Chennai: Bringing Madhava Geetham, a Tamil adaptation work of musicologist D Pattammal, alive, Bharata Kalanjali staged a dance drama recently. It was held in memory of the eminent personality in the field of music, who has composed over 650 songs in Tamil.
Geetha Govindam is the composition of Jayadeva which was composed in the 11th century. Out of love towards deities Radha and Krishna, he composed the song when he was living in a small village near Puri Jagannath Temple.
The song describes the attraction between Radha and Krishna, their separation, their yearning and union with the assistance of a sakhi (friend). Each of the songs has eight couplets and, hence, was called Ashtapadi.
Having learnt Ashtapadi, Pattammal used the same ragas and tunes for adapting the song in Tamil. It is said her composition was reviewed by eminent dancer Rukmini Devi who wrote the foreword when the book was published in 1979.
Dhananjayan and Shantha Dhananjayan brought to life Pattammal’s verses. The show was put together by Thejus.