Bharata Natyam Expanding Horizons- A Unique Presentation of the Great Epic Sri Ram Charit Manas

This unique book, presents the story of Ramayana in glimpses chosen from Goswami Tulsidas's Sri Ram Charit Manas, through colour photographs of Nritta and Abhinaya in Bharata Natyam style. The scenes of the story through pictures have been depicted through striking rythmic patterns of footwork, ornamental hand gestures, facial expressions and body postures.

The colour photographs are often episodes narrating the story of Ramayana in all its essentials, the presentation of which on a stage, would take about 2½ hours. The episodes are of different durations and have different Tala and Raga patterns.

The verses used have been carefully selected from various Kandas and structured into songs that could be fitted into the format of items in a Bharata Natyam recital in proper sequence and also to carry forward the story with each episode. Original Verses of Sri Ram Charit Manas in Awadhi have been included in the book along with transliterations and translations in English.

The story of Ramayana in Bharata Natyam style moves on different formats and patterns such as Pushpanjali, Jatiswaram, Sabdam, Varnam, Padam, Tillana and ends with Mangalam.

The book is an immensely useful treasure for all connoisseurs of dance and professionals alike.

KOMALA VARADAN is a unique personality who has attained eminence simultaneously in the diverse fields of Bharata Natyam, Painting, Writing and Photography. Every sphere of her activity is marked by originality and creativity Films Division, Government of India has recently released a Documentary on her titled "A VERSATILE ARTISTE KOMALA VARADAN." As a dancer her innovative efforts resulted in her choreographing in the Bharata Natyam idiom, rare pieces from ancient literature and the classics. Notable among her choreographic compositions are the rendering of Panchali Sabadam of Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati, mono ballets on the Buddha theme and the presentation of Sri Ram Charit Manas of Tulsidas as a full-fledged, solo Bharata Natyam recital, by combining North Indian poetry and a South Indian dance style. This has won her acclaim all over the country. This was serialised and telecast, in the National Network, by Doordarshan. Government of Tamil Nadu conferred on her, the KALAIMAMANI title for dance, Karnataka Government gave her, the RAJYOTSAVA AWARD for dance, and she received the SAHITYA KALA PARISHAD SAMMAN in Delhi for multifaceted excellence. She has won several other titles and awards.

Bharata Natyam which is practised largely in South India is one of the major and perhaps the most popular of classical dance styles of India.

The various classical dance styles of India generally trace their origin to Natyasastram, an extensive work on drama, dance and allied arts written about 2.000 years ago by Bharata Munt. The Interaction of regional influences has given each style a distinct identity and thus Bharata Natyam, Kathakalt. Kathak, Manipurt, Odisst. Kuchipudt, and more recently Mohini Attam, have each developed into a major style over the years. How does one distinguish between them? This can be explained by a simile. Mango is called the king of fruits in India. There are many varieties of mangoes. One who is familiar can eastly distinguish the different varieties of mangoes. Similarly, though the basic factors that underline the different classical dance styles are the same, a knowledgeable person can easily distinguish the different styles, because they are distinct in technique, sequence of movements, manner of presentation, costume etc. By technique alone the style is eastly discernible to the familiar eye.

**Contents and Sample Pages**