Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Ashtanayika


Our shastras talk about the female protagonist in great length and depth. Based on the emotions of her love life, a Nayika or the Heroine is categorised in eight stages. The different phases that she experiences and her responses towards them are depicted in various romantic dispositions called as the Ashtanayika. Jai Deva's Geet Govinda talks beautiful about the Ashtanaikas. I haven't yet read it but i had a chance to attend a workshop on the Ashtanayikas conducted by my dear teacher. She mesmerised me with her expressions of each Nayika as always. After a detailed session we were given a couple of verses from the Geet Govinda. Our assignment was to identify which Nayika was depicted in the given verses. There after we were to pick up one verse of our choice and weave a set up around it. To give you a brief of the Ashtanayika, here they are:

Abhisarika The Bold One
Kalahantarika The Repentant
Khandita The Annoyed One
Proshitapathika The One with Longing
Swadheenapathika The Apple of her Lover's Eye
Vasakasajjika The Expectant
Virahotkantita The Separated One
Vipralabda The Disappointed


I found this beautiful verse and wove a set up around it. It is the verse depicting the Abhisarika.


Having made love, diamond ornaments
Strewn here and there
She smiles her pleasure
Teeth sparkling like a row of pearls
Arm raised to cheek in shy passion
Now she draws her sari
Modestly around herself
Now she turns away, letting it fall
A sidelong glance in her smile concealed.
A master of her art,
She has the upper hand
On her intoxicated lover.



A Jali Style gorgeous wooden bed in the middle of the room covered with dark satin sheets - all crumpled - pillow cushions with ethnic covers lying on the floor - Two beautiful glass lamps, one standing tall on her side of the bed and the other one fallen at his side of the bed, luminating soft yellow light - A simple yet elegant mirror adoring the side wall of the room - A bottle of wine and a glass lying on the mahagony table at his bed side, the bottle half empty and the glass half full.

She swiftly slides out of the bed - He catches her wrist - She twitches - He lets go - Her ornaments in disarray - One earing dangling on her ear and the other one caught in her beautiful long black locks - Her necklace sparkling all by itself by one of the legs of the bed - He playing with her bangles - Her payals thrown on the floor.

The ceiling made of glass - the moon light tearing in - perfectly highlighting her cheek bones - Her radiating face is mesmerising - He is truly enchanted - His eyes begging her not to leave - Wanting the time to freeze, for eternity - She bends down to get hold of her Sari and elegantly wraps it around her perfect body - wit a hint of tease she lets it slid off her shoulders - He lying there, hypnotised by her grace - She drapes it once again - His eyes still pleading hers not to leave.

The intoxicated soul sees her leave though the door way - now only her shadow seen in the far off distance.

__________________________________________________________________
There is so much to explore and experiment in dance form that i fall in love every time i watch anyone perform or perform myself.

7 comments:

Abha said...

impressive :)

Suresh Kumar said...

Gosh! the poem and the descriptions really had me intoxicated..

I regret that I am reading this before I sit to write a report :)

Very romantic da.. Abhisarike word is vey often used in kannada poems... there is one which goes like this
Odu Kaalave Odu bega kaviyali irulu
(O time, ran fast so that night can come early)
Kadihelu abhisarike avalile bangodane
(Abhisarike is waiting for me... Once we meet)
Nilu Kaleve Nilu... Namrathaka ....
(Stop time stop....)

nands said...

Bechaara 'intoxicated soul'!!! :D

Sharvari said...

nice!

pooja said...

hm...wats up?hw r u?

anand said...

adult material!!! tauba tauba!!

Dhandal said...

Abha - Thanks.

Suresh- :) the lines that u have sent are also very beautiful. well its really a regret that u read this post just before starting off with a report. I hope ur client didnt find some romantic ideas attached in his report :P

nands: kaahe ka beechara.

sharvari: nice.

pooja: u call me n ask me how i m. this is not fair. this comment of urs holds null n void :P Itne aache post pe aaisa comment :(

anand: adult material? its called mature material mera baacaha ;)

To all: May be this post wasnt really that impressive is what i gather from all your comments. Or the other way round could be that u were so speechless after reading it that hardly any words came out ;)