On Saturday evening when four generations of Bharati Shivaji’s family – her mother K. Sankari, daughter Vijayalakshmi, grand daughter Nayantara and herself – presented Samskara, an evening of Mohiniattam, at the India Habitat Centre, they achieved a first of sorts. For rarely have four generations of Indian classical artistes got together on the same platform, and that too for a dance form that has never got its due, overshadowed as it is by the more popular Bharatanatyam and Koodiyattam.
“I realise that I am being a little ambitious,” says Shivaji, “but the reason I took my grand daughter is to set an example for the youngsters today. Most of them are caught up in the western dance and music scenario, but when they will see a 10-year-old dancing on stage, I hope they will get some inspiration.”
The highlight of the evening was Andal Thirupavai, a devotional hymn from the 8th century post-Sangam era in classical Tamil (from which Malayalam later evolved as a regional variation), sung by K. Sankari, who is a renowned Carnatic vocalist, and specially choreographed by Shivaji for the occasion and attempted for the first time in Mohiniattam.
"This theme of the hymn is such that there is a lot of scope for choreography and abhinaya, which is the hallmark of Mohiniattam,” says Shivaji, who has made it her mission to revive this dance form from Kerala, even though she is a Tamilian brought up in Bihar.
What gives her hope is the fact that her daughter-disciple Vijayalakshmi is continuing with the tradition. “Probably her interpretations will be different than mine, but the tradition will continue as I have taken great pains to revive it. Not many people have even seen it and it is important that Mohiniattam is performed more often for it to become popular. It has a great future,” she says.
And if the enthusiasm of little Nayantara, as she goes about adorning herself for the performance, is anything to go by, there is little doubt about it.