Temple dance & Tantra....

My earliest memory of Malay born Odissi dancer Ramli Ibrahim is of the time when I first saw this attractive dance soaked body giving an interactive lecture demonstration at India International Centre way back in 1994. 12 years later, while witnessing one of his best works yet- Vision of Forever- inspired from the carved history of dance and time on temples on one end and the tantric philosophy on the other- I couldn't help but recollect the strands of past. Ramli, a dancer, a guru and the director of Sutra Dance Theatre, in Malaysia, wowed the audience with his latest production sponsored by the ICCR at Kamani Auditorium recently.
Firm dance bodies-agile and adroit- blessed with a fine balance of vigour and grace, could have been mistook for home grown Odissi dancers. But Ramli's students (none of them first generation Indian)- a mix of Malay , Chinese and Tamil genes- had the panache to imbibe the sentiment of the production- which was nothing but Ananda. The Ananda that sprung from the heart of entranced devotee ( played by Sutra's leading dancer Guna ) conversing, interacting, learning and performing with the sculpturusque poses at the beginning of his journey into the world of divine; The Ananda with which the Gods descended ( Ramli, January Low, Revathi Tamilselvam, Divya Nair and Sivagama Valli) to celebrate the vision of cosmos with their devotee and the Ananda with which the soul traversed the path of birth and death, enchanted by the very experience of eternal joy.
Building on this motif, Ramli went on to explore the concept of Ardhanarishwar, conjoining the nature and the divine in Shiva's manifestation as a half man- half woman. One must admit, that even though Ramli's dance has increasingly veered towards theatre, the basic structure of Odissi has been kept intact. The Chaukas, abhangis, tribhangis were juxtaposed by jumps, leaps and skids- without diluting the aesthetic appeal. This was visible in Rageshwari Pallavi with Kamadev's music strings personifying the raga, as a consort performed by Ramli and Revathi and in the high point as also the only controversial aspect of the evening, was Dasamahavidya- based on the 10 revelations of Kali. Culled from the tantric texts of Karpuradi Stotram, the visions – Kali, Tara, Sodasi, Bagala, Chinnamasta, Matangi, Bhubneshwari, Kamala, Bhairavi and Dhoomwati. A sense of Macabre dominated the segement as the images of Goddesses – Matangi and Kamala- paled before the visions of death and blood personified by a majority of other Goddesses.
This extended piece had a rather repetitive stance to it, which after a few minutes became a bit monotonous given the hyper energy of Guna, who while personifying the devil within, perhaps lost himself in the moment of excitement and started shrieking on stage every time he attacked the Goddesses. ( In lighter vein, one was reminded of Tennis player Monica Seles's legendary war cries every time she took the court! ). However, one must admit that Guna and January are Ramli's best bets right now, for they are trained well in Contemporary styles.
With Panch Bhuta, the impeccable evening came to a dramatic end. One sincerely looks forward to more such productions, where the dancer and dance become one.Vision of Forever had a strong script to bank on and was based on the compositions of Gurus Deba Prasad Das, Durga Charan Ranbir and Gajendra Panda.Last but not the least, the other bewitching part of the production was its magnificent set that was designed by Sutra Dance Theatre. Needless to say, the divine space of temple and the nature's wild found an equal resonance in it.

Shades of Odissi

An email from a friend alerted me about the three day International Odissi Dance Festival (IODF), at Kamani Auditorium. I frowned at the possibility of hearing the same discussions, watching the same dancers ( as often festivals go for the same bulk of popular nee powerful stalwarts) and laughing at same last minute goof ups.
But mercifully, Bansi Bilas ( and its two power ladies- Leesa Mohanty and Leeta Mohanty) , the parent organisation proved that there was more to the festival than the obvious. One would personally remember the festival for its strong attempt at bringing face to face, different strands of Odissi- which in recent years have hit headlines for internal tensions and controversies. Though, Guru Deba Prasad Das's school of thought was behind the festival, it proved to be as much a personal space for the Gurus belonging to Kelucharan Mohapatra's style.
The various other shades- the element of theatre, the influence of the Gotipuas and the Maharis on present day works, the impressions of other classical dances and the chic- contemporary facelift- were all there.
The largest ensemble of second generation Odissi Gurus in the capital, in recent years, IODF had a line up of performances, lecture demonstrations and screenings. The festival scored high on some memorable lecture-demonstrations. Among them, Sonal Man Singh's personal narrative on the exploration of new areas of content and choreography, within the traditional gambit of Odissi, ( with the help and guidance of late Jeevan Pani) made for a very riveting session. The most interesting part of Sonal's talk was her experiences with Buddhist Charyagitis and Oriya narrative tradition of Pala, where (as I understood) a highly stylized , visually and literally rich poem is used to explore different ideas and images. Both, reflected upon the image of the woman, as a Goddess and a bewitcher- who demands complete devotion and surrender from men- the devotees and the lovers. This shade of male-female relationship ( which is generally in opposition to the popular depiction of a rover Lord and a power-less Nayika) also forms the substantive part of Sonal's contribution to Indian dance.
Sonal was at her best as she went on to explore a Pala, Nayana Sunaina Re, delineating on the power and magic of a woman's eyes-that dwarf the alacrity and the sharpness of a deer on one side and a 100 horses on the other. One could easily understand why the dancer has been bestowed with such expressive eyes!
Equally commendable for their dance choreographies, were the demonstrations of Madhvi Mudgal and Ramli Ibrahim. Madhvi's group works- Kalyan and Topoi in particular, which had her locating the angular spaces in former and elements of theatre in the latter. Madhup Mudgal's music, was understandably one of the high points. Topoi, which forms part of the Oriya myth, is a story of a girl by the same name who is considered to be the avatar of Goddess Lakshmi.
Though, Madhvi stressed that she would prefer presenting her works than speaking, one wished, the dancer had shared her thoughts and ideas on what goes into her productions. What are the natural points of departure for her, her favourite motifs, areas of inspiration and the problematics involved in executing a production. There was much to be discovered there and sadly, it remained so even after the commanding productions. Ramli on the other hand, took a balanced approach and while appreciating his training in Bharatanatyam, revealed that for him, the dance form played to the gallery. Odissi for him, is like Lord Jaganath. Ramli's works are a confluence of contemporary, folk and classical dance traditions interspersed with rich theatre tradition.
Apart from the these demonstrations, Guru Dugra Charan Ranbir's demonstration, while scoring high on his performance front, failed to take off when it came to conversing about his work. It would have been more appropriate to allow Guru Ranbir to speak in Oriya so that his views could be known. Instead, all one heard was a peripheral discourse of his journey by one of his senior students, which could never justify what the master himself could have shared.
Guru Gangadhar Pradhan's lecture demonstration was a mix of innocence and sincerity and his performance was a perfect example of how a pot bellied grey haired man can transform into a entrancing nayak or a nayika, just by the power of his dance. Gangadhar Pradhan's take on the need for proper exercise and sadhana and his excited state, was visually entertaining but one would have wished, if he had shared those aspects of his journey from being a gotipua dancer ( in common parlance, pre-pubescent boys performing, dressed as girls) to a professional made dancer. How did he negotiate between the borrowed notion of femininity within himself as a pre-teenager and justified his masculinity in order to be taken as a serious male performer in his adult life? Sadly, there was no word on this.
And there was no word from the veterans on whether or not the lecture-demonstration by the Nrityagram's stars Surupa and Bijoyni, depicting their creative forays in chaukas and tribhangis were influenced by the Bharatanatyam grammar. The duo who stressed on the need to cultivate body, said that they cannot take the borrowed truth of tradition and make it their own. Their work, which is, at present the most enthralling visual experience needs a detailed understanding on parts of dancers, critics and scholars to see whether like with Padma Subrahmanyam's journey from Bharatanataym to Bharata Nrityam, their Odissi too needs a new baptism?
But the word power came back in full force in two seasoned presentations by Shanta Serbjeet Singh and Leela Venkatarman. Veteran culture writer and activist, Shanta's work as a the Chairperson of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Network, has become a precursor to her spell binding research in the realm of healing through performing arts. While probing the inherent link between the arts and the science, Shanta stated that, "All artistic and creative activity happens because of a rare and irregular behaviour pattern in the brain called synthesia. What this does is accidentally crosswire unrelated parts of the brain in ways never before seen." Perhaps this is why most artistes are not normal! Shanta further added that, "Behind the apparent good health, longevity and incredible stamina of most dancers, musicians and visual artists lies the fact that the very nature of the work they do, i.e. sing, dance, paint, sculpt, in short create a work of art, is an endless source of pumping of metaphorical iron, adrenalin, vitamins and nutrients into the body even as they help to rid it of disorders, imbalances and disease. "
Leading dance critic and commentator, Leela Venkataraman, while speaking about dance criticism, chose to spread her presentation on the issues of tradition, authenticity and identity of Odissi. In doing so, she delineated on the need to question the handed down sanctity of tradition and the need to have the freedom to imbibe that tradition within the contemporary time zone of the dancers. Leela expressed her concern over the new found jerkiness, tremendous ornamentation and over arching virtuosity, in Odissi and felt that these serious issues were being relegated to the background while non-issues like the "authenticity" of Odissi dance costume was being given undue importance.
The evening performances, a large chunk of which, this writer could not witness because of bout of cold, had some memorable presentations by Madhvi Mudgal and Kavita Dwivedi.

