A Bharatanatyam recital that will bring to life Bharathiyar’s evergreen poems

Gayatri, who has choreographed the show, says, “Bharathiyar’s poems are evergreen and have the same value over different time periods. In Oli Padaittha Kanninai (title of the upcoming show) I’ll not be focusing on patriotism that he spoke about alone but focus on different topics.” Sequentially, here are the acts the audience will get to witness at the event:

Deivam: Without faith in God, nothing is possible said Bharathiyar. This act will depict devotion and trust in the Almighty. Desam: We need to stand together to protect and give back to our country, narrated the poet, which Gayatri’s disciples will depict through dance. Iyarkai: Moving on, the next scene will depict that nature and god are one and the same through the poem ‘kakai siraginile’. 

Vilayattu: This speaks of the morals that a little child must learn to grow up with to be a well-rounded, disciplined individual. “The kids will even be enacting some olden day games on stage to show how playing is required to gain a sportive spirit to face defeat — this quality in children is sadly being snatched away by technology and gadgets today. I will also address child sexual abuse and teach kids not to be scared of their enemies,” she adds.

Three more acts titled Achamillai, Urudhi and Kadhal will ensue. Gayatri elaborates about the third — “Today we’re talking about man and woman being equal but in 1930s, Bharathiyar wrote that if man is the eye, woman is the eyeball so they are indeed equals. Mithun Shyam, a dance teacher from Bengaluru and I’ll be performing this duet that shows how a husband and wife should be comrades and share roles and responsibilities equally to live a beautiful, balanced life.”

The thillana or climax act is called Oli Padaittha Kanninai, which urges the future generations to be enlightened with knowledge and values that will help alleviate darkness in society like the rising sun. 

On the whole, this visual spectacle of dance and music will be performed by 47 students from ages eight upwards, for which the music is composed by TK Padmanabhan. The show is on November 23, 6 to 8.30 pm at Narada Gana Sabha, TTK Road.