Wednesday, 1 January 2020

Anita says...January 2020

Love one another but
Make not a bond of love
Let it rather be a moving sea
Between the shores
Of your souls
- Kahlil Gibran, poet

Welcome to a brand NEW YEAR and the start of a NEW DECADE !

The last month of the year brought such a whirlwind of contrasting experiences that I am still breathless from the tsunami of visuals and sounds that have hit me for the past 31 days.

From devout crowds at my ancestral temple, to an urban library where John Lennon met Andal; from being spellbound by a flute next to the ocean to eyes moistening as I watched a mother sing baby Krishna to sleep while narrating the Ramayana - this has been an overwhelming month for me.
As patron, presenter, producer, performer, speaker, writer, host and single parent- all the while maintaining a calm demeanour - HAS NOT BEEN EASY.

Amidst the chaos of daily protests and arrests across India due to the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) a month of singing and dancing seemed at odds with the reality of our daily lives. But then the Chennai Margazhi season chugs on...

And just in case you were thinking that ALL roads lead to Chennai in December, there is slight modification. Only certain parts of Chennai celebrate MARGAZHI. Go beyond Gemini Circle to areas like Nungambakkam and Kilpauk and you will be asked, "What is happening? What Season?"

This online dance portal began at the dawn of the millennium and it is already in its 3rd decade!
And how much our dance lives have changed!
And the most evident indicator has been the recently concluded NATYA KALA CONFERENCE at Krishna Gana Sabha.

Read on...

2 comments:

  1. Dear Anitha ji, Wish you a Happy new year. May the new year bring wealth and prosperity to the world. A very good blog. I'm glad to have read it on the first day of the new year.

    I do agree with you across every point made in the blog. Appreciate you for the same. Hope dancers awaken from the blog and try to refine themselves with true presentations than copy/paste or recorded nuances.

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  2. Anita akka - Happy New Year...

    Wishing you a wonderful new decade of eloquent and entertaining writing on Narthaki. The one portal that makes me feel apart of all the Indian dance action whilst comfortably being at home.

    Really enjoyed reading this New Year post...haha especially the dawn of the new alarippus hahaha!

    I do agree that us young dancers need to be less sensitive to harsh criticisms. I really appreciate what Ramaa akka said about having a witness approach to our work and not be too attached to it.

    Sooo much to ponder on, process and most importantly as Sonal Mansinghji addressed in her keynote address at NKC - Nirikshana happens with Pareekshana - investigation followed by Action!

    Lets do more Action in 2020...

    🙏😁👍❤

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