Friday 31 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 20


Vanishing bloom, Fading music

Friendship, ‘natpu’ – It is the invisible force that moves the earth. Friendship is the abundance of love. Love is the abundance of friendship. Love and friendship are like seeds and sprouts. A friendship may form between any two people on this wide earth. A friendship rooted in love transcends parsing and practices. Those who form a friendship are called friends. This is common for plants and animals as well. However, it is hard to provide apt meaning to the Tamil word ‘natpu’. Valluvar has written an entire chapter on ‘natpu’ in an attempt to define it. According to him, friendships are hard to form. In a world that has turned materialistic, the characteristics of ‘a friend’ have also changed. In this day and age no one is going to sit facing north and fast unto death like Pisiranthaiyar did for king Koperuncholan. The kings today know this as well. Therefore, no one reserves a seat next to them on their deathbed. As the humorous adage says, when the king’s dog died the entire country mourned. When the king himself died, no dog mourned it. Those who find good friends in life are blessed like the Devas of the heavens.

Article - Freedom Diaries: At the stroke of midnight


August is the month of marking India's 73rd Independence Day. We spoke to several dance seniors and asked them to share a memory of what that day was like!

Thursday 30 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 19

Learn, even by begging

Education and experience both sharpen one's mind. Of these, education is when you study and understand the thoughts of others starting at a young age. Experience is when you put to practice in your own life what you have studied. That is why in Tamil, it is said, study even if it means begging for it. Those who were able to record their thoughts by putting pen to paper were called 'creators'. Those who learned it were considered 'educated'. The ideas exchanged through words formed the relationship between the creator and the educated. The educated were not compelled to accept the ideas written and the creator was not compelled only to write down ideas that were acceptable. God does not care to check if anyone is worshiping him. And the devotee does not pause to verify if god accepted his prayers. If these two thought processes meet each other at a single point, that becomes the moment of bliss. This will also apply to a leader and a follower both of whom have accepted a common vision. The purpose of pious devotion is to reach this state. Until then, one must continue to learn. A society that encourages learning should also confirm that those who learn establish themselves among the learned. Only then can the education of a society be accepted as a reflection of its collective experiences. If not, it will lead to a state where the learner spoiled the text he was learning and the singer spoiled the song he was singing.

Wednesday 29 July 2020

New York based Arts from India presented Navarasa online - Footloose and fancy free with Dr.Sunil Kothari


In present Corona virus times, there are few enterprisers who have been active assisting dancers to perform choosing a thematic content. Among them Ajayveer with help of Kathakali exponent Prabal Gupta and New York based celebrated dancer, curator, organizer, commentator, choreographer and well known for her Sutradhari Natyam, Rajika Puri as an anchor presented live concert of Navarasa recently. The timings were for USA - New York 9am till 11am and for India from 9pm till 11pm. However, with Q and A with Rajika Puri and dancers, the program extended by another 45 minutes and it ended at 11.45pm! There was admission fee and the audience had to buy tickets for viewing.

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Tuesday 28 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 18

Gather the clouds to soothe the face

Travels are the educators that teach you of life. They are the keys to opening sublime secrets that no others can comprehend. An individual's travels are the continuous gathering of experiences seen through innumerous perspectives. Some travels may bring unwanted and unsavory experiences. When you reminisce over them, they make you wonder if that really did happen. Those who are blessed with the experiences of travelling without their life being anchored in one place, are the romantics who are enamored with this earth. No matter how many angles you can shoot a photograph from, it will never match the excitement of experiencing it in person. The modes of transportation may vary as in by foot, by car, by bus, by train, or by flight. But the experiences do not diminish. I can produce an entire book if I were to gather in writing my experiences of travelling to Europe and North America by myself. Those experiences had so many surprises and twists. Though some of them scared me and others bored me at the time, they still make me long for them today. Some spend the entire journey sleeping or playing on their cell phone. Instead, look intently at those around you. A deep trove of experiences will be awaiting you.

"Zakir, we're going to North India for programs. You do know, don't you?" Chitra akka asked me. I nodded.
"You're coming along this time."

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Sunday 26 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 17

Challenge! Surmount!

It is because they faced challenges did living beings develop superior adaptation skills. Singular lives proliferated and became groups of lives because they were able to adapt and overcome changes to their environments and to themselves. The cactus in the dessert is able to conserve the scarcely available water in its leaves and protect them with thorns. Plants that face severe winters sprout, branch out, bloom, and bear fruits in a short summer, then shed leaves and are ready to face the winter again. When the immobile plants are able to adapt in so many ways, there is no limit to the number of ways in which animals and humans have adapted themselves. The houses we build are reflections of our adaptation. A coward becoming a hero, a modest man achieving greatness, and every luxury we enjoy today are the epitomes of that adaptation. But in this continuing change, humans, who evolved from nature destroying that very nature is akin to pouring boiling water on your own roots.

