KOZHIKODE: As a disciple of nearly 40 years, he could not give a better tribute to his late Guru and Kottakkal Sasidharan, through his ‘Bharatham’, brought to stage the bonding that he shared with danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai.
At ‘Smarananjali’, an evening that was organised to share the memories of the great dancer, at K P Kesava Menon hall on Tuesday, writers, artists and people from all walks of life took part.
Sasidharan staged ‘Krishna Katha’ (story of Krishna) in a modernised version of Kathakali, titled ‘Bharatham’. In a 32-minute performance he explained from Krishna’s birth, his shift to Ambadi, Balaleela, Govardhanodharanam, Poothanamoksham, Kamsavadham, Kaliyamardhanam, Rasakreeda, Gopikavasthrapaharanam, Droupadeevasthradharanam, Bhagavat Geeta, Kurukshetrayudham, Dussasanavadham and Droupathee sathyasamrakshanam.
“She (Mrinalini), whom I used to address as Amma (mother), loved the stories of Krishna and she had given me freedom to perform as an independent artist, always encouraging me. I developed ‘Bharatham’ a deviation from the traditional kathakali and incorporated other dance forms into it. Normally, a Kathakali costume costs around one and a half lakh and it’s a poor man’s rich art. So I simplified it into the current form,” said Sasidharan.
Poet Alankode Leelakrishnan gave the keynote address. Writer Khadija Mumtaz, Dr Jayaram, lawyers T. P. Ramachandran and K K Abdul Salam also spoke at the event.