Perhaps in future...

Critiquing the recital of your own Guru's student, can be an arduous task especially if you have personally known the dancer for nearly a decade. The question of ethics comes into play as you sit down and provide your perspective on the recital, on the items, which you too have performed at some point in your life! However, what saves this writer from much heartache and headache is the belief that one needs to be true to the dance not to the dancer per se.
One of Jayalakshmi Eshwar's talented disciples, Swati Biswas gave a thorough Bharanatyam recital at Triveni Kala Sangam recently. Presented by an NGO, DRONA, the recital had its high points in Tulsi Bhajan, "Bhajj mun Ram saran sukhdayi" and in Padam, Varatum swami, where Swati enacted the role Khandita Nayika, or the jilted beloved who feels neglected by her Lord (the one who is too busy dilly-dallying with other women). Addressed to Lord Murugan, the padam gave Swati an opportunity to explore the finer nuances of love ,betrayal and anger.
However, compared to the last time when one saw Swati perform, this performance of hers fell short on the Nritta front. The dancer must address the issue of Anga Shudham. Feeble hand and leg stretches betray Swati's age and vigour, which is a natural gift to any young talented dancer. The execution of jatis in Krishna varnam looked deliberate in parts, creating an impression that dancer needs to build her stamina. This was worsened by certain slips on part of the dancer while synchronizing with the orchestra.
But not all was lost in the Varnam. The sancharis revealing baby Krishna's divinity and mischievousness were dramatic. Swati could do away with exaggerated expressions while enacting the role of a demon, which shadowed her other fine moments-especially the Yashodha's vatsalya for her child, who is attacked by Putna and Trinarvat. During the depiction of Trinarvat, the dancer appeared tad confused between depicting anger and sarcasm.
A quick word on the delineation of the first line of the varnam, which showed Vasudeva taking Krishna across the Yamuna river. The choreography depicted Vasudeva as being alert and aware of what he was doing, which, as per what one has read, is a wrong interpretation. During the birth of Krishna, Vasudeva was in trance. The prison gates, the rising water level of Yamuna and the appearance of the Kaalia Nag to protect baby Krishna were the creation of Maya, to help Vasudeva.
Swati was assisted on orchestra by her Guru, vocal support was by very talented and upcoming vocalist S Vasudevan. Lalgudi Sri Ganesh on Mridangam, Raghuraman on Flute and Shymla Bhaskar on Veena made for seasoned contribution.
Swati's dance is neat but lacks energy and that is why there is hope that she can pack more vigour in her recitals in future. How about trying some Complan?

Hindu Dieties and Samba Land...

Sorry! There is going to be no appendage to the Sabrimala controversy through this column, even as much blood of thought and deed has flown between the English media, the state politicians, the dramatis personae- the Lord, the actress, the astrologer and the damned letter of apology, in last two weeks. No doubt, Gods feature prominently through this article but not from the over-arching Himalayas or God's country Kerala, rather they are making their way through rags of fashion magazines, crafted, created and captured through the hands, scissors, spirit and eyes of a 39 year old Brazilian, Roberto Custodio living in Sao Paulo, whose collage of displays, Divinities: Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu Pantheon, was premiered at the India centric Peter Louis Arts Gallery in New York, USA. The exhibition which was a complete sell out but for two displays, has introduced not only an innovative artiste but the idea that regardless of the work zone we find ourselves in, its the will and the passion of mind that leads us to explore our spiritual connections in most uncanny fashion.

While interacting with Roberto in Brazil and Peter, the Director of Peter Louis Arts, in NY, over email, one was struck by the degree of detail that has gone into making these fascinating displays. The Gods and Goddesses- not necessarily endowed with South Asian features and body language, come across flaunting rare raw sensuality and opulence with an ethereal sense of command, love, lust and romance that they invoke in the onlooker. The Gods, appearing magnificent in their physicality do embody inexplicable spiritual energy which is evident in the calm expression on their faces, bejewelled, underscoring their Indian identity by blurring the lines of divinity and humanity on one side and challenging their own chain of order on the other with some displays like Brahma with Om ( The sound and spirit associated with Shiva) but doing away with the four faces of the Lord.

Says Roberto, " The sensuality in Brazil is something natural and it is just impossible for me not to put it in my work". Having been possessed by the image of Krishna ( and taken in by the mystique of Hinduism) on a greeting card he was presented as a child, Roberto believes that the God's light touched him and that image captured his sensibility, which was to later push him into becoming the creator of the creators. He explains, " When I create an Indian deity, it is almost like I am possessed by a very powerful energy. No matter how they are represented in paintings and sculptures, I have to follow what the guiding energy forces me to do."
As someone who never studied art, Roberto started out as an art director for a Modelling Agency, L'Equipe in Sao Paulo nearly two decades back. Collage became his medium from the word go. While dealing with photographs of fashion models, Roberto's own artistic sensibility began to 'interfere' with the pictures. At 29, he left the agency and started working as a freelance illustrator for magazines and books. Roberto reveals, "Collage is my way to express myself. My intention is to give the image a feeling that it is something real but at the same time unreal." He adds poignantly, "It is a photograph made through the eyes of a soul. My Indian deities are not paintings but pictures with flesh, bones and a superior soul."
For Roberto, expressing through collage has been a big challenge since it involves, "creating new images by joining other images." He says, "I have to search magazines and make files of everything that I find suitable." Once he puts different pieces together, he uses water color pencil and India ink to give uniformity to his work besides using different kinds of glues and cards. The actual work though takes around a week.
And if the images are starkly beautiful, its because his interest in fashion continues unabated. And that's what makes this man truly unique- A blender of sacred and profane. As for the investment, he laughs saying, "I can't specify the investment but a hand made work is full of pain. I can specify the hurt and damage that the scissor causes to my hands"
Roberto was raised in a "very spiritual family in Brazil which did not follow any particular religion." He says, "Since my childhood I was aware of the immortality of the soul, re-incarnation and the close contact with the loved ones no longer alive. Jesus, Buddha, Krishna have always been in my mind like a representation of what we have to be someday…a spirit full of love." Perhaps, this is also because of the multiplicity and encompassing nature of Brazilian culture. A predominantly Roman Catholic country, the Brazilian belief system has a special place for Hindusim, Buddhism, Judaism, and religious syncretisms, such as candomblé, umbanda, and macumba, that mix Catholicism with African tribal religions.
With a glint of sadness and pride, as foils to each other, Roberto adds that though he has been influenced by his strong Brazilian roots, he never got an opportunity to display his works. The displays at Peter Louis Arts have been his first. In fact, Peter, the man who has introduced Roberto to NY and to the world says, "Roberto and I were introduced via email through a mutual friend who thought we might make a good fit, since I had just opened an art gallery and I deal mainly in Indian art. At the time, my website had quite a few paintings of the Hindu deities, so it seemed a natural fit. Since then the gallery has continued to focus on Indian art, but not so much religious paintings from contemporary artists. But Roberto's work is so fabulous that I thought an Indian deity show, which is so close to his heart, would be a great way to showcase his work at the gallery to my clientele, which is Indian."
What impressed Peter mainly was Roberto's ability to "come up with a group of works that looked so good together; the technical facility and confidence with which he conceives and executes; the incredible world that these deities inhabit, a magical, sensual, glittering, tactile, world of Indian gods and goddesses filtered through a Latin American sense of beauty and extravagance; yes, the extravagance of the conception has never failed to impress me..the more one looks at the works, the more one sees..."
Indeed, and though technology helps you connect with the artistes, it still does not leave you with the actual sensation of watching something in flesh and blood. For that to happen, Roberto's works need an Indian soil! Ending one of his e-mails philosophically, he adds, "I never been to India, a dream that I hope comes true very soon. I really believe that I lived there in past life because my connection with Indian people and culture is too strong." Gods and Goddesses, above and in displays, would surely second that!
For placing orders, contact Peter at www.peterlouisarts.com

Music beyond borders...

"Char Chirag tere balan hamesha, Panjwan mein balan aayi piya julhelalan…" As Fareed Ayaz al Hussaini and Brothers invoked the radiance of the winter moon, with their voices leaving thumbprints in the hearts of their listeners, it seemed the Sufis of the bygone era- those incessantly obsessed lovers of the divine- had possessed them and charged the atmosphere- with audience members experiencing wajad. Belonging to the pir-Muridi tradition, the brothers claim lineage to the first disciple of Hazrat Amir Khusro. And just as well, Qawwali has been in the family for nearly eight centuries.

Passionately sung lines such as , "Bulleh Shah ne Kuj nai kita, yaar nu kita raji" , regaled audience as many cheered and clapped spontaneously, including this writer. The magic of a true Qawwal lies in mesmerizing the listener so much that he/she cannot stop himself/herself from expressing his/her joy through dance. Perhaps that happens when there is a mystical ( roohani) experience. Personally speaking, qawaali, which belongs to the Chisti order of Sufis, is equal to Gurbani Kirtan or Bhajans in its quest for divine. More so, with their use of local dialects and socio-cultural motifs, Qawwals always had a way of perforating the most hardened souls with their singing. Hussaini brothers knew it too well!