"Napoleon! Quiet. Come inside"
When Mrs. Gomathy Viswanathan called for it in English, the three feet tall, silky orange maned, foreign bred dog stopped its barking and wagged its tail. Half my life that had escaped me was regained with the water given to me by Gomathy amma. 

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Saturday 25 July 2020

Early memories of encounters with Birju Maharaj - Footloose and fancy free with Dr.Sunil Kothari


No memories of Birju Maharaj can be recalled without the period of fifties when after Independence, by 1953 the Government established three Akademis in Delhi - Sahitya Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA). The role assigned to SNA was to preserve, perpetuate and revive classical dance forms, archive them, along with folk, tribal, ritual dances and classical music in its multiple forms, and similarly for theatre, regional and traditional, traditional which were alive and regularly performed all over India; to honour the greatest artistes in all these fields and maintain an archive.

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Thursday 23 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 16

Darkening clouds, impending rain

'Rain' - It is nature's gift to earth and is non-discriminating in its nature. It may gain or diminish in status once it falls on the earth. Its nature may change depending on its use. But rain itself does not have those disquiets or urgencies. As far as Tamil language is concerned, rain is always the 'good rain' - nalla mazhai. If it pours indiscriminately, it is 'heavy rain' - adai mazhai. There is no such term as 'bad rain' - ketta mazhai - in Tamil. Even though it is the ocean that gathers in the clouds, it has to fall back on earth for life to flourish. 'Silappathikaram' invokes the rain as god by singing, 'maamazhai potruthum' - praise the great rain. Andal sings 'maamuththa nidhi soriyum maamugilkaal' comparing rain drops to great pearls and praising them as the earth's greatest wealth. Therefore, the rain falls for everyone. And it is equivalent to wealth. Poet Vairamuthu asks in a song not to shut the door and wave the black flag in protest when the rain comes. The rain is for everyone....

Four to five days must have passed since I started learning dance. My attendance at Bilal Hotel went from bad to worse. They asked me politely to stay at home.

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Monday 20 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 15


A blossom yet to bloom

Dance - It is created by stringing many movements together. It does not discriminate between living beings and non-living things. If the movements are synchronized it becomes enjoyable. If synchronization is lost, enjoyment becomes difficult. The beauty of the dance depends on the beholder's environs and emotions. Of the many dances, the classical dance has transformed itself to adapt to many environments and ages, and has been influenced and conformed by the many masters who lived through those times. It reinvents and renews itself constantly to hold true the famous saying 'change alone is unchanging'. Those who lived fifty years ago did not dance like those who lived a hundred years ago. The dance that was prevalent fifty years ago is not around today. How will dance be tomorrow? Those who taught dance and those who learned dance - the two were from two different generations and each had their own stresses. It was the same way in other fields of art.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 14


She smiled, the statuesque beauty!

Names - For some people, their given names seem perfectly apt. For many, it's the opposite. Some people's names make you wonder if they were named because of their achieved fame in a certain field or if they achieved fame in that field because of their name. Some names inspire respect even as you read them. When one reads the names of Gandhi, Theresa, Periyar and Ambedkar, one is reminded of their contributions and service to society. The names of some others make you feel exasperated with the thought, 'Why would anyone give this person this name?' Such will be the level of disparity between their name and their personality. 

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Profile - Infusing intellect and intent into dance: Moving Stories and Touching Tales - Dr. Sujatha Maringanti


As the entire humanity is marching to the tune of a microbe, with life being the only negotiation to make, songs and stories are all humans can turn to. And the stories abound - of prayers and preaching, of fear and fate. Here is a story about unassuming individuals, who use their art and intent to usher in a positive, powerful, sustained and silent revolution in a world torn apart by hatred and conflict. A major axis around which the story revolves is the staggering 45-year dance career of Jonathan Hollander, the artistic director of Battery Dance Company with its mission - 'artistic excellence and social relevance.'

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Thursday 16 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 13


To see a peacock sway

Music - It moves and guides every living being, not just the human beings. Music is the exhibition of emotions. The spur for music is many like love, valour, anger, joy. Science tells us that music is the resonance of waves in the air. And this resonance is different for every being. Even among the human race, each and every group of people has a different resonance. Music evolved when humans diverged and formed different races among themselves. Music cannot be categorized into 'good music' and 'bad music'. What we enjoy as soothing music may seem irritating to someone else. The reason for this is the difference in resonance.

