Adapting Narayana Guru’s verses to Bharatanatyam

Shobhit Ramesh’s sense of timing and confidence came through in his performance.
| Photo Credit: SRINATH M

The initial reaction when you see Kalavaahini Junior Scholarship awardee, Shobhit Ramesh issurprise. Though Shobhit is young, he has graceful, clean lines, a keen sense of timing, good finishes, and a confident stage presence. That Malavika Sarukkai chose to mentor him in choreography makes perfect sense.

Shobhit has been dancing for almost two decades and is currently training with Mavin Khoo, Parshwanath Upadhye, Shruti Gopal and P.V. Aditya. He presented the works of Narayana Guru, the 19th-century social reformer from Kerala.

Shobhit Ramesh performing for Kalavaahini festival.
| Photo Credit:
SRIN ATH M

Shobhit opened with verses from ‘Vinayakaashtakam’ in ragamalika, Khanda Chapu tala.

The Thanjavur Quartet’s Bhairavi jatiswaram in Misra Chapu, visualised by U.S. Krishna Rao, was taught to Shobhit by Mavin Khoo. It came together beautifully in terms of dance, and the music, sung by Mithun Madhusudanan with violin by Easwar Ramakrishnan, nattuvangam by Richa Das and mridangam by Guru Bharadwaj. It was quite long and strenuous, but Shobhit proved his mettle here, retaining his energy till the end. The clean nritta was impressive.

Shobhit Ramesh.
| Photo Credit:
SRINATH M

His piece de resistance was ‘Kali natakam’, where Narayana Guru speaks of the goddess, It is an adoration and a eulogy to her changing fierce and benign states. The contrasts were emphasised in Shobhit’s visualisation as he brought Kaali and the bhakta alive. While there was sincerity, the clarity of thought needs refining. The enjoyable music was adapted from R.K. Shriramkumar’s Yamunakalyani piece in Khanda Chapu tala. The refrain created from the poem of ‘Kalichum pulachum’ was especially beautiful.