Probably the best bet of Delhi Tourism in recent times at Dilli Haat, this group, presented by Seher, charmed their way through the hearts of the listeners rendering some of the best known Qawwalis-ranging from the works of Amir Khusro, Shah Latif, Bulleh Shah and from the Sufi folk tradition. The most interesting of these, were Hussaini Brothers' rendering of Khusro's Kalam, especially certain verses never heard by the audience before. Taking creative liberty, the brothers fused the Kalam of different poets, basing such numbers on the inherent common theme.

Their fervent rendering, incisive grip over the subject and crisp introductions before every piece ( the duo stressed that Qawwali is the point of origin for thumri, dadra etc, not known to this writer before) made for an enriching mix of music and information! The icing on cake was towards the end, when the audience's claps matched with Qawaals' drums and string instruments. A few members of the audience got up and started dancing making it one of the most lively evenings witnessed at a Qawwali concert in last few months.

As one watched the Pakistani group regale the Indian audience, there was little doubt that music can easily erase the shadow lines that distinguish the two countries. Interestingly so, the Qawwals belonged to the Dilli Gharana and took pride in saying that in Pakistan, they are known as Dilli Wale. Apart from singing in Urdu and Hindi, the group also renders Qawwali in Arabic and Persian.

The group was in India to hold preliminary meetings regarding the upcoming International Qawaali Festival in Delhi being spearheaded by Seher in February, 2007.

RTI and Art-frat!

"Hamara Paisa, Hamara Hisaab." This phrase, infused with the collective energy of the masses on the fringes, was one of the many cornerstones that came to encapsulate the Right to Information Act. Empowering the common man/woman with an over riding fundamental right to seek the information that affects him/her, RTI has in last one year of its existence, proven to be a path breaking instrument in democratizing the process of dissemination of information- the mantra being, " What cannot be denied to the Parliament cannot be denied to its people".
Understandably so, contextualising RTI in the realm of ever so disorganized performing arts sector is bound to produce an interesting debate. Seher's monthly interface, Rasik: Meet the Artiste, devoted its latest edition to this very issue. With a panel comprising, Aruna Roy (the Ramon Magsaysay awardee and one of the brains behind the event), Girish Karnad ( film maker, actor and playwright) , and Leela Samson ( Noted Bharatanatyam dancer and Director of Kalakshetra dance foundation, Chennai), and moderated by Ashok Vajpeyi ( Poet and former secretary, Culture ) the debate on RTI in the rose garden of IIC packed much punch about what RTI was all about.
Though, one may add in same breath that only a simplistic view of the connection between RTI and the artiste community could be unraveled with an ostensibly apolitical creative audience (but for few dissenting voices) calling out desperately for unity among itself, without really addressing the issues that divide it.
Aruna Roy, time and again, addressed a need for collectivism, and while an intelligent interjection pointed to the need to examine if masses are always right, the message was loud and clear, that artistes have to trudge the common ground, that there has to be an inherent empathy for the wronged artiste and that such a scenario can only bring a change. ( The massive public reaction to the death of Safdar Hashmi being a case in point)
Girish Karnad, whose incisive comments on the symbiotic relationship between Knowledge and Power echoed Foucault's take on the economy of discourse and the utter notion that knowledge ( keeping of information- in this case- a civil servant from a common man) turns into power, in the context of "other" ( a person at a weaker position) during its transfer, referred to the struggle of film maker Anand Patwardhan whose award winning film "Father , Son and Holy Ghost" was not shown by DD for 11 years. If such a thing was to happen today, invoking RTI will circumvent any such move by the concerned babus.
Leela Samson's take on the issue, was perhaps most eagerly sought, given her personal standing as a dancer and now her experience as part of the establishment. What struck this writer most was Leela's optimism which understandably stemmed from the fact that she had been treated with "kid gloves" by the government.
However, perhaps the danger zones of RTI vis-à-vis the arts were never touched. Its ramifications on the lives of certain prima donnas, who are not only misusing but abusing the subsidies and facilities provided to them by the Government, be it in form of accommodations or sponsored tours abroad, underpinning the ineffectiveness of various government clauses, were not addressed. Perhaps, it would be amateurish to blame the panel. The real camouflaging of the situation occurred during the Q and A, where someone was heard saying, " RTI seeks people to be aggressive and if artistes become aggressive, their art dies." Unbelievably so, when one hears endless stories of artistes indulging in corporate politics and worse.

The trouble with artiste community perhaps lies in its inability to accept that a lot of misdoings have taken place because of wrongful patronage of various kinds that have been afforded to most, from time to time- be it grants or awards. RTI may stem that to some extent. But then, truth can live for another day.

Poignant tale of the devadasis...

Long Shot/Night Time: Madhura standing behind the window bars and looking at the sky, visible to her eyes. Talking to her friend, Kama she refers to the sky being so wide that every star has enough space to shine.

As the final credits of Sharada Ramanathan's maiden directorial venture on Tamil silver screen, "Sringaram: The dance of love" roll, you realise Madhura's ( a devadasi living in South India of 1920s) vision rubbing your conscience, that often sits muted in a highly competitive world where Power – exerts itself through its tangible worth. Madhura's flight for freedom-is as much a yearning of an artiste to blur the societal (in this case fiercely patriarchal) boundaries as it is an extension of female bonding of four women ( of Madhura, her friend Kama, her mother Ponammal and her Patron Mirasu's wife) who find their fates entwined with each other like an umbilical cord where cutting one would bleed the other.
The film which is primarily centered around the relationship between a devadasi and her patron, and the problematics attached to it, is India's official competition entry for the upcoming International Film Festival in Goa this month. Sringaram grows on you for two main reasons- One, the sheer maturity of the director to handle and present the world of devadasis—where the actual insecurities of being in that "profession" are camouflaged by aggressive investment of sentiment in the rituals and rights of the temples that not only insulate the devadasi from the world outside- giving her the status of the temple lord's wife but ironically de-mystify the virginal beauty and talent of the woman, who becomes a mistress of her patron- in this case, the Mirasu. The second reason is the movie's cinematography and art direction. The movie takes you into an era which is disconnected from the world we inhabit. The period-drama is alive and real, with no stress to romanticize the actual conditions.
Sringaram, works on multiple narratives.The most obvious is class/caste struggle where the Mirasu as wily landlord pronounces severe judgments on the "criminals" from weaker sections. While the immediate lower rung blindly supports, perhaps also contrives Mirasu's vision of truth and justice, the widespread resentment for the Mirasu and his coterie is all too apparent but because of the class conscious, no one can cross it, not even Kasi, the temple watchman, who offers an anti-thesis of the Mirasu to Madhura, through his contrasting vision of Madhura's art and her body's sanctity.
Sringaram, while interrogating the mother-daughter relationship between Madhura and Ponammal, clearly situates it in the confines of market- where their art / body while being respected is also rated. 1920s was socially an era that represented a great decline of patronage ( because of migration of the patrons to the bigger cities for economic/political reasons) which also led to the fall in the socio-economic conditions of the devadasis – represented here by Madhura. In the following decades, devadasis came to be addressed as prostitutes. Ponammal's desperation to seek a safe haven for her daughter stems from these insecurities. The fact that devadasis' status as repositories of art had become merely symbolic, sharply comes out in certain instances which however problematise Madhura and Mirasu's relationship.

However, the very structure that Mirasu tries to use to corner Madhura and which also suffocates Mirasu's wife and Ponammal at very different levels, ends up forcing Mirasu to fly the scene. So, Ironically, the one who calls the shots all through out the film has to run away. Mirasu's wife decides to stay back just as Madhura holds on to her quest for independence which makes a parallel discourse with India's yearning for freedom. And just as the freedom fighters- young men in their early 20s- have tremendous passion and respect for their cause, similarly they show the respect and love for Madhura, on very platonic terms, led by Kasi.

The intermingling of Madhura,India, Goddess principle happens at various instances- where each becomes the foil of the other- with Kasi remaining the eternal devotee for all the three.

Towards the end of the film, the viewer is left bewildered having witnessed the life of a devadasi lived with such passion and honesty that the historical narratives of the community, as written and camouflagued by the "social cleansers" lose their shine before this fictional account.

The film has brilliant acting from the lead, Aditi Rao, who is an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer. Jayan as the Mirasu and Manju as Ponammal make for convincing portrayals. Sringaram has some of the best lines up be it Lalgudi Jayaraman's music score, Madhu Ambat's cinematography, Thota Tharani's art direction and Saroj Khan's dance direction. The film, is an important point of departure in period- films because of the authenticity it comes attached with. No loud and garish costumes and sets here, No heavy duty music scores, No over the top histrionics. While the movie could have done with better editing in parts and more accurate sub-titling at places, its nonetheless a welcome respite from the world of Dons, especially since the movie celebrates dance , womanhood and freedom all in one! Last but not the least, Sharada Ramanathan is a great discovery for the film industry.

Scent

The curve of your eyes
whispered a secret
a prayer escaped my lips
....

crafted between the sun
and its shadow
the rain drops filled my
navel

....

Drenched in your scent
I lived and died...

Choreographed to Perfection...

