Hey there :p
You might feel overwhelmed reading this flash fiction if you're unaware of Bharatnatyam- an ancient Indian classical dance form from Tamil Nadu known for its grace, purity, and geometric precision. It combines bhava (emotion), raga (melody), and tala (rhythm) to convey narratives through intricate footwork, hand gestures (mudras), and facial expressions, often depicting mythological themes and honoring Hindu deities.
Throughout the piece you will find terms in Sanskrit italicized, for which meanings are given at the end of the piece. The flash fic describes the traditional performance of Bharatnatyam, and I hope that it reaches the right audience. For any queries feel free to leave a comment!
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The mellow breeze gently carries the soulful music that drifts throughout the temple. It is a stark dichotomy to the heavy rhythm of bare feet against the floors of polished granite. The vehement percussive cracks of the Mridangam continue, each note vibrating the floor .Only the persistent clinking of ankles laden with dozens of bells remain, enhancing the intense ambience. Your eyes are reserved for none other than the devotee facing the deity, you being an eavesdropper, listening to the stories of the devadasi.
The air around you smells of the jasmine flowers that frame her ethereal face, as she shines with the light that burnishes her jewelry. Those dainty henna stained feet meet, as she gracefully drops to reveal the pleats of her silk sari, her hands firm on her waist. Her eyes lift, as she is surrounded by pillars encrusted with stone dancers frozen mid leap. Although she has not begun, the music and her deity elicits emotions in her.
Her body is rigid yet her movements flow with the ease of water. She blooms under the light of an oil lamp, as her sublime eyes gaze forward with regality, raising her chin- a moment of silence for the divine beauty that is to follow. Where her hand reaches, her eyes strive to reach. The light that reaches her eyes, is where her mind goes. Where the mind endlessly wanders is where the feeling- abhinaya rests. She is not daunted as she reminisces over the tales of her deity, but she is covetous to let the beholder know of her desires.
Jathiswaram- captivates you with geometry of a human shrine, leaving you to gaze at her as her leg stretches out. The longing in her eyes snaps into a cold, diamond-edged focus, as her mind falls into the perpetual state of humming- Sa, Re, Ga, Ma.... She no longer reflects as she is deep in a conversation with the drummer- he throws a rhythm while she lets it echo through her shrine. Her muscles strain, her bones tremble, yet she remains valorous. Calculating, valiant and now liberal to express herself - she continues.
Sa Re Ga Ma....
You remain restless to join her as she describes her stories of unrequited love and longing for him-her eyes are expressive, her body in sync with the frantic sonority of the drums. The pillars evaporate around you as the statues join her, her ancestors with her. Her stories are what pleases you as her hands elegantly move around her shrine, accompanied by the mellifluous voice of the singer- her sakhi, her shadow.
Pa Dha Ni Sa.....
Something flickers within you as the drums and the singing come to an end. Those tunes are no longer heard but she continues- her feet no longer move with the passion she started. She expresses her sorrow as she weeps, holding herself. She finds her Priyatama missing, who leaves her alone in despair. He leaves her in anguish, as her act of prem falters. He leaves her alone in her silence, her lover haunting her prayers.
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Mridangam- The mridangam is an ancient South Indian, double-sided hand drum, considered the "king of drums" in Carnatic music.
Devadasi- They were primarily temple servants of high social standing, performing arts (dance, music) and religious rituals.
Abhinaya- feeling
Jathiswaram- In a standard Bharatanatyam performance sequence (the Margam), the Jathiswaram is usually the second item, showcasing technical skills, rhythmic precision and geometric movements.
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa- Sa Re Ga..... is known as Sargam, a system where each syllable represents a specific musical note. You can think of it is as an equivalent to Do- Re-Mi- Fa- Sol- La- Ti- Do.
Sakhi- female friend
Priyatama- beloved (masculine)
Prem- love
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Canary word: Present
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*another one from the list gets chosen* Hi! Hello! I remember your wallpost about this and I’m one of the people who has no clue about Bharatnatyam but I shall do my best 😊
I really like that you explain what the dance means in the beginning, much appreciated! (I wonder what you mean by “the right audience” tho xd)
I like this phrasing: “you being an eavesdropper, listening to the stories of the devadasi.“
It feels like the dancer is a stand-in for the goddess while starting to resemble her more and more over the dance?
