Wednesday 26 October 2016

Article - The elements of margam - Chandra Anand

Margam is the presentation format of the Bharatanatyam dance form. Through the presentation it imparts the knowledge of the interminable truth – “All human beings are the limited manifestation of the Ultimate Being” [1] and suggests that the goal of every single being in the world is “reunion of the soul with the Absolute Soul” [2]. The margam suggests a spiritual path.
Through “the elements of margam”, the theme of evolution of the self/spirit on the spiritual path is put forth. In truly “epical style” [3], the theme is carried forward. At the outset, the truth of the human life (allaripu) is put forward, then the zenith that a human being has the possibilities to reach (varnam) and then the realities of life (padams and javalis) and ends expressing the hope to attain or regain the epitome of life (shloka).



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1 comment:

  1. Dear Madame,

    A very insightful look at the Margam.However , I have a question or questions--

    why does each composition of Bharatnatyam margam have to link itself to spirituality ?

    is art without spirituality banal according to you?

    Does spirituality lie in the eye of the beholder?

    Having seen all the tanjore quartet varnam-s and sabdam-s I fail to percieve any kind of spirituality there? What i see is sensuality towards either a king ( patron)or the main God of that temple....so sensuality towards god or king is spirituality , but sensuality towards a normal human being is banal?

    IS IT A SIN TO DO BHARATANATRYAM WITHOUT ANY SPIRITUALITY ?
    Don't you think it is this kind of rigid Bharatanatyam which stops itself from making it contemporary which we Kathak dancers achieve because Kathak is sans any kind of implied or explicit spirituality. Is the strength of Bharatanatyam (which is supposed to be it's so called spiritual content) , its weakness too ?

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