Madras Music Season is the exposition of a unique culture on the world stage. It is an endeavor of a community that understands classical music and wants to demonstrate that knowledge. The event is a confluence of music as well as poets and artistes who speak many tongues. Though there are many disparities along the caste and religious lines, this festival binds people together with the concept of 'art', and propels the audience to a different magical universe at least for the two-hour period a concert lasts. Together with one's appreciation for music, it's an agent that gently strokes tender feelings within. Here too is a working class that labours like the cinema industry where many struggle to overcome class boundaries and inequalities. Madras Music Season is the fruit of the combined effort of everyone - from those who sweep the floors of the theatres to those who fill it with their music.

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Wednesday 15 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 12


The skies sing lullaby

Fine arts are the reflection of an advanced, well established, and cultured society. After gaining self-sufficiency in the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter, communities all over the world have expressed their yearning for artistry through music, paintings, sculptures, dance, and literature and recorded it in history as their culture. This is the reason why during periods of instability brought on by war and other emergencies, persons who practice fine arts are greatly affected.

A woman emerged asking, "Who is it? What is it that you want?" She must have been a maid in the house.
"Is this not Chitra madam's house?"
"Yes."
"I have come from Salem. I need to see madam."

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Tuesday 14 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 11

A new world! A new dawn!

Cities that are home to a majority of the world’s population, are miniature nations in themselves. Its inhabitants adopt a multifaceted culture without the need for a unique identity. Cities are entities that are in constant restless motion forming hierarchies not based on caste and creed, but based solely on wealth and lack thereof. Anyone can succeed here if only they possessed perseverance of effort and innovation in thought. The ability to determine ‘this person can accomplish this task by this means’ and to implement it is an important and unique feature of any city.

In the predawn hour, the ‘Yercaud Express’ expelled me – who did not have an address for it to note down - from its long stiff body with a jerk and a yawn. I was the last one to get off – with a quivering heart. The noise of trolleys being pulled on uneven paths screamed like broken loudspeakers making passengers run asunder. Porters in red uniforms hurried with heavy loads won in barter. The owners of the loads followed them – intently observing and pretending to chat – like cats following their kitten. The stench from the fish and shrimps in large sacks engulfed the area and lingered in the nostrils even after exiting the railway station – as if it had become embedded on the brain. Though this city rush was new to me, a sense of calm came over me knowing that I had left my village behind.

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Monday 13 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 10


Can a leaf burden a tree?

Every fork in the road leads to a new path. The human race that originated in one place and lived as one community was only able to inhabit the globe and establish distinct ways of life and multiplicity of unique cultures by separating from each other. The reason we see generalities in human nature and culture is because their origins are one and the same. Even though the differences are many – in such aspects as the tone of skin, language, dress, diet, and social construct – the entire human race has followed the same evolutionary trajectory. Communities that separated many eons ago in search of food, settled down close to sources of water.

Communities that depended on hunting for food, now learned to cultivate the land and were able to find permanence in one place. We continue to propagate and record ideas developed by studying, observing, and extrapolating facts we learned of these communities that thrived or perished on the shores of seas and rivers.

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Sunday 12 July 2020

My early association with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra - Footloose and fancy free with Dr.Sunil Kothari


I owe my introduction to Kelubabu to Babulal Doshi.

It was in 1958 All India Dance Seminar held by Sangeet Natak Akademi at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi from 31st March till 7th April, where a galaxy of pioneers of Indian classical dance had got together, taking stock of the dance in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

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Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 9

Smooth sailing on calm waters


‘Time’ does not wait for anyone. Those who board the right ship at the right time are the ones who completed their journey successfully and returned to the shore. The journey may face many adversities. Storms may even change the course and direction. Regardless, some are guided by faith in themselves and others by faith in a higher power to achieve their goal. Notwithstanding whom they place their faith in, it is their diligence that is essential for success. Even if one attains success by a stroke of luck, if they do not persevere, they will be trampled on by the march of time and left behind destroyed and forgotten. I suppose this was what was referred to as fate by those who understood the importance of hard work.

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Saturday 11 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 8


When you walk the storied halls...
An artist's contributions should be celebrated and acknowledged in his or her lifetime. Offering him garlands and incense after his demise is contemptuous of his/her art. Any accolades or honour that was not afforded to him in time can only be considered unnecessary nails on his coffin.

