Can the navarasa or nine emotions in Bharatamuni’s Natyashastra be interpreted differently? Ten years ago, writer Anupama Raju presented these rasas in a new light, in her book, Nine, as a series of triolets (eight-line poems using a strict rhyme and repetition structure). Years later when she thought of giving an interpretation to these poems through dance, she found a collaborator in the multifaceted Bharatanatyam exponent Rajashree Warrier. The result was the production, NINE – Our Circle of Lines, which blends ‘poetry, movement, music and space to explore these powerful emotions’. It premiered at the annual Kerala Literary Festival (KLF) at Kozhikode in January 2025, with a second staging in Kolkata in December. This weekend, they will take the stage at Bengaluru Poetry Festival.
Anupama Raju (left) and Rajashree Warrier
| Photo Credit:
Bichoo
Anupama and Rajashree, both celebrated names in their respective fields, took three out of the nine rasas for the production – shringaram, bhibatsam (disgust/aversion) and bhayanakam (fear). The collaboration works with Anupama reciting a verse about a rasa, while Rajashree interprets it through movements to which Anupama responds with a new poem. “It is like a dialogue between us, with me using words and Rajashree, movements,” says Anupama.Rajashree does not conform to conventional Bharatanatyam in the production. “When you talk about Bharatanatyam, the structure is treated as the form. For me, it is about the language; structure constitutes the language, which in turn becomes the form. I have used the language but placed it in a different mould. Basically, I have broken the existing form – classical art forms dictate specific movements of the limbs. I have recycled it,” says Rajashree who has also scored music for the production, incorporating violin, mridangam, harp, mizhavu and vocals.Anupama and Rajashree connected during the pandemic. During the initial chats, Anupama wondered if her Navarasa series would work as a dance production. “We are both based in Thiruvananthapuram and used to run into each other at literary festivals. I felt it would be nice to work together someday,” says Anupama.Rajashree adds, “I liked the poems. But usually when I take up a poem I go off on my own tangent and the poet may not approve of it. However, once we started interacting, I realised that there won’t be any such problem. We both connected over the emotions that ran through the poems. But it took over a year to start working on it since I was held up with other productions. It was when we heard that KLF is back after a break due to the pandemic, we decided to find a stage there,” Rajashree says.
