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Continued from last instalment
We dealt with only the pallavi portion of a Varnam earlier. To put it simply,
pallavi is the first two lines of a song. Usually, when performing to a Varnam, a long
theermana is executed first. That will then be executed in all the three paces, slow, medium and fast. This is known as the
‘thri kaala theermana.’ Pallavi is sung after this and the dancer performs to it, subsequently. After dancing to the
pallavi, a theermana is executed to signify that the
pallavi portion has been completed. Then the singer moves on to the
anu pallavi, the subsequent couplet of the song. The dancer executes a theermana both before and after the
anu pallavi. The performance to a sahitya is thus interlaced with an alternating series of
theermana-abhinaya-theermana-abhinaya sets, beautifying the entire structure of the performance, captivating the audience. This would go on till the first half of the Varnam is sung and completed.
When the Charanam portion is taken up, the pace of execution increases as compared with the first half. In the second half, the artiste plays
korvais in consonance with the swaras. This is followed by
abhinaya for the sahitya. It then blossoms into an enthralling combination of
swara and sahitya - the structure intensifying in an elaborate, vivid, intricate and delicate manner, bringing out the beauty of the song and adding to its innate beauty. The
sanchari bhava is not played during the second half of the
Varna.
There are different kinds of Padha
Varnas. They may be composed with a single raga. Or the first half of the
Varna would be sung in a particular raga and the second half in another. There are yet another kind of
Padha Varnas that are made of raga maalika - a string of several ragas. There are also
Padha Varnams, which are written in a different raga for each line.
 Then what is the difference between padha varnam and
swara jati? Basically, there is none. Both are similar. The
swaras rendered at the end of the first half of
padha varnam would not be sung as swara of
swara jati and would be rendered as jatis only. (For a detailed explanation of
jati and swara see:
Jati swaram) Usually, padha varnam as well as
swara jati would be set to either aadhi tala or
rupaka tala. Experienced and well-versed dancers go in for a little experimentation and vary this general rule. They would then choose a verse that best suits the mood, situation and has the necessary scope for the proposed experiment. They would then dance for the selected verse for not less than 30 minutes, may be even up to 50 minutes. Some have even danced for an hour and more.
But such things are becoming nothing more than a figment of the past, these days. There are not many - not even a few - who dance elaborately to the recital of the same line for several number of times and intersperse
theermana and abhinaya. Artistes these days do not spend more than 20 minutes on this item. Artistes who devote around 30 minutes are becoming a rarity indeed!
We have discussed the finer details of dance and its performance, for Varnam. We will now see the lyrics or verses used for rendering the Varnam. Generally speaking such verses are devotional or romantic -
srnkära. If it is romantic, it would fall under one of the eight categories, we discussed earlier under
Abhinayam. Sometimes, it would be that the bosom friend of the
Nayaki would go to her sweetheart carrying her message to him or to speak in her favour. The emotions expressed in the verse should be first understood and should be compared with the eight categories and the closest should be identified. The thing is, this would not be directly mentioned by the poet. It is the job of the dance to identify it. It may be one of the eight
Nayakis or any of the subgroup or subdivision of a subgroup. The artiste would, with his or her creativity and matured knowledge and skills in dancing, bring out the emotions lying in the innermost recesses of the verse and beautify the verse with his or her ingenuity and render it for the enjoyment of the audience.
 The main theme of the verse would be contained in a few lines. All the
abhinaya, mudra and theermana executed during the performance would be woven around those few lines. When the audience is able to capture those few lines, they would be able to follow the artiste and appreciate the performance fully and completely.
One can understand the ease with which the artiste is able to fine-tune his or her body movements to the
tala, even after executing a variety of
theermanas, which indicates a total control over the body. And the numerous expressions that change with every passing moment are indicative of a mind and intellect that is in total control of the performance. And that’s how
Varnam is the main instrument for the audience to gauge the talent and skills of the artiste.
Krishangini - Neeraja Nagarajan
Postures by Neeraja Nagarajan
Translated by Hari Krishnan
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