Takita taka dhimi, 
A slow and gentle beat,
To the singer's soft song,
With delicate steps she flits,
Her arms in grace do move,
The picture of serenity.

Takita taka dhimi,
The beat quickens,
She twirls and spins,
Her skirts a riot of colour,
Joy shining in her face,
Eyes wide with wonderment.

Takita taka dhimi,
Sorrow echoes in the beat,
Heavy is her tread,
Head bowed and teary eyed,
She moves as a prayer,
Offering compassion.

Chananna, chan chan,
The beat is melody,
Her feet tap in rhythm,
And her limbs sway in joy,
Delicate and agile,
She dances in happiness.

Chananna, chan chan
The bells peal and chime,
Eyes shine with valour,
Each step a tinkling one,
As with firm determination,
She moves with courage.


Chananna, chan chan
The sound is delightful music,
As her heart sings along,
With longing she taps about,
And seductively sways,
Love is in the air.

Tōm tōm tatōm
The bells seem to fade,
As with hesitant steps,
Unpleasant appears the air,
And she walks away,
Face crunched in disgust.

Tōm tōm tatōm
The air sizzles around her,
A frenzy in her movements,
With violent and anxious twirls,
Attempting to shield herself ,
She beholds the horror ahead.

Tōm tōm tatōm
The bells ring aloud,
Rising against injustice,
Furious tempo warring with evil,
Resound in ecstatic fury,
She is simmering wrath.

Written for Week 12 (March 22, 2020) Poem-a-Week challenge where one had to write a poem on based on the picture above. My attempt at a poem tries to bring out the navarasas of Indian Classical dance:

1. Hasya – Humour: This is the most common expression which we all know. This rasa is attached to the deity Pramatha and is indicated with white color.

2.Raudra – Anger : Hurt ego results in anger. It is connected to the Rudra, indicated by Red.

3.Bibhatsa – Disgust: It stands for bad manners, vulgarity, dissatisfaction. This rasa is connected to the Mahakal, a form of Shiva, indicated by Blue colour.

4.Bhayanaka – Fear: As there are many types of desires in this world, so are the fears. This rasa is connected to the Kala and the colour is Black.

5.Shringara – Delight, erotic: The meaning of Shringara is love and it often means having a deep and loving romantic relationship with the opposite sex. This rasa is connected to the Vishnu and indicated by the pale light green colour.

6.Veera – heroic, Courage: It is nothing but the confidence, fearlessness, self-assurance and heroism. This rasa is connected to the Indra and shown with Golden colour.

7.Karuna – Pity, sorrow: The highest form of Karuna is compassion. This rasa is connected to the Yama and it is shown with Grey colour.

8.Adbhuta – Wonder: Since the dawn of the prehistoric times, the human species have been curious, trying to understand things. And they have always wondered about the things they didn't comprehend. This rasa is connected to the Gandharva and indicated using yellow.

9.Shanta – Serenity- Don't we all search for it? The peace, the ultimate inner relaxation and the feeling of serenity which is hard to find.