Dancing on MS Subbulaksmi’s life

I have always held affection and respect for the wonderful Bharatanatyam artist, Lakshmi Vishwanathan. She has been described as a ‘poetic dancer’, and a ‘dancer’s dancer’. An artiste who never dilutes classicism, Lakshmi is a creative dancer who represents the essence of the Tanjavur tradition of Bharatanatyam noted for its grace, excellent technique, lyricism and expressive Abhinaya.

She offered a unique performance, being the dancer that she is, on the occasion of the launch of the new edition of Kunjamma: Ode to a Nightingale (2016), on the centenary birth anniversary of the Carnatic legend, Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi.

Through movement, words and music, Lakshmi brought to life the journey of M.S. Subbulakshmi from childhood when ‘Kunjamma’, as she was fondly called, learnt to play the veena from her mother and sang in the temples of Madurai. It was a delight to experience the multi-dimensional aspects of Lakshmi’s personality as she personified M.S. singing her first recorded song. Her accompanying musicians, led by vocalist Shubashri Ramachandran rendered more classic songs interspersed with the portrayal of this amazing icon of music.

What made this evening particularly unique was its framing within the parameters of a book launch. Lakshmi Vishwanathan authored the book and then basically performed it for us! I have been to memorable book releases by Pramod Kapoor’s Roli Books, but snippets of book reading and discussion were completely absent as Lakshmi enthralled the audience with the Subbulakshmi she knew so intimately.

We discovered that Lakshmi’s uncle was the first film producer who cast M.S. as a teenager. Lakshmi grew up in close proximity to the legendary singer as her mother was a close friend and M.S. referred to her as “daughter”. We saw the graciousness and charm of Subbulakshmi as she was wooed and won by her remarkable husband and that she learnt Bharatanatyam for a short time from Vazhuvar Ramiah Pillai, the most sought after Bharatnatyam guru in Madras.

As the performance unfolded, we saw the challenge of young woman becoming the incarnation of the popular vision of saint-poet Meera and the need to learn Hindi and Braj Bhasa to do so. Lakshmi communicated the wonderful partnership of Subbulakshmi with her husband who urged her on to greater heights in the field of classical music, at that time primarily a male bastion. The initial foray into films was experienced as an unexpected add-on to her appeal in concerts. Hard work, courage and immense talent carried her from Madurai to Chennai and decades as the Queen of Music.

I am trying to stay focused on Lakshmi’s performance of Subbulakshmi’s life, as I am writing for the dance and not book page, but the performance intertwined the performer and performed, Lakshmi the dancer and Lakshmi the author with her interpretation and scholarship on the legend she brought to life for us. Lakshmi brought out every aspect of M.S.’s glorious career, be it her mastery of the classical tradition or her unforgettable screen performances.

We know of M.S.’s immortal bhajans, sung in virtually every Indian language with singular devotion, but here we felt a young woman’s process of development as Lakshmi’s impressive bhava unpeeled the onion of a great artist.

Lakshmi Vishanathan was historically placed to have a personal perspective and access to this story. The fact that she has mastered a vast traditional Bharatanatyam repertoire, created her own solo and dance-theater choreography and productions alongside scholarship and erudition, made it possible for me to experience M.S. Subbulaksmi’s life as dance-theater.

I do hope this remarkable performance, will be repeated elsewhere as it deserves to be shared to audiences around India.

— Sharon Lowen is a respected exponent of Odissi, Manipuri and Mayurbhanj and Seraikella Chau whose four-decade career in India was preceded by 17 years of modern dance and ballet in the US and an MA in dance from the University of Michigan. She can be contacted at sharonlowen.workshop@gmail.com