On that evening, the entire Technical College was transformed to look like a wedding celebration adorned with banana plants and mango-leaf decorations. The inauguration of the stage was attended by the college correspondent Mr. Chockalingam Chettiyar and his spouse Meenakshi Chockalingam. Mr.Chockalingam is the son-in-law of Thyagarajah Chettiyar. There are schools and colleges in the name of Thyagarajar in Madurai as well. After the country gained independence, the Chettiyars of Naattukottai built many schools for Saivite-Tamil as well as higher studies with philanthropic intent. Our technical college was one such institution. At exactly five o'clock, as Nadhaswaram and Thavil played, and as NCC and NSS students sprinkled flower petals as confetti, the correspondent and his spouse were welcomed with great honour. As it was inauspicious time until 6 o'clock, Sunday, the stage was inaugurated at six thirty with the lighting of the lamp. In those days, fireworks displays in Salem were reserved only for the festival at Kottai Mariyamman Temple. Therefore, there was no display of fireworks at the college event.

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Friday 10 July 2020

Two post war dance stalwarts - So different yet alike - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman



But for Ratikant Mohapatra's invitation to participate along with senior critic Dr. Sunil Kothari in a discussion, under the aegis of Bhubaneswar University, based on two Padma Vibhushans - Late Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Pandit Birju Maharaj - I would not have had a close parallel look at the career graphs of two dance stalwart gurus who, for all time to come, have provided the reference point for Odissi and Kathak respectively. Revealing for me were points of unexpected similarity in the two very different personalities.

The starting point of their entry into dance however was vastly different in each case. For Pandit Birju Maharaj, born in Lucknow in 1938 to the exalted founding family of Lucknow gharana Kathak, as the only son of Achhan Maharaj (after seven girls), with legendary Bindadin Maharaj as grand uncle and uncles in Shambhu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj, each a stalwart, Kathak came as a birth right and almost unwritten dharma for the torchbearer of the gharana.

On the other hand, born in Raghurajpur village in 1924 - 1926, (latter according to official documents) with his birth perceived as inauspicious due to death of siblings, leading to name being changed from Madan Mohan to Sabakhy Kela or low street performer, Kelucharan's inexorable childhood love for watching Jatras and dance taught to the Gotipuas, had to constantly contend with father Chintamani Mohapatra's (a Patachitra painter) firm belief (in keeping with the times) that dance was the last resort of the truly shameless and immoral.

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Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 7

Locks Dance in Unison

"Thandalai mayilgal aada, thaamarai vilakkam thaanga,
kondalgal muzavin Enga, kuvalai kan viziththu nokka,
thenthirai ezini kaatta, thembizi makarayaazin
vandugal inidhu paada, marudham veetrirukkum maadho"

wrote poet Kamban describing the dance of nature in Marudam land - one of the five species of lands in Tamil literature.

Roughly translated it means:
'While the Peacocks dance in the cool gardens on the shores of the pond; Lotus flowers hold their heads up high like lamps; thunder from the clouds play the drums; dark blue lilies watch as with admiring eyes of an audience; the gentle ripples on the pond part as the curtains; bees sing like the sweet sound of the fish-shaped lute, Lady Marudam was seated in her throne!'

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Thursday 9 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 6


Dance to your heart's content

When the human species abandoned the caves in favour of the huts, it also learned to live communally. The one among them who was perceived as capable of providing a level of security for their life and limb came to be considered their leader. The role and responsibilities of the leader and the lead evolved over time. The passage of time and external forces influenced attitudes and perceptions of the communities. We find evidence of this evolution through the architectural artifacts that are becoming available to us now.

No sooner had Chitra madam entered her assigned room, she declared, "Very good. A beautiful and compact room. We will stay here," and it felt like Deepavali had arrived early for me. It was an air-conditioned room with two large beds.

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Wednesday 8 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 5


Here comes the Goddess!

There comes a moment in every person's life when they encounter an event and realize 'this is what I've been seeking all my life'. Once that realization sets in, a new seeking begins within to find the reason why. On that day, I met the Goddess of Dance, whom I realize now I had been seeking all along. I awaited her without realizing that from that moment on, she would determine how the rest of my life's journey unfolded.