From vintage Odissi to spellbinding Mohiniattam, the past week was filled with goodies for Delhi's dance lovers and leading the pack was Seher's Ananya, the festival of group choreographies of Classical dance forms against the backdrop of time-sculpted Old Fort.
The juggernaut festival was organised in collaboration with Union Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Govt. of NCT, Delhi and Delhi Tourism along with Indian, FCI and Hyatt Regency, Delhi. Personally for this writer, the festival would be remembered for Mumbai's Dr. Kanak Rele and her students' Mohiniattam, which had the geometric precision of Bharatanatyam, lasya of Odissi, theatrics of Kathakali all rolled into one.

Kanak's presentation, the Lure of Lute, ran parallel histories of Krishna's outer journey from being Radha's lover to becoming a king and Rukmini's husband ; and Radha's inner journey from being vexed about Krishna's dalliances with others and her heartburns to her realization that the Lord resided within her. The motif of Lure, therefore played at two levels, firstly with Krishna's flute and love pulling Radha's heart strings in the first part of the production and secondly the lure of Radha's tapsya that pulled Krishna to visit banks of Yamuna with Rukmini where she waited

Highly crisp, with no room for melodrama , the simple sancharis made the entire production impeccable. The visual versatility of the production- from Krishna's raas with Gopis to his departure for Mathura, was accentuated by seamless dance movements.The sequence involving the granting of beatitude to the hunch backed Kubja, was brought out forcefully by Kanak, as she juxtaposed her fear of applying sandalwood to Kamsa with her hesitation to apply it on Krishna. Kanak's winsome smile and her dance-weathered body carved their memory on the scalded stones of Old Fort. Her students raised the bar for any future Mohiniattam performance in Delhi.

Kanak's troupe was supported by a talented orchestra led by MS Girishan on Vocal, C Gopalakrishnan on Nattuvangum, KNP Nambisan on Edek, N Murughan on Mridangam, Shekhar Tanjavur on Violin and Kumarakrishnan on Flute.

The concluding day of the festival was earmarked by a brilliant Bharatanatyam performance by the students of B Bhanumati from Bangalore. Neat and extremely innovative the production clearly pointed to the rigours of training and discipline that must have gone into crafting perfect lines and poses. Clean hand gestures and relaxed but confident foot work were the common feature for all the students. Though, the music built up the evening with much gusto, it was the sheer ability of the dancers to appear as thorough team players that worked most for the production. Be it the knitting of episodes from Shiva's life with refined nritta portions in Shiva Stuti or the miniature effect of Subrahmanya Namah Stuti showcasing the Lord and his life at parallel points, the items highly skilled items had as much imagination quotient. The dancers executed a jati one second and the other sculpted a pose, with perfect balance.Bramha Nandan Tyagaraja addressed to the significance of music as a path of realization was lyrically choreographed as well. The only flip side to the production was shaky Nataraja poses. Perhaps, it made for an ironic statement since the production held its ground firmly!

A quick word about recent Odissi recital by Kumkum Lal held under the aegis of Sonal Man Singh's Centre for Indian Classical Dances. But for few glaring audio glitches, the fact that Kumkum chose to dance on the 1979 recording in which her Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra played pakhawaj while Parvati Brahmachari gave vocal support and legendary Bhubneshwar Mishra supported on violin, provided the audience with a rare opportunity to relish the golden music of yore, which had a balming effect. Kumkum's performance was not so much about the neatness of dance but about the rasa, that was so magnificently created by the music. Her long introductions before every item, while testing patience to an extent, graciously brought forth a humble student, who's love for dance and her Guru had stood the test of time. Perhaps, Kumkum's best tribute in the evening was in being faithful to the choreography of her Guru, be it Nahin Ke Kori Dela or an excerpt from Geeta Govinda.

Extravagant Desires...

I happened to read this quote in a fortune cookie- " If your wishes are not extravagant, they will be granted".Come to think of it, what really defines extravagant? Isn't it relative- depending on what station of your life, you start desiring. And here one takes it as given, that we desire all the time. It's as natural to us as we breathe.


If the quote is applied to a new born child, one can draw interesting inferences.

A child, wishes to crawl and when he/she succeeds in that, he/she wants to walk and so the list goes on. As Parents, both Mom n Dad compete with Grand parents to rob the very first word a child speaks. And so the desires come into play.

These desires can appear extravagant to a child, for he/she has to "accomodate" so many hearts with his/her simple spoken word!

I guess the point has been made!

You and Me

Shaded by the trees
the Sun too grows dark.
Held in my palms
it turns moist.

The body whispers.

The aging bones, like crusted leaves
Bemoan the stars on horizon.
Torn apart from earth’s skull
They ask her, why must we shine on you?

The Moon blushes in reflection.

My heels soak the salt
disowned
by
the Sea
seeking its nirvana
as it caresses
my toes.

On a distant island
You stand.

A wrinkled silhouette,
the colours of night
fill the crevices of your body.

I stretch my hands
to capture the sound
floating around you.
Your death pursues my passion
and waters my ashes.

I stand on the cliff.

The world beneath
With parted lips
writes an obituary
And the newsprint,
crumpled with your name
piles our time
By my bedside

And I locate you
Your flesh in my palms
Your touch in the sea
Your smell in the wind
Your death in my breath….
The stars continue to shine
the graveyard
on the island…

Surprise to Sublimity....

Sometime in September 2005, having met India's dance diva Bharatanatyam exponent Malvika Sarukkai, for a 15 minute conversation that extended to 90 minutes, I vividly recall bowing to touch her feet, as a mark of respect for what she shared about herself and her dance with me. Her ideas on her relationship with dance were sacred and intense, as if the Moon had become crimson. Last week, as I watched her for the first time on stage, her voice ran a parallel discourse on dance in my mind. Inaugurating this year's IIC Festival of the Arts, Malvika's Adhbhuta – Vision of Wonder, sought to capture its shades, from surprise to sublime.

Naturally so, the evening had most ingredients that could have made any recital memorable. But, perhaps because of the intellectual verve Malvika brings to her performances, marked by ever so intangible subtlety, this particular performance of hers fell short before her incredible body of work ( packing three decades).

Though, Malvika's items reflected her incisive understanding and maturity in locating the varied shades of wonderment- as seen through the eyes of a mother/a devotee and a beloved, adhbhuta- especially in her interpretation of Krishna and Yashodha's relationship ( in Krishna nee begane baro in Yamunakalyani raga) and the latter's discovery of her child as a Universal lord, had an element of hyperbole, especially in Krishna's antics and during the sequence in which Yashoda is crafted into stillness on seeing the Universe when her son open's his mouth.

The same was the fate of the next item, Samarpan ( culled from the work of Tulsidas) , in Ratipatipriya raga which revolved around Hanuman's first glimpse of Rama. The element of total surrender, of having realized the Lord in flesh and blood, was diluted by the first few sequences in which Hanuman was introduced as a over enthusiastic monkey playing with his tail, like a woman holding her plait, in a rather ungainly manner.

One could blunt the above two arguments by suggesting that children usually run a riot at home and so they are bound to be excited. Similarly, a 'monkey' will be a monkey in its behaviour and demeanour. But, this entirely justifiable opinion does not take into account the interpretation that Malvika provided right at the beginning of her recital. She talked of adhbhuta at an entirely different pedestal-where wonder- of seeing the world around in all its maya- in the love of a mother , of a child and of a devotee- be it a man or a monkey, has a degree of sublimity attached to it. Malvika's items and their concept gave a full import of what she wished to share, but somewhere in their execution, the texture changed.

No doubt, Malvika's dance is controlled and extremely graceful. Her choreography, while being visually appealing and deftly using the proscenium space overawes her rasikas with carefully executed post-card images! Creative lighting is an essential element of her choreography, more so because it pushes the audiences to imagine what the dancer will do next, when tossing between intricate jatis, she suddenly becomes a sculpture.
Malvika's work has often been inspired by miniature paintings, be it in India or abroad and this element also came through in her item Mohana Krishna in raga malika, in which the beauty of the Lord was juxtaposed with the splendour of nature. From Krishna's eyes to his gamcha, the Lord's physical appearance resonated in Nature and this was lyrically brought out by Malvika. Mohana Krishna followed the opening item of the evening Mallari, in Raga Gambhirnaatai in which, again the detailing of the procession was impressive but perhaps, the sheer wonder of welcoming the deity lost stream before animated movements. The dancer was supported by Balakrishnan on nattuvangam, Murali Parthasarthy on vocal, M.S. Sukhi on mridangam and Vijay Venkateshwar on flute.

Conversing the Iconoclast....

