Natyasutra Online

Visit www.natyasutraonline.com/gita-govinda for information on all 24 songs of Gita Govinda

Kathak is set to be enriched with another magnificent creation, as for the first time ever, Dr Pali Chandra is currently composing and choreographing all 24 songs of the Gita Govinda. The 12th century Sanskrit poem is an ode to Lord Krishna by Jayadeva, and the Guru plans to represent all facets of the original composition. Upon completion, this is shall be one of India’s premier artistic undertakings of the modern era.

The project has been in the works for half a decade, with over 150 people involved in the production in Kerala. Guru Pali’s students also flew in from Gurukul all over the world to support this monumental effort. The stage for display is also unique: alongside eminent ICT service provider Invis, this special edition of the Gita Govinda was shot in an indigenously developed Miyawaki forest. This afforestation technique has taken the world by storm, and it adds to the charm of the whole project. The stage itself is a 120 sq.m. plot at Puliyrakonam in Thiruvanthapuram, with over 400 native species decorating the entire area. Jayadeva’s original work incidentally mentions 40 plants as well.

Guru Pali Chandra wished to combine and recreate all the stanzas of the poem, as this has never been done before. Gathering the source material itself took a lot of work, as a single comprehensive text of the work is hard to gain.  The project will host detailed online teaching sessions for students also. This complexity is what led to the Guru joining hands with Invis to gather, translate, verify and then choreograph the entire text.  Invis’s founding Managing Director M.R. Hari is the creative director of the entire project.
 
The production and post-production assignments are being undertaken by an Invis team of 100 members, led by Natyasutra CEO Anitha Jayakumar. The focus on Radha in this project will bring new light to the many complexities and mystiques surrounding her character. The Guru plans to explain the text carefully via dance, explaining the various themes of this Great Poem, taking her students to medieval Odisha, where this orchestra of devotion was initially composed. Natyasutraonline is the platform via which the Guru wishes to further this cause, a further recognition of its widespread acceptance among the icons of Indian classical dance.

The Guru is aided in this production with singers and musical instruments from across India; this includes composer B.Sivaramakrishna Rao and keyboard and rhythm arranger Venky D.C. Entire The text is being prepared by Dr. Radhika Menon with a coffee table book on mural paintings of artists V.S. Sudheer and K K Baiju in two different styles.