Oh I am not sure I understand this: “her eyes strive to reach.” Hmmm does that mean that neither hands nor eyes can reach what she wants to reach?
I like how you describe the shift in expression that comes with the second item in the performance. And also how you describe dancer and drummer being in conversation. This on the other hand screams for a bit more detail in just how her eyes are expressive: “her eyes are expressive,” ^^
I like how it’s implied that the performance itself is awakening the stone status, a truly mystical experience.
Thank your for sharing :3
Some typos and stuff:
A small, misplaced period: “each note vibrating the floor .Only“
Remember the dash like here: “henna-stained”
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Hiiiii
Tysmmmmmmm for leaving a review here! By the 'right audience', I meant to find people who would truly enjoy the piece regardless of the topic being completely new to them, smthg you did a great job in.
Regarding the dancer being a stand in, you're not completely wrong. You look at it w a different perspective or thought perhaps? Nevertheless looking at the goddess as a deity and the dancer as a devotee- Bharatnatyam is the art of devotion. The dance doesn't focus on being more and more like the goddess but appreciating her and loving her dearly as a mentor generally.
Now the sentence ' her eyes strive to reach' is a little more historical and meaningful than mentioned in the piece. Now this is gonna get a little long but you would love to gain a new perspective.
To understand read this entire part- "Where her hand reaches, her eyes strive to reach. The light that reaches her eyes, is where her mind goes. Where the mind endlessly wanders is where the feeling- abhinaya rests."
Dancers generally have a 'sixth sense' of knowing exactly where their limbs are positioned without looking. While learning bharatnatyam this is given great importance and helps a dancer dance more elegantly. I don't know the term for this but this is how these lines are taught to students- Where the hands go the eyes follow; where the eyes go; the mind follows and wherever mind goes, the feeling flows.
This entire thing had been... given a more unique set of words to show it's greater value? I'm crashing out?
Nandini
this is an absolutely beautiful piece, and you carry it so assuredly!
the cultural specificity alone is so lovingly done, with the Mridangam, the abhinaya, the sakhi, the solfège breaks. the way you carefully take those along with you just has an immediate tell 2 me that you explored Bharatanatyam from the inside out, and that intimacy makes the whole thing breathe. using the solfège notations as section breaks is intriguing and brilliant as well, because the dance and the writing almost share the same rhythm. that's a very true craft instinct and you should definitely be proud of that!
the second person choice is interesting - making the reader an eavesdropper rather than a neutral observer creates this wonderful complicity, if that makes sense, like you've wandered into something sacred and private and you know it. "you remain restless to join her" is the moment that lands hardest because of it, and the image of the stone dancers and ancestors joining her, what with the statues evaporating into the scene - that's genuinely moving and completely earned.
there are a few moments where the language reaches so beautifully 4 grandeur that it occasionally tips just a little over, and i mean this kindly - "stark dichotomy" in the opening feels like it's working slightly harder than it needs to, and "elicits emotions in her" lands a little flatly after such vivid imagery just before it. these are small things though in what is otherwise such a confident and lush piece of writing, and i'd say the story being so driven almost mitigates that factor.
the ending is where it all comes together so quietly and so well. the drums stopping but she continues (!!!), the feet losing their passion, the Priyatama missing - i like how it mirrors the incompleteness of longing itself, and the narrative being so controlled and leading 2 this was masterful.
this was a very charming piece, and i thoroughly enjoyed it - thank you 4 exploring this concept so meaningfully
heyyyy
thx a lot for leaving your review here!!!
I am glad you understood the piece that well, even I am amazed atp %uD83D%uDE2D
of course
AHAHAh yeah, some of my family is ethnically indian and i have friends that are classical dancers, so i am familiar with the subject and this poem goes through that process really well
i love this!! i'm tamil, and i used to do bharatanatyam - albeit a long time ago and not for very long. how beautiful!!
Thank you very much!