During a two hour conversation, Astad Deboo ( better known to the world as India's pioneering modern choreographer) surveys all the possibilities of sitting on a couch. His hands fly, legs fidget, jaw line twitches, eyes twinkle, fingers breathe and then as a cocoon bursts itself, the room starts reverberating with his gregarious laughter. He is touching 60, has travelled just about as many countries and is a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi's award for creative dance. But as someone who lives the life like a stretched out palm shading the Sun, this cult Guru and a brand to his followers (and some of those are in Bollywood as well), doesn't shy away from calling himself an underdog. Astad throbs with life, that's the first and the last impression you gather of the dancer, who as a young man, brought up in steel town Jamshedpur, sought dance as a carnival, which took him to different cultures and time-zones. The world-traveller set off with a backpack, hitch hiking his way through some of the most memorable events of his life. And he did it all, to understand and then satiate the hunger to learn dance (From Kathak to Martha Graham and Jose Limon's versions of contemporary dance ; from training under Pina Bausch in the Wuppertal Dance Company, Germany and with Alison Chase of the Pilobolus Dance Company to becoming the shishya of Kathakali Guru E K Panicker) - soaking everything that fell between finesse, force and flamboyance. Having watched his yet to be premiered production, Rhythm Divine, choreographed specially for the National Book Trust for an extended India evening (which includes the works of Chandralekha and Navtej Johar among others) at the Frankfurt Book fair, this writer did attempt to decode the visual geometry of the piece- Could he be inspired from the ripples in a pond or perhaps the swirl of a Sufi Dervish? Were his fellow pung cholum drummers-dancers, mere props, shifting their positions without creating a rupture or a beat, spinning around the man like his extended limbs? With Astad, and its rarely so with other dancers in the genre, you can imagine as you like. The chances are, you would be mostly right. His choreography does not wish you to determine the parameters in which you should see it, rather it finds a new shape in every perspective you attach to it. And to be at this stage, the events started unfolding nearly four decades back. However, at that time, Astad wanted to "tell a story and append a meaning" to what he was doing. It was only later, as he discovered various possibilities with his body, that he shifted from explanatory pieces to dancing with objects, in spaces and with himself. Slowly, his movements began to address his body. He found " a lover and a tormenter" in his toe, patenting it in every production of his. Their intense relationship- sometimes psychotic in it's detailing, on others exuberant in its flight, has been talked about and discussed aloud. And it grows further still. Being a modern Indian choreographer, Astad's works have undercut the notion of Indian dance and at the same time, have not inculcated the western version in its totality. The face and the body, hold the court together in his world. Whereas in India (and in east) the danced body heads towards earth's centre, it seeks a journey in space in the west. Astad has miraculously combined both the idioms of expression. But it was not an easy blend to begin with. Astad demonstrates it by narrating his experience while learning Kathakali. Often, his Guru had to tell him "not to fly but be grounded" in his actions. His training in Kathakali which started on his return to India in 1977-78, ran almost parallel to his debut performances in India which received a lot of flak from the spectators. With modern dance still locating its pillars, Astad's dance drove the audiences and the Gurus away. He adds un apologetically, " It was the mindset. People came with pre-conceived notions. And of course, there was a lot of sucking up needed to which I didn't bow".

Understandably feeling rejected, Astad continued his forays into dance, his trips to west remaining a constant feature, learning Kathakali for six years in total with a gap of two years between 1980 and 1982. It was perhaps the most critical phase of his life, with him walking an extra mile in "educating" the west that India too had something to contribute to modern dance. Astad's dance, which he defines as a combination of "Body Centricity- Theatrics and Perseverance" had the last element added during his years of struggle. Perseverance was perhaps something, he found in the hearing impaired students of Action Players, Kolkata and Clark School Chennai, with whom Astad produced some of his finest works yet. He says, "I used to do movement workshops with Action Players. After my workshops, I was told there was improvements in the students and so I was invited for an extended period. During one of those sessions, I toyed with the idea of working with these students. They had talent and could pick up the movements.So, the next step was to teach them how to dance!". He adds, "… I put my baggage behind them and decided to show their work to the public. Though the work was appreciated, I did lose my patience with them sometimes. When I work, I tend to push the level of excellence and there is no room for mistake. So naturally, there were tears on both sides, when they had to create that inner beat."

For Astad, it was important not to allow anyone to say that because the students were hearing impaired they could do as much. His work with Clark School, which presented Contraposition in Delhi December 2004, had a different approach. Because the students had trained in Bharatanatyam, they had certain movement in them. But both the experiences, did mirror Astad's penchant for things that survive out of the marked boundaries of expressions. And though he went by his instinct when he decided to work with these students, his own growth during his early years as a performer on the Indian scene naturally sought appreciation from colleagues (and it did come through from the likes of Sonal Man Singh and Leela Samson)

The "need for approval from Indian Gurus and audiences" was natural but never desperate. And his increasing interactions with the West- which had its early high point in his sudden, unplanned collaboration with Pink Flyod at the age of 22, in 1969, had given way to lasting friendships with likes of Alison Chace of the Pilobolus Dance Company, USA ( Astad has since then, as Narthaki.com reports, "performed at the Great Wall of China, and at the 50th anniversary of the American Dance Festival. Deboo was commissioned by Pierre Cardin to choreograph a dance for Maia Plissetskaia-prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet and has given command performances for the royal families of Japan and Thailand. He was the first contemporary dancer to perform at the Elephanta and Khajuraho festivals. He has conducted workshops at the London School of Contemporary Dance and the China Academy of Arts, Beijing." He has recently choreographed the promotional music video of Bollywood movie Omkara as well)
And perhaps, Astad learnt the tricks of surviving the west rather well. "During my early years, as soon as I would land, I would head straight to a University student's body and seek a platform to perform. At the same time, I would check the local dance scene, meet up with dancers, learn from them , also teach them and have this interaction going" which in the long run perhaps proved to be Astad's ready resource guide for his own works. And he never "stayed on to learn something he no longer connected with". "I moved on", he says.

And if you think, he had it all because of money, think again! He survived majorly by either teaching dance, while learning it or by having generous friends who helped him during his years of struggle, by cutting their costs helping him mount a production. That is an area where he feels, most Indian modern choreographers fail to match up with their non-Indian counterparts. " Their canvas is large and very different. Their approach to the production value of the work is exemplary. Our stage craft is so poor. You can just dream of things. An Indian choreographer can scream and leave it there." Astad moves on to distinguish between himself and the western choreographers by saying, "

They have dancers with great bodies to work with whereas I work with people who have movements. So, that is a big difference. I would also like to have live music,but I can't afford it." But there are times when western dance becomes too technical and boring for him. The element of rasa is extremely important for Astad. That makes his dance different from the one showcased in west. "They could sense that even in abstractness, I was transmitting meaning. There was physicality, there was mind and beyond that there was a certain rasa." As this writer, nudges him into further differentiating between the west and his body of work, Astad adds, " I have an Indian body, my motifs will be influenced by the culture I come from and these elements come out in my choreography."

One needs to just trace his latest production in mind, witnessed a couple of hours back, and there Astad can be seen moving his neck, using his eyes, fluttering his eyebrows and smiling shyly. The face is brought alive even as the body talks.

In search of eternal

Those who know me inside out, always suffer from the contradiction I present- Of living life loudly and holding death close to my heart. My poetry and my thoughts are often marked by this obsession for death. Yet, for most of my golden circle, I don't appear to be the one.



Everytime the mirror
lifts its eyes
I see an imprint of
the memory
left aside by a conquistador
...

And I
embrace the shadows
it reflects

The memories and the body
become one...

Meaning in Movement

The recent performance by the 15 member Armenian dance troupe from Nane Show Ballet, at Kamani Audiotirum recently was a sight to marvel at with an eclectic mix of dance traditions- ballet and tap dance blended with Armenian dance- that left the audiences spellbound. (The evening was in keeping with the 15 th Independence celebrations of Armenia and was jointly organized by the ICCR and the Armenian Embassy). However, in same breath, this writer also felt that perhaps the bodies organizing such events should now seriously look into enquiring about the history and tradition of the art forms, they introduce to the Indian audience since what one saw was great dance but sans any information on what it was all about or how it was uniquely Armenian ( when it had distinctive Euro-Arabic stamp on it. And this when the country is a part of Indo-Euro civilization)
Notwithstanding the fact that attempts are made by ICCR to regularly scout and promote newer art forms of different countries in India, there has to be an equally strong effort by the concerned program directors to ensure that proper handouts giving a brief on the historic and contemporary standing of these art forms are also distributed among the audience. That will enable the viewers to contextualise the performance and enjoy it all the more.
Going by the information gathered on the internet, the sequences performed by Nane dance company ( with the young dancer not more than six or seven years old) were dominated by Nazani ( also known as graceful dance- recognized for its swaying movements of hands, necks and legs.) The other Armenian dances include- Kochari, Berd (meaning Fortess or wall, which happens to be the most typical Armenian dance form ) and Suserow Par (Sword Dance). Nazani, which was the flavour of the evening ( which was interspersed with delightful tap dancing by young performers), is a dance form that owes its identity to Ararat valley- beautiful, sensuous and poetic. Similarly, Nazani stands out for - femininity, grace and lyrical beauty.
Extremely graceful and vivacious, the young Armenian women's performance ( On a recorded music- which had an array of songs and intrumental sequences- which one believed had Armenian zurna (wind instrument), dhol (drum), tar, saz, kanon (string instrument) and duduk) had marked movements inspired from belly dancing of West Asia. And dance and dancers have certainly traversed a long path to be recognized as ambassadors of the country, which has had one of the most ancient civilizations and which lost nearly 1.5 million people to genocide around the first world war, orchestrated by Ottaman Turks. That single event metamorphosed the Armenian dance tradition, since it soon became a tool to heal the wounded souls across the world. And so, the usually rugged and masculine dance form, ( as practiced in Berd, which was born while fighting the Turks) became over shadowed by Nazani. Moreover, As Laura Shanon, who created a new dance form Shoror ( inspired from Nazani) while writing on Armenian dance, in Dance Demon says, "Shoror', means `to sway', and linguistically it means to `oror', `to rock or cradle'. The subtle swaying of the hands, tracing the infinity symbol in the space in front of the heart, is a gesture of cradling new life…" . The fact that there is no codification of these dance forms, the current practitioners are able to mould the dance forms around their cultural motifs.
Given the above, it was understandable to see the female dominated dance troupe.As Gayane Abrahamyan, in her article "Meaning in Movement: The Armenian dance has tradition but welcomes interpretation" writes, "According to ethnographer Arusiak Sahakyan, in earlier times a traditional Armenian woman never danced with her face open and never raised her hands higher than her ears."
Times changed and so did Armenian dance!

