Love...

Love… ‘Love, being in love. What is that? I felt that such a long time ago’, said the participant during the Odissi workshop I gave last week. She was an elderly Hindustani lady, married and had a lot of grandchildren. During the Odissi workshop, besides from the practice, I also spoke about a bit of theory, in which the Nava Rasa from the Natyashastra (nine frequently used emotions in Indian classical dance) was also a part. One of the Rasas is also Sringara Rasa. The King of the nine Rasas.

Sringara Rasa is usually translated as love, romantic love, attraction or beauty. This emotion is often used in Indian classical dance to represent what appeals to the human mind and finds beautiful, which also evokes love. 

Sringaram Rasa can be used to express the love between friends, the love between a mother and her child, a father and his child, the love for God, the love of a teacher for her students or by example the love that you feel for your pet, plants or your car. Love is Universal and has many forms and layers of feeling.

But the love between a man and a woman is by far the most popular form of Sringaram Rasa. This form of love, by example, depicts how a woman waits for her beloved with sweet anticipation. When I was portraying that during the workshop, as Radha who was waiting for Krishna in the forest by a tree, the participants spontaneously burst out laughing. I asked them: 'Why are you laughing like that'? 

I've got answers like: 'Well, expressing your feelings is so difficult, and yet you really seem to be in love'. I pretended to be in love and really imagined that I was Radha at that moment. 

I wanted to make it easier for the participants to express the emotions, so I asked them the question: ‘How does Daisy look at Donald Duck when she wants to let him know that she likes him?’ I've got answers like: ‘She looks deep into his eyes and looks dreamy’, or ‘she blinks her eyes and purses her lips with red lipstick, which she never actually puts on, only when Donald Duck is on a date with her’. When I asked them how Donald Duck looks at Daisy to let her know that he likes her too, I've got answers like: ‘His feathered tail goes up and spins around until he floats’, or ‘his eyes bulge and mouth suddenly opens wide’, or ‘he gives her roses and chocolates’, or ‘his heart visibly beats very hard and fast’ or says: ‘I like you’.

I saw all four types of Abhinaya in the above answers, namely:

1. Angika Abhinaya (physical expression); 

2. Vachika Abhinaya (verbal expression);

3. Aharya Abhinaya (costume and make-up);

4. Satvika Abhinaya (emotional expression in which Dhrishti bhedas, also known as eye movements, are crucial for expressing the subtler layers of emotions).

The ice was broken with the metaphor of Donald Duck and Daisy. The most beautiful facial expressions of love emerged from the workshop participants, including the grandmother who pretended to look at one of her grandchildren. ‘This is also love’, she said. I said: ‘Yes, that is the answer to your own question’.

Shringaram Rasa is so much more than love between a man and a woman. It is Universal and Infinite. Conveying a story or feelings to another person is so much easier with the help of Abhinaya.

Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. Take advantage of using the four types of Abhinaya if you want to let someone know that you care.

Rajni Ghiraw