Acharya Parvati Kumar’ Abhinaya
Darpanam- A Treatise In Audi-Visual Form
(This article by Indu Raman was first published in SRUTI 91- April 1992
with contribution by Ram Aslesha)
Nandikeswara’a Abhinaya Darpana,
believed to have been written between the 10th and 13 C is a slim
volume of 324 shlokas in Sanskrit, which contains the essence of the scientific
technique of gestures and movements of dance which underlies Bharat Natyam. In
1917, the Harvard University Press published an English translation of the work
by Ananda Coomarswamy and Gopalkrishnayya Dusssirala called the Mirror of
Gestures. The translation (later republished in India by Munishram Manoharlal
Pvt Ltd) was based on a Devanagari transcript of the second Telugu edition of
Abhinaya Darpana published under the editor ship of Madabushi Thiruvenkatachari
of Needamangalam in 1887. The English translation made the legendary Nandikeswara’s
work accessible to a larger universe of readers. So did the later translation
of commentary of Manmohan Ghosh. But it is an old saying that a picture is
worth a thousand words. It is the truth of this saying that must have moved
Acharya Parvati Kumar of Bombay to attempt a visualisation of Abhinaya Darpana on
the stage once again on 27 February.
Acharya Parvati Kumar had the credentials
to undertake the challenging task. He studied Kathak, Kathakali and Bharata
Natyam and obtained a thorough grounding in these art forms. Between 1947 and
1965 he choreographed over 20 dance ballets including the very well received Rhythm of Culture, Dekh Teri Mumbai, Discovery
of India and Krishna Leela. He had also choreographed compositions for
children. In the event Bharata Natyam has becomes Parvati Kumar’s passion. In
1965 he founded the Thanjavur Nritya shala, an academy whose training programme
reflected his interest in teaching theory as well. He devoted himself to a
study of the Nirupanas composed by Serfoji II, the Maratha ruler of Thanjavur
and this resulted in his book Thanjavur
Nritya Prabhanda and the choreography of the dances based on the compositions
which were performed on the stage by his disciples. It was this bent for
research that led Parvati Kumar eventually to a study of various treatises.
Like Natya Sastra, Sangeeta Ratnakara and Abhinaya
Darpana. He was particularly keen to discover the textual basis of Bharata
Natyam. He recalled, “I reached the conclusion that the key text for Bharata Natyam
as it is practised today is Abhinaya Darpana. My findings are upheld by the
fact that many of the hand foot or standing poses I had learned were to be
found exactly in the same form in Abhinaya Darpana. It bolstered my belief that
Abhinaya Darpana alone qualifies as the text for Bharat Natyam.” Acharya Parvati Kumar faced many problems in
putting into practice his idea that the contents of Abhinaya Darpana should be
presented on the stage. He disclosed that since each of the 324 shlokas
contained in the work has a wealth of meaning. The effort needed to capture the
profundity of each shloka was like trying to gather the ocean in a tiny vessel.
He added, “Since my intention was
to bring to the lay person not merely the essence of each shloka but sometimes
also to suggest the depth and shades of its meaning. I found the traditional musical
setting restrictive.” With the help of Sumathi Parvati Kumar, his wife,
disciple and teaching partner, he therefore composed music most appropriate to
enhance the meaning of the shlokas. His objective was to present the highlights
of the treatise in a way that the impact of the audio-visual presentation will
be pleasing as well as instructive.
“In presenting the entire text,” Parvati
Kumar explained further, “Our attempt has been to attain perfection.” Yet he is
humble enough to volunteer that there could be other interpretations also. The
programme book produced in connection with the latest stage presentation which
took place in Bombay in February, had this concluding statement:
This dance composition of the Abhinaya Darpana by Acharya Parvati Kumar
is his personal interpretation according to his understanding of the text.
There could be other treatments also. The same text could be worked
upon and interpreted differently by others according to their needs and
techniques their area or province. This dance creation of Acharya Parvati Kumar
is only a beginning.
Acharyaji’s Abhinaya Darpanam was
first performed on the stage in 1986 in Delhi under the aegis of the Indian Council
of Cultural Relations and in Madras under the auspices of Sri Krishna Gana
Sabha. The recent staging in Bombay coming after a gap of six years, was the
third. It coincided with the Guru’s 72nd birthday. The dancer
presenting Acharya Parvati Kumar’s visualisation of the work on the stage on
all three occasions, was Sandhya Purecha (seen in all the accompanying
photographs). A student of folk dance at first, she later learnt Bharata Natyam
under Acharya Parvati Kumar while simultaneously studying Sanskrit and earning
an M. A. degree from the University of Bombay. She participated in the research
work carried out by her Guru. That actually led to the creation of the stage
presentation of the Abhinaya Darpana. Today, besides pursuing a career as
Bharata Natyam Artiste, she also teaches young children. The credit for the
success of the stage version of belongs as much to the disciple as to the Guru.
P. S. Bombay is now Mumbai and Madras is Chennai.
