I am a Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer, a recipient of a tradition of
centuries, a recipient not just of the dance form but of its attendant
psychological, social, philosophical, sociological, metaphysical and
esoteric constructs. Such constructs can loosely be called tradition.
Along with other artistes, I am given the responsibility by virtue of my
years of learning, to learn, imbibe and carry forward a tradition of a
particular style of performing art. We artistes thereby become dynamic
links between centuries, between eras, and between ideas. This onerous
responsibility sits heavily upon the shoulders of each and every serious
artiste. I am part of that flowing river called tradition, a perennial
river, meandering, striking new courses, accepting new temples and new
pilgrims, supporting old rituals on its path to the sea.
My passion for dance began early in life – a chance meeting at the
Subramanyam temple in Secunderabad when I was 4 years old – a comment
that “this child’s eyes are large, you must teach her dance” saw my
mother Subhashini Shankar (herself a musician and violinist) enroll me
with guru Sharada Keshava Rao. My initial years also saw me training
with guru KN Pakkiriswamy Pillai (brother of guru KN Dandayuthapani
Pillai) who then taught in Hyderabad.
My dance training continued in Hyderabad until the summer of 1973, when a
mother and her very young daughter, wended their way nervously into the
courtyard of a building in Chennai. They waited outside the office,
after having sent in a message, eagerly waiting to be called in. But
they were not summoned inside. Instead, the very person they wanted to
see came out to greet them. The lady was none other than Rukmini Devi
Arundale, the Director of Kalakshetra (Athai). The young girl was me,
and with me was my mother. After the traditional namaskaram (bowing low)
I remember asking her to bless me to be like her someday. “No, no, I
bless you to be greater than me,” said the beautiful lady, swathed in a
maroon silk saree, with her freshly washed hair falling down on her
shoulders.
Read the article in the site
For three days from September 20 till 22, the Kennedy Centre in
Washington DC turned into the Music Academy of Madras for
the lovers of classical Indian dance and music. Never-say-die aficionado
Dr. Sreedhar Potarazu’s Vital Spring Health Care has been collaborating
with The Music Academy for the past seven years for the annual Dance
Festival. He had a dream of mounting Utsav, a celebration of India’s
maestros of music and dance with artistes selected by the Music Academy.
His dream came true when the Academy finalized the various details.
Was it possible to experience classical dance in one’s lifetime? This
lament echoed around me repeatedly in the mid 90’s, often by my dance
students’ parents and then others in their thirties or more. They felt
doomed that perhaps this unfulfilled dream would have to be taken into
another lifetime as they had crossed the requisite age bracket. It
rankled me no end - this thought of carrying something over for another
lifetime. It seemed like the beautiful art of classical dancing and
Bharatanatyam was like a far away world or planet that was inaccessible
to them. One began to feel then, was it not possible to build a bridge
somehow, or create a chink space in the door for this ‘marginalized
section’? They did not ask be to be donned in glorious costumes, they
did not ask for a performance platform, they did not seek applause, they
only wanted to ‘experience’ moving in the classical dance way!
Visiting Bangalore soon after centenary celebrations of Mohanrao
Kallianpurkar to attend Varsha Utsav organized by Adhyasha Odissi Dance
Ensemble run by Odissi exponent Sarita Mishra, it was indeed a pleasure
to meet another devotee of Odissi based in Bangalore, performing,
teaching and organizing programs enlisting support from Bangalore based
local senior and contemporary dancers. I had not met her or known her
earlier, but seeing her work, dedication, enthusiasm and high standard
of her own dance, I was duly impressed. Sarita Mishra hails from
Bhubaneswar. Her husband Uttam Rath is a military officer. Though he has
to move from city to city, his stay in Bangalore offered Sarita scope
to start an institution to teach Odissi to young dancers and also elder
women interested in dance. Within two years she succeeded in gathering
around her few talented dancers, including those who have had training
in Bharatanatyam and worked assiduously to build up an enjoyable
repertoire.