Blending of Passion and Wisdom

" My heart is on fire,
In my madness I roam the desert
The flames of my passion
devour the wind and the sky"
- Jalalludin Rumi
"You will find freedom, truth, beauty, love, which are one and the same, only when you no longer seek them..Can mind exist without the movement of search?"
- J. Krishnamurti
Of the numerous quotes that greeted the audience in the aesthetically designed brochure of Aditi Mangaldas' brave and innovative production, Uncharted Seas ( presented by the Natya Ballet Centre at Kamani Auditorium recently) , the above two encapsulated the parallel points of departure, for the dancer and her Drishtikon dance foundation ( which comprises of a couple of talented dancers who carry the capacity to hold solo recitals) . More often, Aditi's understanding of Kathak borders on intensity than nuance. And her journey in the last two decades, from the moment of emotions to the moments of silence, from the moments of silence to the flashes of celebration and at present the near perfect blending of passion and wisdom, perhaps corroborates that.
Uncharted seas, swung between high tides and low tides but the moments of excellence were stored when the waters were placid. The production, in the long run, should stand out for the sensitivity towards visual aesthetics ( in lighter vein, even the musicians wore coordinated clothes!) and grandeur on one end and the ability of the dancer-choreographer to keep in check the flight of movement on the other. The beginnings and the endings of almost all the pieces ( and of the production in its totality) had a certain graph, which had a high mid point at which the physicality of Kathak dominated the abhinaya aspect, with the later half submitting itself to bhava. In a way the production worked at two levels- one at macro level, since there were no break ups and announcements through the production and two, at micro level, since though, various episodes were strung together, each had its own narrative to fall back on.
Aditi and her dancers' strength, throughout the production lay in ensuring that after displaying the virtuosity of nritya aspect, they could afford to pull the movement back, shove it to the background and reveal the essence of the piece through abhinaya. More so, in the last minutes of some sequences when the music, the sound of feet and bells, the alacrity of the hands and the intensity of the eyes, inevitably lost stream before the stillness of it all-when the eyes saw the world around, following the hands, when the splendour of the costumes- red, yellow, golden , paled before the hand held flickering flames, when the dance soaked body stood devoid of much movement, allowing the lyrics to take over and direct the choreography.

The solo-dance sequences of Aditi had an unusual pace to them and while at some places, it impacted the clarity of movement, the magic worked because of the motifs of silence that followed, sometimes unexpectedly and sometimes predictably. One could say, the aggression of dance and the joy of dance separated the fast and the slow paced sequences. And it was her talent in creating a natural link between the two, that worked at artistic and philosophic level.
Our entire journey of life surrenders to endless search for that one moment of magic, which could be anything. However, it is only when the journey inward begins that the true story is written, spoken and danced. Uncharted Seas, for this writer, couldn't be summed up in a better way.
Uncharted Seas were traversed with the help of vocal compositions of Shubha Mudgal and Anesh Pradhan. The on stage support on vocal, sarangi and harmonium by Samiullah Khan; Tabla by Yogesh Gangani, Pakhawaj by Mahaveer Gangani, was very notable. The students of Drishtikon dance foundation who performed Uncharted Seas with Aditi were, Rohit Lal, Gauri Diwakar, Rashmi Uppal, Afsar Jafar Mulla, Anindita Acharjee and Rachna Yadav.
Another Kathak recital, which, however went a bit unnoticed, was that of Prerana Deshpande and her disciples at India International Centre. Prerana, who has been a student of Dr. Rohini Bhate, scored high on two points. First, the amazing versatility she brought to her choreography, and second, the remarkable ease with which she and her students performed to the recorded music without diluting Kathak's spontaneity which is a must to make a recital successful. Be it her sensitive portrayal of the nayika in her home ( with the meaning of home personified by her body), in Kajraee Thumri or her young and petite, talented daughter Ishwari Deshpande's madhya laya teen taal, the dancer-Guru's performance had an unmistakable Bhate stamp. The use of space and the imagination to carve a Kathak choreography in diagonals and zigzag formations (and not as much in circles,squares and straight lines) was indeed commendable. Bhairavi based on the composition "Rhythmspace" by Pt. Vikram Ghosh was a memorable piece for the sheer joy with which the Guru and the students ( Prachi Natu, Ankita Ingale and Anuja Joshi) performed it.
However, one couldn't help but wonder if the Guru was promoting her talented daughter a bit unprofessionally, with her name in the handout preceded only by that of her mother and an exclusive chance to perform solo sequence in the recital, even though she is ten years old and much younger to the students who accompanied Prerana.
Last but not the least, a quick word on the festival of foreign artistes residing in India, organised by ICCR at Kamani Auditorium. Of the two performances witnessed by this writer, Isabelle Anna's Kathak recital ( disciple of Pt. Jai Kishan Maharaj) could give a cause of worry to home grown breed of dancers. Isabelle has grace and charm, a commanding stage presence and though she may need to still work on her foot work, she has an innate spontaneity of a veteran. Her ability to hold the audience, understand the use of space, and emote rather maturely the feelings of Kandita nayika in thumri, "Kayo ko mere ghar ayo" more than made up for a slightly weaker jugalbandi that followed the number.
Though, it was a week dominated by Kathak, one was lucky to witness the Odissi recital of Masako Ono, the talented and dedicated Japanese (who is following the footsteps Bharatanatyam dancer Izumi Sato, another known Japanese face in Indian dance circuit) dancer on the inaugural day of the ICCR festival. Odissi being a dance form rich in lasya is usually said to be a tough dance form for foreigners because of the angular body positions and movements, with its typical tribhanga positions.Though Masako does not have natural advantage of having a body suited for the dance form, her unassuming grace and unrestrained vigour, in parts, especially during Shiva Panchakriti Mantra made her recital an interesting visual experience. Not to forget, her convincing interpretation of a Haiku through movement.Even though, the acoustics were in bad shape on the first day and there was a faux pas at the time of inauguration, the festival did define India- At home in the world!

The Body and Karma

Paint the city of my Karma
for the hours hold out
the leftover sand dunes.
...
I return to the sun
and the moon
let my body shy away from them
let yours
cover
mine....

The Leaf

Standing under the shadow of a leaf,
I swirl around the wind
like Sufi dervish.
...
The charade betrays
and wind turns into
a lamentation song.
Between the palms, I allow the leaf to breathe...

( I was created alike, plucked from a muted tree)

Pic © www.dennisflood.com

A sight, less ordinary...

"Show me the meaning of being lonely…" Perhaps, this hit number from once popular boy band, Backstreet Boys, also sums up the crucial moment in Ramayana, when Lord Ram, had to take a call between being a king and a husband. It also reflects Sita's ultimate sacrifice when she journeys back into Earth's womb. Regardless of the political correctness of Ram's decision, squarely debated by devotees and feminists, it is the act of renunciation, from both ends, that holds fort at the end of the day. Ram and Sita- very human, very un-Godlike (and melodramatic for some!), acting out within the confines of patriarchy.

That is exactly how Ram and Sita emerged from the richly conceived world of Puppeteer Anurupa Roy and architect-animator Vishal K Dar's collaborative effort, "…about Ram" (based on 7 th Century AD Sanskrit Poet and Dramatist, Bhavabhuti's Ramayana).

The production was decidedly ambitious and innovative in its vision and though in parts, animation tended to out do puppetry, the stand-alone moments of introspection (Ram's remorse in the beginning on the sea shore) , action ( Hanuman's ravaging of Ravana's
Ashok vatika) and renunciation ( Ram and Sita's decision), were the most well executed sequences, where puppets made it all the more human, more believable.
For a rasika, to engage himself/herself with three streams of viuals- Puppeteers, Puppets and Animation- and then to collate three to fully comprehend their inter-dependence and inter-relationship is not an easy task. What do you look at and when, and what can you afford to miss? Mercifully, there was enough breathing space and Anurupa bravely attempted to even out the dilemma through her mature direction. Ram's war on Lanka went the animation way, where as Ashok Vatika was stolen by the puppet!

The production was complex (and one believes it was not deliberate) with puppeteers becoming life size puppets. Then, there were dance- elements of Mayurbhanj Chhau and Kathakali- bringing in the dramatic element. The four disciplines of dance, puppetry, theatre and animation, were therefore fused together to create Ram and Sita and their share of demons. The puppets, moistened with emotions, invested by the manipulators, narrated their own story. The animation, sprung to life, drenched in saffron and technology and art, birthed a battleground. And amongst all this, the internal world of Ram and Sita manifested through puppets where as the external world of war came alive on screen.The ekaharya tradition of dance was dexterously followed, with Ram becoming Hanuman, perhaps also as a reference to the myriad emotions that inhabit one individual.

