Thataka the Princess of Sahayadri

I had a chance to have a visual treat yesterday at Mahadeva Gramam,a dance programme by Anveshi Mohento an Assami dancer of Satri dance form and Srilaxmi Govardhan a Kuchupudi artist.It was even satisfying that I  did not have a chance to have a close association with some serious arts for a long time.They prsesnted the Nritya Shilpam of the Poem by Vayalar,”Thadaka”.”Thadaka” is an interpretation of Ramayana.In Ramayana “Thadaka” was portrayed as a demon.But in this poem she is a Beautifull Dravida princess.In the poem there is a politics between Arya and Dravidian culture.Rama a young prince of fourteen year old falls in love with Thadaka,owerwhelmed by her beauty,charm,elegance and above all her womenhood qualities. She too falls in love with young Rama and she doesn’t hide her affection towards Rama.Rama represents Arya Vamsa and Thadaka that of Dravidian culture.But Vishwamitra points at Thataka and directs Rama to Kill Thataka who according to Vishwamitra is the couse for the recent damage to Aryans.Rama is put in dilema, in the end he was forced to Kill Thadaka with an arrow.The similar incidents were quoted such as the Mahabali and Vamana,Parasurama killing his mother for the sake of Aryans.

Anveshi Mohento played the role of Rama,and Sri Laxmi that of beautiful Thataka.The dignified  assemblance where overwhelmed by the presentation accompanied by Kerala background instruments such as Mizhavu,Pullamkuzhal,Idakka.The Name samanvayanritya was fit for the dance because it was a combination of Satri of North East,Kuchupudi for south Indian and the cores’ used bharatha natyam and Mohini Attam.Further Rama originally hail from  North India and adopted satri art.SriLaxmi,played Thataka who belonged to Sahyadri area in south India  adopted Kuchipudi.The essence of the presentation could be followed by people like me because of the brief presentation by Sri Laxmi Goswami in the beginning of the show.

Holiday , time off from IPL and serials and comedy shows,might have brought some rething in the people to have such enjoyments frequently. The presentation was a research into the possibilities of mixing various art forms and politics in the poem Thataka.As for sure life in itself is a research into the truth without which mankind will not have reached the stage which it is now and without which it will not survive anymore.