By V.V. RAMANI

The sounds of speeding cars and bikes and the blaring horns of trucks on the ECR towards Pondicherry begin to fade as you turn off at Panaiyur. A strong breeze, the rustle of leaves, and the chirping of birds take over, leading you past vast orchards of mango trees. Nestled among these lush groves is a signpost reading ‘Sakhi’, and as you draw closer, the rhythmic sounds of dancing feet reach your ears. Sakhi is an artistic retreat conceptualised and developed by the young dancing couple, Parvathi Menon and Shijith Nambiar.

A small, quaint cottage on one side and a large performance space Koothambalam, nestled under mango trees all around, brings a feeling of tranquil bliss. “Having studied at Kalakshetra, we started missing that ambience once we moved out of those portals to pursue our artistic journey. Driving down to Pondicherry often, we looked for spaces and suddenly we came across this beautiful land filled with mango trees and instinctively felt this was our dream space. After building a small cottage, we set down to create a huge Koothambalam—a performance space, a place that would reverberate with rhythm and movement. The fruition of our wishes has now taken shape as this dream space - ‘Sakhi’.” says the duo.

The beautiful large Koothambalam, with a stage, platforms on three sides encompassing a large performative space, pillars, tiled roof, Kerala stone lamps provide the right ambience for performances. This was sanctified by celebrating Navratri with a series of rituals and performances by celebrated artists. “We wanted to nurture this space, so we came up with the idea of an immersive workshop series, Sambhashana, where young dancers could gain knowledge through interactions with senior artists,” they share. After three sessions, the most recent fourth edition proved to be an enriching experience not only for the young dancers but also for the veteran artists. 

Shijith and Parvathy had meticulously planned this series to give a complete exposure to the participating dance students, to learn, understand and also interact with artists in a holistic manner. Besides the couple taking the morning sessions on adavus and allied physical regimentation, the immersive five-day sessions, had three celebrated artists, Swapnadundari, Kapila Venu and Rama Vaidyanathan, sharing their knowledge, expertise and experience, with 40 young dancers, across sessions spanning four days.

Abhyasa kalari - basic dance regimentation and Anweshana kalari - exploration of choreography and its creative process, handled by Parvathy and Shijith, were the sessions with which each morning began. This intensive initiated the young dancers to get into the groove each day to assimilate all that was to follow.

The next two morning sessions by Kapila Venu titled Nataka kalari- characterisation in dance, focused on the characterisation of Soorpanaka. Kapila began the sessions with basic exercises for facial communication. The rotating of the eyes, shifting gaze from left to right, movement of the head and so on. She went on to explain how characters are developed through stances and body movements, the variations in posture during the transformation from a fierce rakshasi form to that of a gentle woman, and the importance of thought processes — using imaginative ideas to narrate the story in an engaging way. A complete gamut of characterisation process was taught. In normal course, dancers would sail through the basics with ease, but the extremely slow pace at which it had to be done, not only proved to be a challenge for the youngsters, but was an enriching experience to understand the importance of kalapramanam in performing. Mizhavu artist Hariharan embellished the ideations with his soundscape.

Combining two verses from Bhartrhari’s Vairagya Satakam and Sringara Satakam, Rama Vaidyanathan guided the dancers through the creative process of choreographing a composition in a methodical manner, starting from understanding the lyrics to the context and emotions embedded in them. She began by teaching them the stances, moving on to the continuation process of integrating it into a complete movement vocabulary. She made them understand the ideas, how they can be interpreted and expressed over the sessions spanning two afternoons. It was interesting to see how the dancers, initially a little stilted and self-conscious, gradually blossomed, and by the end it was a delight to watch them perform in unison with such engrossing energy.

Having an artist like Swapnadundari to handle abhinaya kalari, proved to be the icing on the cake for the young dancers. Swapna gave them pointers and steps to follow for exploration of abhinaya, the possibilities of imaginative expressions. Her small demonstration of the padam Indendu Vachituvira in Surati raga gave an insight into abhinaya. Her deep quest for knowledge led her to seek out traditional kalavanthulu artists, learning their art practices and immersing herself in their cultural milieu. The process of relearning and readapting was both enlightening and humbling, as reflected in her demonstration of how the foot should be stamped — a technique essential for safeguarding a dancer’s physical well-being.

The enriching knowledge of abhinaya that the students gained found culmination in the evening with Abhivyakta Kalari—a performance by Swapnadundari. Accompanied by Anantashree on vocal and Anil Kumar on the mridangam, she transported the viewers on to an exalted state of sublime experience with three compositions. For the young learners, it was an absolute intensive masterclass in learning the nuances of abhinaya.

The exciting learning sessions for the dancers, concluded with a trip to the Chidambaram temple—the abode of the Lord of dance, Nataraja. The guided tour with historian Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan sharing insights into its history, architecture and scriptures was an added bonus. 

Each participant returned with a truly fulfilling experience — completely shut off from routine distractions, breathing in the fresh air of the retreat, enjoying delicious homely food, and sharing a sense of camaraderie where young minds could interact with fellow artists from different parts of the world. This immersive experience is what makes Sambhashana an event for young dancers to look forward to. The initial thoughts of stepping out to undertake a long journey from the comforts of home in the city, does come as a deterrent for many. But once you take the first step and move on, the experience of that space rejuvenates tired bodies and minds. It will take a while for people to make that effort, but Shijith and Parvathy should continue to nurture the beautiful space they dreamt of with the comforting thought that many renowned institutions and artistic spaces across the country, began with such a dream.

(The author is a freelance critic and an artist by profession)

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