But there were a few feathers that ruffled against the current. The sequences involving the shadow puppets and the episode depicting Hanuman setting Lanka on fire, were marred by lack of coordination (with a tail-less Hanuman!) and consequently, trivialised the uniqueness of shadow puppetry ( which is a dying art and needs pro-active approach).

However, the effort, the vision behind, and the canvas of, "…about Ram" raises the bar of innovation in puppetry. The aesthetic stage design and impressive dance sequences embellished the production. Not to forget, the highly humorous episode involving Hanuman at Ashoka Vatika. While the puppet and life size Hanuman were ravaging the Vatika, the icing on cake for this writer and others sitting around in the audience- was a question put by a child to his mom, "Mummy, Where is Hanuman?"

O! Karma

I watch the autumn shades
trickle down
a prayer filled with water
O! Karma
No voice left unheard
a sage bears the marks of earth
a prayer filled with sand
O! Karma
I float under the water, above the sand
the mirage sprinkles death
O! Karma
my sins have a long way to go…

All for the love of Mozart!

"The taste of death is upon my lips...I feel something, that is not of this earth"

Attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, these last words stand in sharp contrast nearly 215 years later, as Vienna aches its heels to celebrate the 250th birth anniversary of one of Europe’s most endearing composers of Classical Music. With 30 million Euros to boot, the celebrations which kickstarted last January, are in full groove.

A guilt pang surfaces occasionally as you talk to locals here. The general refrain is -“Mozart was ours and Vienna is because of him, yet he died poor and penniless, buried anonymously”. Young men masquerading as Mozart invite you to a ballet theatre, convincing you that it is the best deal of the day, “All for the love for Mozart.”

The man whose work includes more than six hundred compositions of chamber, symphonic, piano, operatic and choral music has emerged as the next door neighbour in 2006 with his personal and professional life, becoming a part of public narrative life like never before.

The calculations and celebrations are strategic as well. With European Union, dwarfing identities and France dominating cultural diplomacy in the region, it was a matter of time, that other countries ended the French Soliloquy. And Mozart’s 250th birth anniversary was just what Austria wanted. Though, Mozart was born in Salzburg, he spent last decade of his life, largely in Vienna (with the city now taking it upon itself to create an enigma out of the profilic composer).

And the results so far, (the official word that is) have been inspiring. Be it the increase in tourist inflow, or the greater exchange between Austrians and Viennese ( Vienna is banking heavily on its countrymen to join in the celebration of Mozart) or the sheer number of youngsters who have taken to the Mozartian myth and legend, the development and boost given to the study of Mozart’s life and the attempts to churn out a Viennese identity out of a world artiste, the work undertaken by a number of organisations led by Wiener Mozartjahr 2006 (one of the apex bodies, created and comissioned to propose,plan and execute such projects apart from the staging of opearas, music concerts, ballet and theatre performances) has proven that culture, when packaged well, is the best bet to market your country and its commercial spirit.

As one looks at the massive installations in the downtown area, it becomes clear that artistes, architects, landscape and graphic designers, have worked in tandem in covering the city with the Mozartian “cap”. A walk towards the St. Stephen’ cathedral, which stands five minutes away from Mozart’s last known residence in Vienna, at 5 Domgasse, (fully renovated and converted into a museum detailing the artiste’s time) points to the bewildering realities of modern day life. Between many ant cafes and popular tag stores, young artistes can be seen singing, or playing a piano, a violin or a flute. And all of it, not without a license. But encircled by an energetic and generous crowd. While these artistes earn their bread, they also strongly project to the travellers like this writer, the true spirit of Mozart- that of spontaneous and intuitive creativity.

And though Vienna indulges in Mozart with an element of romance, his unhappy childhood, unimaginable success during adolescent years and his active involvement with Freemasonry movement ( responsible for American and French revolutions) during the later years of his life, have understanably made his life and times, a part of modern day artistic discourse. The shades of his personality have mirrored the shades of Vienna’s popularity as the centre of western classical music and post-modern electronic music.

The fact that world’s best DJs hail from Vienna and Austria, testifies to this ever changing face of music capital. Kruder and Donfmeister, Christian Fennesz, Electric Indigo, Patrick Pulsinger and DJ DSL are some of the names that have popularised down beat, experimental electronic, techno and hip-hop and have kept the focus on Vienna, in their own ways, long after Mozart has gone.

In fact, at the office of Peter Rantasa, the Executive Director of World Culture Forum (which is having its next global meet in India in Jan 2008) and the Director of Music Information Centre Austria, there is a flurry of activity, as the next big event of Wien Mozartjhar 2006, gets underway in two week’s time.

MODERNISTMOZART 2006, a festival for electronic music and beyond, is being billed as a parallel to Mozart’s childhood. The festival comes with a tag line- It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. Situating itself between the infancy and childhood memories of the electronic music industry which in 1990s, in Vienna, had much to accomplish (and which went through a series of self-deprecating instances and doubts in later years before emerging as the masthead for world’s electronic music industry) and the image of Mozart, the child prodigy who had to bear with an over ambitious and over bearing father, the festival looks at music, as an instrument of happiness and unfulfilled dreams. Mozart’s only companion during his childhood was his music and looking back, at all that he lost because of it, would have been challenging for the composer. The interface between with child and art, MODERNISTMOZART is therefore a unique attempt with some well known Austrian faces from different genres coming together to create art for Mozart’s sake!
Backed by a 100,000 euro grant, the festival promises few firsts. As Helge Hinteregger, one of the minds behind the festival reveals, one of the highlights of the festival is going to be ice records. A collaboration between Claudia Marzendorfer and Nik Hummer, “ Viel Larm um Nichts” is based on an adventurous idea of creating ice sculptures of music records. Hinteregger explains, “The silicon imprints of music records are taken and then the containers (having the shape of music records) are filled with coloured water to a high freezing point.” Nearly two dozen such ice records have been created and they will be allowed to melt away as they will play, on the premiere night, depicting that all the music will melt away. Just as Mozart’s childhood melted away and ours too.
As Peter Marboe, the artistic director of Wiener Mozartjahr 2006, spoke at the beginning of the celebrations, “Perhaps the best birthday gift for this amazing man is to invite a gathering of artists from around the world to come together in Vienna and pick up where he left off…Some artists will be speaking from places where their peoples are living through genocide and civil war and their aftermaths, where the need is to somehow turn the page of history, and where acts of mercy, imagination, and negotiation are the only hope. The fires in the suburbs of Paris make it very clear that there can be no illusions about a First World and a Third World --- there is one planet, and we are all sharing it..”
As the week rounds up, Vienna’s Mozart overwhelms.The artiste stands a little further apart from the social activist, who is still further apart from an unhappy kid, and who is still further away from the relentless father, who had to turn to borrowing money to sustain his wife and kids. And Vienna embraces Mozart in all his forms, with a great degree of humility and pride. Their Mozart. World’s Mozart. At another event, the city’s attendance at the Rathaus, Vienna City Hall, in thousands to attend the eight week Festival of Opera Music Films, under the Moon light, every night, packs a note, that our culture, too needs our Mozarts to come out of the closets. For once let culture and not politics of culture, do the talking.Amen.

On Board...

Above the skies
belly burns...
The world of humans
cushioned by blazing cotton
...
The mind plunges
a free fall
to the world
on the other side...

AF 148-673 miles from Delhi, 39,000 feet above Earth...

Thanks GOD..and some MORTALS!

Thanks.
For all the moments that are etched in my mind, from that one day, 17th Aug,2005 which each one of you made so special in your own way.

Thanks.
For all the help,for all your patience, for all your love, for all your blessings, for all the happiness that became mine forever.

Thanks.
To Subbudu Mama,his family and friends, all those who allowed me to enter their inner world, without complaining, ever so graciously, be it in sweltering Chennai heat or cold-scalded Delhi winters.

Thanks.
For all moments of inspiration, for your own personal narratives, you shared and enriched me with, be it online , long -distance or in person. For every moment you shared a part of you, I felt re-invigorated.

Thanks.
All my mentors for asking me to carry on and for holding me with care, cajoling me , nudging me to do better and for creating the path for my future journey.

Thanks.
All my inspirations, for all the opportunities you provided me right through my college years, for having faith in my ink.

Thanks.
All my friends and my family members.

Thanks.
For allowing me to hold the sky in my palms...

Aug 17,2006...I look forward to you with all the aspirations and with a word of gratitude for the wonderful year gone by. Thanks.

Yet I am to die...

And yet I am to die
this time not
one but with two of them
living out the prose
of their life

like
the asymmetrical geometry
of their glances
cultivated casually over the years
sharing
their children

sometimes

ensuring their witness
as they died
before each other
in many arguments...

all of them similar and still separated
by the space of
a gene, a generation
that embodies itself within me
tying me
insensitively to their fights.
why am i so important to them?

In helping him tie his turban
as he conceals
a bald head,
in cajoling her
to lose weight so that
she can fit into the a-line skirt
i gifted her
on her last birthday?

They grumble still
like the noisy wilted pages
of the book which has
left its thumb prints
outside every entrance
to the morgue of memories
where I steadily pile my own flesh
borrowed
from those who hail themselves
as the prominent characters
of the epic
where
my grandparents
have played
protagonists.

I do not recall
the names of those
who
they could have
loved
and
lusted for.
The paramours
in their lives
who float
in my blood
like salt cubes,
collecting themselves
around
the retina of my mind.

