Response to Naachiyar Next
From the Audience


We froze the moment Andal breathed her last, freeing her soul to be one with her Lord. Such was the powerful portrayal of the revered female poet-saint of the 7th century of Tamil Nadu in Anita Ratnam’s Naachiyar Next. It is a production seeped in Bhakti in all ways. From the performances to the music to the recitation of lines and presentation, every element of Naachiyar Next was provocative, capturing not just our thoughts, but leaving an indelible mark on our emotions, with our hearts yearning to travel back to when Andal flourished and let herself immerse in devotion. Oh! how we wished to replace Andal, as she came alive again in front of us in Naachiyar Next, and to experience the deep selfless connection with her Govinda, with our Govinda. This was the impact of Naachiyar Next on us.
Naachiyar Next is a testimony to Anita Ratnam’s constant creative endeavor to stage multi-disciplinary productions that are unique in theme and equally distinct in their presentation, just like Andal’s longing for her beloved.
- Bhadra Sinha / Gayathri Sharma, Delhi-based Bharatnatyam dancers, Chinmaya Mission, Delhi, 2024



NAACHIYAR NEXT left me spellbound with its dynamic and intense story telling.  A periodic production came to life with chants and rituals which gave goosebumps as I got transported to the era of Andaal. With interesting lights, props and aesthetic treatment of dance movements it was an absolute delight to watch.
- Sangita Chatterji, Kathak artiste, 2024



Anitaji namaskar, Devotion at it's best.  Passion, involvement and beautiful dancing by all.  Your concept presentation making the story international, universal and heart touching.
The walks of lion, tiger, elephant and snakes
The conch scene
And the end was brilliant
- Vanasree Rao, Kuchupidi artiste, 2024



Naachiyar. The very word evokes myriad emotions in me every time it is uttered. One doesn't realize how powerful cultural memory is until it manifests itself as emotional outpourings. And watching Naachiyar multiple times over 4 days took me on an emotional roller coaster.

Inspiration, joy, sadness, pride, anger, awe and most importantly love - packing all this into a 70 minute feature is no simple task, even for the most established of artistes. Dr. Anita Ratnam (Anita Akka for me), celebrated dancer and Arts activist and her team of 10 dancers, 5 musicians, and a dozen technicians achieved this through the most beautifully crafted dance theatre - Naachiyar Next.

I had the most beautiful opportunity to watch the rehearsals of Naachiyar up close, a good five times and believe me when I say this - every single rehearsal took away a piece of my heart. The aforementioned emotions flitted back and forth, so many times, taking turns again and again, leaving me as a happily emotional wreck. The story of Andal (Tamil saint poetess, perhaps the only woman mystic to be considered a Goddess) is endearing by itself, how many ever times one listens to / reads about it. And when presented the way it was in Naachiyar Next, one can't but smile and weep at the same time.

Going beyond the usual portrayal of Andal as a young girl in love with her beloved Lord Narayana, Naachiyar delved into the deeper, darker aspects of Andal’s life - as a woman deeply obsessed with the Lord, desiring to completely offer herself to Him, and in return demanding that He pays heed to her desires! Not caring about societal norms, she knows and believes in her destiny, and finally unites with her beloved.

Albeit Anita Akka is known for her experimental work (in fact that’s what I expected of Naachiyar too), I was pleasantly surprised by how rooted Naachiyar was into tradition - be it the usage of traditional pieces interspersed into the narrative, or the usage of traditional texts (Thiruppavai and Naachiyar Thirumozhi). Intelligently choreographed sequences - Thiruppavais with the usage of Kolatta (Choreographed by Binesh Mahadevan), a pining Andal writing the Lord's name all around her and on herself, and the final bridal unison with the Lord at the temple, made the dancer in me swim in a pool of joy. Perhaps the most enticingly honest sequence was that of Andal wearing the garland meant for the Lord and admiring herself. The interplay of multiple mirrors, the impeccable lighting and of course the artistry of all dancers resulted in a heightened emotional impact - Rasotpatti as it is often referred to.

The convincing protagonists - Archana Raja (Andal), Dr. Sridhar Vasudevan (Periyazhwar) and Dr. Madhusudanan Kalaichelvan (Arayer) and of course, Anita Akka (the Sutradhar and alter-ego of Andal) made you believe that they were the faces of the characters in the legend. The warmth that Sridhar as Periyazhwar exuded and the recitations of Madhusudanan as Arayer gave me gooseflesh. Archana leaves you wondering if anyone else could portray Andal as effectively and effortlessly as she did.

Anita Akka's narrations and just her mere presence helped connect the sequences and made the feature flow seamlessly. Her powerful persona held the audience glued to their seats. For me, each time she uttered a verse from the Thiruppavai or Thirumozhi, a warm, inexplicable wave of emotions surfaced. The consummate artistry of the dancers embellished - nothing felt overdone or under-emphasized.

