The evening of July 15, 2009 was an occasion for artists, rasikas, friends and family to gather and reminisce four decades of contributions made to Indian classical fine and performing arts by the very talented duo of Chitra Visweswaran and Pandit R. Visweswaran.
It was also the occasion to look ahead, and forward to the continuing contributions Chitra is making through her performances, innovative dance dramas and her students, and the inspiration that Visweswaran continues to provide through the multi-faceted body of works that he has left behind.
eParampara Infotainment hosted the event for the launch of 2 DVDs, that provide a sampling, a taste, of the vast repertoire of collaborative Bharata Natyam performances of Chitra Visweswaran and Pandit Visweswaran.
The pieces in this set are drawn from performances by the couple from the early 1990s. “Anu Smruthi - cherished collections” includes performances from the first tour the couple made to Sri Lanka. And “Natya Nivedana- an aesthetic offering” is drawn from performances from their UK tour.
The divine ambience of Tattvaloka Hall on Eldams Road in Chennai, the venue for the event, stressed the somber yet cheerful serenity of the occasion. The presence of Pujyashri Mathaji Vithamma of the Sri Muthukrishna Swami Mission Trust further accentuated the divinity of the occasion.
Each of us assembled for occasion somehow, somewhere, sometime (and for some in the hall, many, many times) had a close brush with the very famous, yet extremely down to earth and humble couple. As Chitra looked back, each of us in the hall, I am sure took a mental walk down memory lane reliving fond memories in their company.
I could sense the rasikas in the hall silently acknowledging and agreeing with Chitra when she declared the continued presence of Visweswaran amongst us. The occasion was dedicated to the memory of Pandit Viswewaran.
One person both Chitra and Visweswaran turned to for guidance, advice and spirituality, in trying times, happy times, actually at all times has been Mathaji Vittamma.
Fittingly, she lit the lamp. Mathaji walked down memory lane too. She reminisced about how as a youngster she savored the striking beauty of Chitra in the pages of Kalki and Ananda Vikatan magazines.
She continued her reminiscing on the pieces in “Anu Smruthi”. That was the first tour that Chitra and Visweswaran made to Sri Lanka at her request. This was the tour that opened Chitra’s and Visweswaran’s eyes to Mathaji Vithamma as their friend, philosopher, guide and guru.
N. Murali, President of The Hindu and The Music Academy, Chennai, reminisced too; he reminisced on how Pandit Visweswaran and he started their Chartered Accountancy together, the close family ties his family has had with Visweswarans.
Dr. Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus Sankara Netralaya, didn’t remember he had declared, in the 70s, the demise of Smt. Chitra Visweswaran’s astigmatism. But he couldn’t disguise his great pleasure in the pioneering eye donations that Chitra Visweswaran has made of her loved ones over the decades.
The collage of tribute that eParampara had put together and projected for the audience, in seven short minutes brought out the essence of Chitra and Visweswaran; the poignant moments of their joyful journey together and their everlasting affection for Arun, Chitra’s brother.
If the collage is any indication of the class, comprehensiveness, technological excellence of the eParamapara family, the two set DVD is sure to be a feast and a must have addition to any Indian classical master piece collection.
The event was over, but the people who came stayed on, and on; and on even after the lights to the hall were turned off. Surely, it was Visweswaran in spirit and Chitra in person, and their collaborative contributions that was the common thread, a collective sense of community.
And just for a few moments more, people in the hall, wanted to relive old memories and be in the presence of Chitra and Visweswaran, giants of contemporary Indian classical performing arts.
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