Bringing their brand of Bharatanatyam back home
Mohanapriyan Thavarajah (above and below): From Batticaloa to the world stage
Celebrated as one of the youngest male Bharatanatyam dancers in the world, it will be a poignant homecoming for Batticaloa-born Mohanapriyan Thavarajah whose love for dance emerged while schooling at St. Michael’s College though he never saw it as his future career at the time.
This April, Sri Lankan audiences will have the chance to see this 33-year-old perform on our very own stage when he stars in the internationally acclaimed production of ‘Parama Padam’ by Singapore’s Apsaras Arts Company at the Lionel Wendt theatre on April 2 and 3.
He will be joined by another Sri Lankan who has gone places with Bharatanatyam. Aravinth Kumarasamy, Apsaras’ Artistic Director who too started out as a Bharatanatyam performer speaking to the Sunday Times recalls the many productions presented at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre as one of the catalysts of his passion. Colombo-born, Aravinth schooled at D.S. Senanayake College, and performed widely in Sri Lanka including at the launch of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation in 1982 and the opening of the first World Hindu Conference at the BMICH the same year. He wears many hats now as a choreographer, composer, musician, producer and more and has established a significant presence in Singapore.
Having taken their productions across the globe, they both return to their homeland to bring this evocative solo Bharatanatyam performance which centres on the themes of vice and virtue to Lankan audiences.
Parama Padam which originated in India as a board game was popularised worldwide by the British as the commonly known Snakes and Ladders. The game was created not only to entertain but also as a way to help instil moral values in players through a lighter approach. In it, to reach the end is to reach ‘moksha’ or enlightenment. The illustrations of ladders represent virtues while snakes indicate vices which distract and prevent the player from reaching the ultimate goal of Vaikuntha or heaven.
“Bharatanatyam is performed in praise of God but in this current era it has evolved to speak about social issues, architecture and so on; it became a language anyone could express any intended message they wanted to share with the audience,” says Mohanapriyan. Apsaras Arts which is renowned for imaginative productions have conceptualised performances based on themes ranging from the plight of refugees to bringing selected works of paintings to life through dance. In this their latest production, the company explores the journey of life with emphasis on the impact of morality and corruption.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mohanpriyan talked of his journey with dance. Despite his parents’ initial wishes for him to follow a career in Medicine, his passion never deviated from dance and he went on to pursue his higher education in India where he studied the ancient art form and received both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Bharatanatyam from Bharathidasan University and a Master’s of Philosophy in Bharatanatyam from the Tanjore Tamil University.
Before long his dance capabilities as well as his proficiency in choreography gained the attention of the Singapore-based Apsaras Arts Dance Company, which he would join in 2012 going on to become a principal dancer for the company.
Aravinth who became an integral part of Apsaras Arts in 2005 as its Artistic Director has received international praise for his productions and is the recipient of several awards. The National Arts Council of Singapore gave him Singapore’s Young Artiste Award in 1999 and he has also received India’s ‘Arya Bhatta Award’ in 2016 and from Singapore’s Indian Fine Arts Society the prestigious ‘Kala Ratna’ award in 2019. He is on the advisory board of the National Arts Council of Singapore.
Artistic Director Aravinth Kumarasamy
To simulate the conditions of a game in play, Mohanapriyan will remain on stage for the entire 60 minute production, journeying through each tile to the final and 100th one without any intervals. With minimal set design, the visuals of Parama Padam come through intricate light design where the tiles of the board are presented through illumination. The light designer acts as an unseen supporting performer of the show, following Mohanapriyan’s movements precisely and framing him with captivating lighting throughout, Aravinth explains.
The production’s costume design also adds to the richness of the performance as Mohanapriyan’s clothing displays themes of the story. His traditional saree is illustrated with drawings of serpents and eagles, often depicted in South-East Asian culture challenging one another to symbolise the battle against vices. The music used in Parama Padam contains lyrics from several Indian languages such as Marathi and Telugu amalgamating interesting works of Indian poets written in the 15th and 16th century. English subtitles will also be projected during the performance to enhance the audience’s experience.
The conclusion of the story will relay the profound message that heaven is not a place to reach but is instead a state of mind that everyone seeks by embracing good virtues and morals in life. Mohanapriyan is especially hopeful that the message of Parama Padam will resonate with the younger generation in particular stating that he wants to convey how pure Bharatanatyam can transcend and transform our culture and knowledge.
Paarama Padam premiered in January 2019 in Singapore with plans to tour Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Sri Lanka. Following mass cancellations owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the production was eventually presented in France across eight cities. On taking Parama Padam around the world, Aravinth remarked at the outpouring of positive reactions and reviews and recalled how they would routinely perform sold out shows in France with an audience of 400-600.
Their show is just one part of their return to Sri Lanka as they plan to conduct workshops at the Universities of Jaffna, Batticaloa and Colombo for students of dance along with award-winning lighting designer and visual artist, Gyandev Singh.
The duo shares that Apsaras Arts’ most loyal supporters are made up of Indian audiences who have immense respect for their highly researched productions. “We are interestingly a brand name in India and are very proud to say that two Sri Lankans are ruling the Bharatanatyam world in a way in the birthplace of the art form in Chennai,” says Aravinth.
“I think for us coming to Sri Lanka is coming home – we still live as Sri Lankans even though we are in Singapore. More than performing it is about sharing our art.”
Parama Padam will be presented at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre on April 2 and 3. Tickets are priced at Rs.5000, Rs.3500, Rs.2500 and Rs.1000.
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