Jaya Jaya Devi, featuring Lalgudi Jayaraman’s memorable score, returns

The year was 1994, and the arts fraternity was abuzz with excitement over a dance production that toured the U.S. and Canada, staging 23 full-house shows. The talking point was its music score, composed by violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman, and the choreography by Rhadha, a scion of the Vazhuvoor bani. Titled ‘Jaya Jaya Devi’, the production was commissioned by V.V. Sundaram and premiered at the Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana in 1994.

Recalling how their father, Lalgudi Jayaraman, composed the music for this iconic production in just six months, Lalgudi Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi say: “Though he had composed many thillanas that have become a part of the Bharatanatyam repertoire, this was the first time he was composing for an isai natya nadakam. He not only composed the music but also wrote the lyrics. The theme, research and script were by scholar Sujatha Vijayaraghavan, who would have regular discussions with appa over the narrative and storytelling.”

Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi have now revived ‘Jaya Jaya Devi’ with the aim of introducing this pioneering work to a younger generation of dancers and audiences. Presented by the Lalgudi Trust, it will be staged at Narada Gana Sabha on September 19 (6 p.m.).

“It was a labour of love for everyone involved. There were no ego clashes, the camaraderie between my father and guru Rhadha was such that she could suggest changes to the music to suit her choreography and appa would readily accommodate them. He would also frequently attend rehearsals to see how his music was visualised. The wholehearted involvement of the orchestra and dancers further enriched the creative process,” says Krishnan.

Vocalist S.P. Ramh, a disciple of Lalgudi Jayaraman, was not only the lead male voice but also the one who notated the compositions. “It was a gurukulavasam for me, where I learnt the nuances of music-making. I witnessed how the two artistes continuously refined their work at every stage. It was an amazing experience to sing live for all the 23 performances alongside Sumitra Nitin,” he recalls.

The production stood out for its many innovative elements. Reflecting on them, Vijayalakshmi says, “For instance, in the sequence on Spring and Manmadha, appa used tanam in raga Vasantha to evoke the mood. A lot of thought went into each segment. For the episode on Durga, Sindhubhairavi was the main raga, but to portray the goddess’s many facets, ragas such as Mohanakalyani, Chenchurutti and Behag were woven through grahabhedam. The entire segment was set to swara passages. His contrasting use of musical phrases to depict tandava and lasya in the Nalinakanthi thillana was widely applauded.”

Hyma Ramakrishna, who designed the costumes in the original, recreates them for the upcoming performance as well. A new set of young dancers — Divya Nayar, Sumithra Subramaniam, Nideesh Kumar, Varsha Rajkumar, Sundaresan Pandurangan, Satvika Shankar, Smrithika, Shruthipriya Vignesh and Tanish Karthik are playing the roles performed earlier by artistes who are now established names in the field. Raksha Raghavan and Shruthi Vidyashankar are the narrators. Linking the two presentations is P.C. Ramakrishna, who returns in the role of Nandideva.

Unlike the original, which had a live orchestra, the revival will be performed to recorded music, put together at Resound India, featuring vocalists R.P. Shravan, Sunil Gargyan, Krithika Arvind and Janani Hamsini. Nattuvangam is by Jayashree Ramanathan. The music team comprises Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi on the violin, Sai Shravanam on the tabla, Sruti Sagar on the flute, Karthikeyan Ramanathan on the mridangam, Ganapathy on the chendai and urmi and Rajagopal on the morsing and udukkai.

Rhadha, who has retained the original choreography, has trained the dancers for the revived version too. Speaking about the differences between then and now, she says, the biggest challenge today is the paucity of time, with most dancers juggling multiple commitments. Yet, their involvement and enthusiasm are commendable.”

‘Jaya Jaya Devi’ holds a special place in Rhadha’s heart, as it brought her recognition. “Choreographing for the maestro’s musical score remains the high point of my artistic journey.”

For those who watched it three decades ago, the revival promises a trip down memory lane, but for first-time viewers, it offers a refreshing experience.

The event is open to all. For details visit the link: https://kynhood.com/event/6a6dc85d5b63cc1001732b62.