It was not the normal Bharatnatyam performance starting with the Ganeshotsam and ending with the Tillana, rather the recital aimed at reviving the Abhinaya Darpan.
A classical dance performance by Sandhya Purecha and Puja Bhalerao looked to bring the youth into the fold
An early Sunday morning witnessed a sublime Bharatnatyam dance recital by Dr Sandhya Purecha and her students, at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Dadar. It was not the normal Bharatnatyam performance starting with the Ganeshotsam and ending with the Tillana, rather the recital aimed at reviving the Abhinaya Darpan.
The dances were performed to the shlokas of the Abhinaya Darpan, which is considered the key text for Bharatnatyam. The Abhinaya Darpan, is claimed to have been authored by Nandikeshwar (considered an incarnation of Lord Shiva) and explains the gesticulations (hastas) used to denote the different things or people, in dance. The dances on the shlokas were performed by Sandhya Purecha and Puja Bhalerao.
Purecha has been performing the shlokas of the Abhinaya Darpam since 1982. Ask her how her journey began and she says, “My guruji Acharya Parvati Kumar felt the need to know the root of the movements used in dance. He started reading different texts like the Natya Shastra, Sangita Darpan and the Abhinaya Darpan, and he reached the conclusion that the Abhinaya Darpan is the text for Bharatnatyam.”
The dance recital, which lasted two hours, saw a variety of performances including Chhau, Kuchipudi and contemporary Bharatnatyam. Chhau dance is a form of tribal martial dance, which originated in Orissa, and on this occasion was performed by Sashadhar Acharya. The Kuchipudi was performed by Bijaj Haria. In a Bharatnatyam dance performance the inclusion of Chhau and Kuchipudi may seem a tad novel, but Sandhya explains: “We wanted to demonstrate the application of the Abhinaya Darpan in different dances, apart from Bharatnatyam”
There was another unusual element, contemporary Bharatnatyam. The dance, which used Bharatnatyam postures and hand and foot movements, looked different due to the use of different music and costumes. “This type of dance attracts the younger generation. Actually, it has nothing non-classical in it,” says Purecha.
The music for the Abhinaya Darpan shlokas was composed by Acharya Parvati Kumar and Sumati Parvati Kumar, and the choreography of the shlokas was done by Purecha. The performance on the shlokas elicited the use of different hastas to denote different gods, castes, relationships etc.
The event also saw the book launch of the translated versions of the Sangita Darpan. This text, which originated in the 14th Century, was translated into English and Marathi by Purecha.
The performance received a good response and will soon be taken to Gujarat, Chennai and other parts of the country.
s_surekha@dnaindia.nets 
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