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The lyrics chosen for Padham and
Jaavali are basically romantic in nature. It may therefore appear that the performance of
Padham and Jaavali should, of necessity, be similar. But there is a basic difference in these lyrics. The lyrics chosen for
Padham are devotional and portray the Lord as the Divine Lover and the performer as would pine for His love. Therefore, the lyrics would speak of the higher nature of man, expressed in the language of love, with devotion as its base. The
Nayaki portrayed in Padham, though pines and yearns for her Divine Lover, is basically a devotee and is far beyond the physical aspect of romance.
Jaavali centres round love in human form. It describes and portrays the
nayaki in love with her lover in real life. The
nayaka or the hero whom the performer portrays the
nayaki to be pining for belongs to this world. The lyrics would therefore freely describe all aspects of love, of romance, as it is seen in the world.
The lyrics chosen for the performance of Jaavali would be set to a faster pace. The words would flow quickly and the expressions -
abhinaya - that the dancer shows would flow equally quickly. The performance of
Padham demands deeper understanding of the lyric and need extra care in expressing it. One has to first understand the lyric and choose an appropriate
abhinaya for the expression, taking special care as to make it very clear that it is the divine nature that is portrayed and not the physical aspect. In sharp contrast, one can be absolutely free in performing
Jaavali. The lyrics of Padham would normally be constructed with very long sentences and would provide much scope to perform for a longer time. Jaavali is not so. It is performed for a comparatively short period of time. If
Padham is set to a heavier raga, Jaavali is set to a lighter raga.
We have, in this chapter, seen the difference between
Padham and Jaavali, rather than seeing what
Jaavali means. What is there in Jaavali is not there in
Padham.
Krishangini - Neeraja Nagarajan
Postures by Neeraja Nagarajan
Translated by Hari Krishnan
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