A special mention to the live musicians who had to unleash their A-game to complement the performers on stage. Lights and sets by Victor Paulraj augmented the vision of Anita Akka and the costume and visual design by Sandhya Raman proved how much aesthetics can enhance visual impact.

Personal opinion - the auditorium and its accoustics didn't do justice to the magnitude and magnificence of the production. While every single rehearsal I watched (five of them over four consecutive days) left me in tears, sitting in the audience on D-day didn't impact as much as the rehearsals did. Sound wasn't powerful enough to tingle that string in your heart and the house lights shining brightly over the last few rows didn’t help either.

Inside insight - I noticed changes happening in the presentation until the very last rehearsal. This kept all the dancers at their toes, and definitely helped in not making the presentation appear like a mundane, perfectly practiced set of sequences. Instead, it was an expression of everyone, an expression worth watching over and over again!

My learnings through just being an observer of Naachiyar Next stand unparalleled. As a performing artist indulging in her own experiments although in solo formats, I learnt how storytelling and narrations are so vital to communicate to the modern day audience. I learnt how narrations can be seamlessly and non-invasively woven into a work that is rooted in tradition. My faith in the importance of research and having deep knowledge in a subject before attempting to translate it as a performance stands reinforced (I don't think anyone knows and understands Andal like Anita Akka does).

Would I like to watch Naachiyar again? Over and over again - including every single rehearsal. You never know what’s going to happen next and I love that surprise element. Thank you, Anita Akka and team for giving me an experience (or should I say 5+1 experiences) that I will cherish until next time. 
- Divya Ravi, Sept 5, 2019
e-mail: divyaravi1891@gmail.com



Your performance par excellence has kept our members spell bound... the new dimension given to "Andal" by you is still the "talk of the town". Hats off to you and your team!
- Dr S. RANGARAJAN, President, Rotary Coimbatore Central

"Naachiyar" is indeed a piece of gem. Beautiful conception, evocative choreography and masterly execution makes "Naachiyar" one of the outstanding production of our times. I can say no more. Simply great.
- VAIBHAV AREKAR, Lasya, Mumbai

It was such a pleasure to watch your performance at Aurangabad. Your fluid grace and mudras and bhavanais were a treat to watch. It was the first time that I was seeing the use of a prop in a Bharatanatyam dance (the conch that you used to describe Panchajanyam.)... I am eagerly waiting to see you on stage again.
- P S GANESH, Aurangabad

I immigrated to US around 1970 and since then I am stationed in US East coast. I have been following your career since you started as Anchor woman in USA... I was at your very modern presentation of Nachiar Andal Thiruppavai at T.Nagar (Chennai).  Let me congratulate you for the superb Dance Drama. Your novel approach of combining Hindu Mythology with Modern American Drama will in my opinion be a sure hit with young American boys who want to understand our Indian Dance but are afraid of asking or enjoying it. May be your novel approach will open their Indian Cultural Window for them!!
- SURY SUBBAN, New York, USA

I'm a Tamil expatriate living in London for the past 26 years (a primary school teacher by profession). We made it a point to visit Chennai during the music season this year. Your dance drama topped the list as our favourites (the reason being - it was MODERN, PURE and TRADITIONAL. Above all it was in TAMIL!)

Your production NAACHIYAR took us to another world! We liked your approach - NEW but STILL PURE. We are also feeling very happy to know that the well known artists like you are researching the Sangam literature for new ideas. Inclusion of the artist Revathy on the dance stage was another commendable idea!

Bharatnatyam as an ancient, wonderful art should not die and many many youngsters must be encouraged to be your followers. You have to be the role model for them!
- DHEIVA RAVICULAN, London, UK

It was a wonderful treat you provided us with your brilliant choreographic presentation of Naachiyar... a delightful spiritual experience... You were able to portray the agony, the anger and the ecstasy of Andal well supported by flawless movements through jathis. I wish we have more and more people like you who render such great service to rich Alwar legacy. It is also the fact that people like you are the new cultural ambassadors both within our wide country and outside who can blend rich traditon with modern idiom.
- Hema Raghavan, Principal, Gargi College, New Delhi

Congrats on your excellent performance on 20th. There were certain scenes that brought tears to my eyes.
- R S Ramkumar, Dancer, Chennai

Thanks for inviting us and thanks for a lovely show. The tale was unknown to me and it was very emotional in parts. Loved the way the piece was influenced by kathakali- my most precious moments. Urges me to work with you, direct parts of it, be in some, dancing with you.
- Atul Kumar, Theatre Director, Mumbai