Its good that such events take place and that there is an apparent need for discourse but Indian Classical dance suffers from a great deal of spiritual affectation and the more worrying fact is that NO ONE is really bothered about dance per se.
Leme share my recent column on the topic I spoke on:
Love my Money, Love my Dance.
Last week, a young upcoming research scholar and Bharatanatyam dancer based in Chennai called past mid-night to vent his anger at an old Sabha secretary, who has been, for some years now, charging money from young dancers in lieu of giving them the Sabha's platform. When confronted for reasons which forced this dancer to give the bribe, he sarcastically remarked, "It seems you are unaware of the problems faced by young dancers."
Last year, during an interview, a leading Chennai based dancer confessed to this writer that two decades back when she was beginning her career, she paid, about five thousand rupees to a sabha secretary to extract a performance during the Chennai Season. " Now, the rates could be around twenty thousand rupees and more" she revealed before giving numerous examples about the current lot of dancers who have gone ahead and purchased the opportunities. Are these Chennai sabhas an inspiration for some Delhi based Gurus?
Its indeed ironic, that while on one hand, the People's President, APJ Abdul Kalam, strongly recommends a system of rewarding young talent and asks Sangeet Natak Akademi to examine if there can be SNA awards for youngsters, on the other we have country's young talent paying their way to reach the top.
The story doesn't end here. Though, these young dancers ( like their seniors) claim a spiritual bond with God, they still find that God doesn't come to their rescue when some greedy Gurus, siphon off their scholarship money, they are entitled to from bodies like ICCR, SKP and CCRT.
Is there a mechanism to ensure that the money reaches the students and that Gurus only charge for what they teach? The problem is further aggravated by a lack of centralized evaluation system that enquires into the credentials and the merits of the Gurus concerned. Having a plush dance school is by no means a guarantee that the student is getting the best training. Many of the dancers running such schools ask their senior students to teach the youngsters while carefully camouflaging the entire exercise with "patented" glory of the past.
While there is a system to have a report about a dancer's progress from the Guru, the time is fast running out when Government can sit easy and believe that the students are happy with their Gurus too!
Moreover, every passing year, the musicians accompanying the performers, increase their moolah and make it increasingly tough for the youngsters to pocket even a thousand rupees for their performance.
While, no Guru or an institution will ever agree to having a centralized system of teaching and training, there must be an effort from the side of the Government to see that those institutions which train it's scholarship holders are provided with a broad structure to train the students. Many times, Gurus teach the same old items, often complaining that the dancers are not perfect. If the student is not good, the Gurus should complain to the concerned bodies and strip the students of their scholarship (but not before before serving a show cause notice)
For many students, having a performer-teacher is the worst nightmare because such a Guru is often promoting his/her career with such ferocity that talented students are deliberately overshadowed because of the Guru's ambition and insecurity.
The problem usually begins when a student is "deemed fit" for an Arangetrum ( first solo performance). The esurient Gurus immediately pounce on parents and claim that their children are destined for higher things in life! An elaborate arrangement is made. Huge amounts of money is splashed ( the situation is terrible in USA and Canada) and the Guru and his/her musicians warm their pockets as the student and his/her parents are made to believe that a new star is born. And then reality bites. The student who is now "trained" enough to be a solo performer, starts asking the Guru for more such performances, to become more visible to the critics and the rasikas. And its here, that the pocket of the student, to pay for the rehearsals, orchestra and Guru's special training becomes his/her bag of destiny.
If a student does not have money or the scholarship, what can still work for him/her is his/her novelty value or his/her PR skills. If he/she is a Muslim learning Bharatanatyam or a Christian learning Mohiniattam, chances are, he/she would be immediately recognized by the Guru and promoted as a bright case of India's great secular tradition. Its even better if he/she hail from a family that is recognized in same way or another. Many a times, if a student is talented, and the critics or the powers that be, like his/her performance, the Gurus use him/her to impress them in hope of a good review for their own performance next time or a recommendation for state sponsored award or a trip abroad.
There are still some Gurus, who are not interested in immediate material gain, especially when it comes to the foreign students. They set their eyes on long-term goals by cultivating friendships with these students in this fervent hope that when they go back, they would invite them to take special classes or give performances. After the scholarship period expires, many such students return to their countries, open a dance school and then return to their Gurus annually to learn new items on fast-track, thanks to fast-filled pockets of the Gurus.
Thirteen years ago, when this writer performed his arangetrum, more than half a lakh was spent and the eleven year old boy was said to be fit for giving solo performances on stage, more so because he happened to be a Sikh and came from a family that had its on standing and connections. It was indeed a deadly combination.
Being party to the crime, has helped realise what it takes to make the dance work for you. Unfortunately so, thirteen years now seem like a Golden age, even as the narratives of nightmarish experiences of young dancers , flood the senses today.
Its true there are still such Gurus who are doing commendable service and have produced students par excellence regardless of their money power and its also true that there have been non serious students but the world knows about them. Who dare talk about the bad Gurus?
© The Statesman
