my head, as an ornament,
your enchanting feet that resemble fresh buds.
The line '
dehi pada-pallavam udaram' is repeated as Krishna implores that he be allowed to place his head on Radha's feet as he asks for forgiveness. Moved by his anguish, she finally gives in and forgives him, bowing down to him.
The music changes as Radha and Krishna now celebrate their joyous reunion with a small sequence of steps performed together, going on to exit the stage together.
Kumkum: The tune used for the exit here is from another Oriya song.
Moksha
Guruji is back on stage, playing the mardala for moksha. All the music played seems to account for the long walk to the centre of the Noh stage, sometimes accommodating a few extra bars of music to cover the delay.
Immediately after completing the moksha, Kumkum comes back on stage and invites the musicians and Guruji to join her as they take a bow. A few women, barefooted, come up on stage to present bouquets to the performers. The applause does not cease and Kumkum and Guruji come back to take a second bow, even as the other performers leave, before they exit using the long walkway.
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