And
still
I call them my own.


Those silent lovers
who can be seen
walking through
the silt of silence
they share
on the bed
tucked away
from the glare of
their sweat
and its
scented trail.

It disturbs
the imagined portraits
of gods
clamouring for space
with
multiple hands
and
tilted heads.

They have survived
the youth
of this ancestral home
bathed afresh
with a pail of flowers
which confuses
my sense of smell.

It has located
the crumpled forehead
of my grandfather
his scaly eyebrows
providing
shade to his eyes
blood white
and
the oversized belly button
of
my grandmother
twitched and curled
broken and repaired
by the midwives
who brought to life
my uncles and aunts
the hardened jelly pieces
having coffee colour
similar to
my mother's eyes.
*****
The kite
that ruffles
itself to life
every time
the wind performs
a pole dance
around
the antenna
sits pretty
overlooking
the scalded
terrace floor
mingling
the numerous charcoal drawings
which have
percolated down
through
the cracks in the roof
of the bedroom
where I sit today
counting the number
of hair strands
of my grandparents
gossiping between themselves
the truths dyed.

They are the proof
that my DNA
bears the wear and tear
as they have combed those
men and women out.

The first fight
the grand snub
shared
between the siblings
crawls down
and covers
my slow decay
as I
hurriedly erase
myself
following the rhythm
of my grandparents'

walk
towards their death
hastened
by the wet debris
of the home
whose bricks
and iron rods
now support
my rickety bed.

Holding Court: Terra Cotta Confessions...

Minutes before attending Seher's first resurrected Rasik – Meet the Artiste series featuring famous Odissi dancer Sonal Man Singh in conversation with eminent writer and Director General of the ICCR, Pavan K Varma,( at the India International Centre Annexe recently), this columnist had a chance to rush through an impressive photo exhibition, "China Diary" featuring Mala Mukherjee's works. Among the images from the exhibition that stayed and swirled in the mind, long after the conversation between the dancer and the writer ended, was that of a Terracotta warrior (circa 210-209 BC) holding his sword close to his armour, captured by Mala at the museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, east of Xian, Shanxi in China.

It appeared that the warrior, stern yet vulnerable, cabalistic yet charming , intimidating yet romanticised- had come alive in Sonal as she was nudged and cajoled by Pavan into sharing her impressions on issues ranging from- the current situation of Indian dance ( the gurus, the shisyas ,the young stars, the state and need of cross over productions, the bureaucratic fiascos and interference) to issues of identity, individual talent and tradition (of the dance and the dancer- the male/female)


The conversation, which offered much to read between the lines, was marked by Pavan's witticisms and Sonal's sting for the government policies and its freebie culture. Similarly there were words of wisdom reserved for the Shishyas. Probably the world of opportunities as revealed by Sonal for the youngsters, was too romanticised, more so because with growing corporate patronage, the demand for group choreography has increased multi fold. This has reduced individual platforms for the young dancers, whose sheer number suffocates the collective opportunities available.

Even as the prima donna wondered about the problem of audiences and disagreed with Pavan that arts were a preserve of the elite, there was a sense of disbelief, since the ground situation for majority of dancers is quiet different. Going by the interactions with a number of dancers down south, the sabhas, including some leading ones, give programs only when a dancer can ensure at least 50 members in the audience.

As for Gurus and Shishyas, many students learning under leading Gurus of Delhi say that the entire "training" process becomes a nightmare for them, if their parents are not well connected or they don't have deep pockets. One would not wish to get into the strong rumours of sexual harassment against some prominent names, which have been doing the rounds for some time now.

One still yearns for honest admissions from the dancers, who too have to blame themselves for the alleged corruption of the system. The deeply fissured community and its own entangled egos form a part of public discourse as also the nexus between the babus and the dancers that has become middle aged!

Perhaps, in such a scenario, it was too much to ask for even from Sonal, who is generally known for her frankness and boldness, in dealing with matters and in fighting for causes.


But beyond personal perspectives on broad issues, Sonal's personal narratives and understanding of dance made the conversation memorable. For once, it was interesting to hear from a dancer that it is through body that one reaches the divine. "The body is primal", Sonal informed, adding that much of the bhava emoted by the dancers today was "over chewed". Briefly talking about her early years in dance, Sonal reminisced how during a practice session for her arangetrum her Guru pointed out to a monkey and told her to spot the difference between it and her! Juxtaposing that incident with the moment of her life- when she performed at 16,500 feet above sea level before, Mt. Kailash, it was certain that young Sonia (as she was called during her early years) had imbibed the art in a way, which would make all her Gurus proud.

However, despite the journey, the immense highs and lows in personal and professional life, Sonal still shied away from baring her soul. May be it was a comment on the audience who came to hear her, or it is just not that easy to perform sans make up.
One looks forward to more such interactions with the artistes but with a strong rider that conversations must be driven by the likes of Pavan K Varma who managed the conversation with charm and grace despite some cheesy old timer saying, " No classical questions, only personal questions please!"

© The Statesman

© The Pic above: Terra Cotta Warriors: www.coppercanyonadventures.com

Bach in Beirut

While surfing the internet a couple of weeks back, a letter from Lebanese born British National, Zena el-Khalil, riddled this columnist with questions to which no war monger would have an answer- the questions that intricately entwine our motherlands with war, culture , religion and humanity. Following is a small excerpt: " The question is what am I to do if I had the opportunity to leave? Would I leave? What do I do with my friends? My family? My art studio? I have a British passport;I could be evacuated with my husband. But what would happen to my best friend Maya? She has a very rare and bad case of Cancer! I have been taking care of her since she was diagnosed a few months ago and I know that my care for her is what has helped her do so well. Her type of cancer is "untreatable", but ironically, the day the shelling started, her doctor told us her tumors had shrunk! Unbelievable- a true miracle. I can't leave Maya!What about art work in my studio? What about all my brushes and paints and glitter and books! All my books! Again- the crazy things that cross your mind.What about our photo albums? All our family pictures? The memories…What about the doodles I drew on my balcony a few summers ago when I was suffering from a bad break up?What about all the love letters I have saved? Letters that document my youth that I wanted to some day give to my daughter."
A few days after reading this letter, as one watched the signing cermony between World Culture Forum Alliance and the ICCR to host 3rd World Culture Forum in New Delhi, in January 2008, there were mixed feelings of hope and despair that made one question the need for such an event at first place. How would such a meet really matter to someone like Zena, who could be killed any minute while refusing to be evacuated from the very bloddy Lebanese earth? What use will this global platform (of hundreds of culture czars, thinkers, artistes, civil society, NGOs, government bodies ) be to the innocent men and women- who like the victims of Mumbai train blasts, will make their last journey with half finished promises? The world is ending, the hell is here and the Biblical Book of Revelations stares at the vermilion stream…These questions, walking like spiders on the walls of reason will knit their web forever. The clutter they produce cannot be wished away but where must we go, what must we do?
Dialogue. That is and will be the only solution to all we suffer. The death and misery, the violence and hatred will stay as a parallel to humanity but it is dialogue that will help understand the consequences, the issues at stake, the dangers that lie ahead of us and the precarious future we are ferociously building for the furture generations. Zena's story is an act of such a dialogue just like conferences and events like WCF have been and will be. Religion does not have answer to as many questions, as our culture has. The two must be separated while understanding the need for universal brotherhood, of equality and compassion. Holding out a promise that the event, will be used to promote and showcase to the world the cultural diversity that marks our social fabric and makes us tick- despite all the problems of a third world country, WCF India 2008, has the potential to blur the boundaries that differentiate rest of us from the first world. The dissemination of malicious media, the aggression of the bully powers, the muffled destruction of tradition at the cost of modernity and globalism and the de-famliralisation with the concepts of peace and tolerance are the immediate concerns that require practical long term solutions.

Treating Culture, as a misfit, as an anti-thesis to cosmopolitan world is the most foolish thing to do. And we are doing just that abundantly. Events like WCF India 2008, which will be a build up to a number of regional level conferences in various parts of the world, is a reminder that we need to continue the interaction. WCF India 2008, is now more significant that it ever was- not only because we need to understand and sustain the growth of cultural industries or we need to make the markets culture friendly, but because the very philosophy of Ananda that is at the very centre of Indian soul (and which has enlightened many a civilisations world over) is at stake. Our myths and folklore, had immense wisdom to share. They linked our countries and continents through images and stories, long forgotten, erased and muted. Every year we lose nearly a hundred dialects, and with them countless lullabies are also lost. And still in Lebanon, Bach holds an olive branch…
A moment of harmony in Beyrut
We suddenly heard from one of the houses
Bach music beautifully played -
The whole company stopped
To hear the music.
The pianist played beautifully
And the whole company stopped and
listened to the exquisite harmony.
The bombs did not succeed to stop us -
but a sixteen year old girl
Playing Bach music -
Stopped us!
( Bach In Beyrut © Ada Aharoni - Haifa, 2001)

( In the Pic above: Calling Cultures: The Director General, Shri Pavan K. Varma and the Chairperson of the World Culture Forum Alliance (WCFA) Mr. Franz Patay signing an agreement on hosting World Culture Forum's Global Meet in India in 2008. )


© The Statesman 4th August,2006