Jaikishore Mosalikanti’s thematic presentation was marked by well-choreographed sequences

The time and effort rasikas devote to watch a performance become worth it when the performance lives up to their expectation. One experienced that aesthetic delight while watching the group presentation ‘Triyambaam’ by Jaikishore Mosalikanti and his Shivamohanam school of Kuchipudi.

The show was conceptualised on the three aspects of dance — nritta, nritya and natya — and revolved around the theme of three goddesses, namely Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga. As the narratives related to each devi unfolded, what was constant was the rich tapestry of music and movement.

‘Ya kundendu tushara hara davala’, a traditional obeisance to the goddess of knowledge was followed by the popular Muthuswami Dikshitar kriti ‘Sri saraswati namostuthe’ in raga Arabhi. The simple choreography and synchronised dancing by four artistes highlighted the attributes of Saraswati.

The narrative moved on to ‘Sree udbhavam’, the story of Lakshmi and the emergence of the goddess from the ocean in the Ksheerasagara Manthana episode, culminating in the wedding of Lakshmi and Vishnu.

The Shivamohanam group   | Photo Credit: K. Pichumani

Jaikishore entered the storyline as narrator, but soon became mountain Mandara. When the snake was being pulled on either side to churn the ocean, Jaikishore’s corresponding circular movements enhanced the visual appeal of the episode. In the wedding sequence, vocalist Adithya Narayanan‘s singing and the depiction of the ritual were highly impressive. Lyrics for this were by Pappu Venugopala Rao and music was by Kuldeep Pai.

The understated manner in which the story of Durga and Mahishasura was depicted and the refrain of the lines ‘Jaya jaya durge’ was effective.

The highlight of a Kuchipudi recital is always the Tarangam, or dancing on a brass plate. Performed by a male and four female dancers, the Tarangam by Narayana Tirtha was choreographed with meaningful pauses and vigorous group and solo movements. A thillana in raga Brindavani composed by Ramesh and Jaikishore made for a pleasant finale.

The musical team’s contribution in this show was immense, marked by Sweta Prasad’s singing, Adithya‘s utterances of the jathis, B.P. Haribabu’s strokes on the mridangam, Easwar Ramakrishnan and B. Muthukumar’s melodious violin and flute, respectively. Padmavani Mosalikanti, Ala Venugopal, Vedya Spurti Konda, Sathwika Reddy, Lekshmi Raghunath and Srisammohana Mosalikanti brought alive the choreography with their dancing.