The first to emerge from the train was Mr. Visweswaran - with a slender build, six feet of height, and a complexion akin to that of a North Indian trader. We took the elegantly designed maroon and dark blue coloured suitcases from his hands and greeted him. I have never seen such suitcases in Salem before. Maybe they did exist in Salem but I did not know anyone who actually owned those. Many of my relatives had travelled to Arab countries for work. They would return with humongous suitcases that were big enough to fit a person in. When opened, they would reveal Panasonic and Phillips tape recorders, sarees taken from India and rebranded as Arab sarees, strong perfumes that never wore off the clothing once sprayed until the piece of clothing itself disintegrated, and great amounts of dates that the Arabs themselves discarded as not fit for eating. Those suitcases, packed airtight, were the ones I was used to. But these suitcases looked so elegant they must have been purchased in some Western country for a high price. Finally, after all the suitcases had been unloaded, Chitra madam emerged.

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Tuesday 7 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 4

Showers of Blessings
The day dawned like any other without any pomp. I had awoken earlier than usual on that day. My mind was restless with anticipation.

My roommate Prabhu must have noticed the difference in me when he told me in jest, "Dude, today is the last day of your freedom. You'll have to start attending classes from tomorrow."

I was worried for a moment thinking of my return to the classroom. My HOD would probably be awaiting me with pent up anger. "Shall see," I answered half-heartedly.

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Monday 6 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 3


An Illustrious Future
It was my second year in college. I was seated in the classroom of my department head pretending to pay attention while trying to fight off my heavy eyelids made heavier by the generous breakfast I had helped myself to at the hostel earlier. To my department head, I was an unnecessary being whose only purpose on earth was to occupy space. He regarded me with such abhorrence - an abhorrence such men usually reserved only for those who dragged them through the halls of Supreme Court over some unlawful claim. In local lingo, I was to him a 'waste fellow'. I was startled out of my slumber when the secretary of the arts department entered the classroom...

"Zakir, Chitra Visweswaran has agreed to do a dance performance at our college. Do you know of her? What do we need to do to prepare?"
"She is an internationally recognized artiste, Sir. There will be a lot of people coming to see her dance. Our auditorium won't be big enough for the crowds."
"Alright then. Let's build a new auditorium."...

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Sunday 5 July 2020

Zakir Diary - Thadhiginathom: Part 2


School and Schooling
My formal education began when my father enrolled me in the local state-run elementary school. He himself was employed as a teacher at the state-run high school, so this was convenient for both him and me.

The elementary school, as well as the high school, had large playgrounds attached to them for students to pursue sports and athletics. However, I astutely avoided getting involved in any sports or athletics. The main reason for my avoidance was that I was keenly aware of the physical repercussions that would befall me at home if I was caught playing out in the sun. I was also apprehensive because I had once fractured my left hand merely by falling down. The cast I was to wear for two months gave an excuse to many distant relatives to come to our house under the pretense of inquiring of my wellbeing. Most overstayed their welcome and our house was transformed to resemble a temple during festival season for the entire two months I had the cast on. I appreciated their concern; but my grandmother did not appreciate all the associated expenses or the work. So, from that point on, I was confined to the house - like sheep to a pen - and was forced to endure her vigilant care.

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Saturday 4 July 2020

Thadhiginathom: Part 1 - Zakir Diary


Preamble
I was born in the village of Thurinjipatti in the Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu. A village so remote and obscure but idyllic and blessed with natural resources. Situated on the foothills of Yerkadu, its picturesque beauty seemed straight out of a movie. The village benefitted from the plentiful rainfall on the hills which provided for an abundance of good drinking water in the wells, a constant supply of fish in the canals, bountiful harvests in the fields, and healthy cattle herds to roam.

A majority of the village’s residents belonged to the communities of Kounder, scheduled castes, Muslims, and Oriya speaking Boyar. They each had dedicated places of worship and their traditional ways of worshiping. There were not more than a hundred and fifty to two hundred households in the small village. In addition, the Nayakkar community made up a small minority of no more than four or five households.

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The contribution of Kathak exponents Dr. Puru Dadheech and Vibha Dadheech - Footloose and fancy free with Dr.Sunil Kothari


In the world of classical Kathak, the names of Dr. Puru Dadheech and his wife Vibha Dadheech's names are taken with great respect. Being self effacing by temperament and low profile, they were not known to other classical dance exponents and gurus. However, in Madhya Pradesh Kathak world they are legends.

Before Covid 19, in February in Mumbai, Dr. Sandhya Purecha, while celebrating centenary of Acharya Parvati Kumar, had arranged a special series of lectures by Dr. Puru Dadheech on Natyashastra and Kathak. This was for the first time ever that such a series was arranged at Bharata College, where a special course on classical Kathak and Natyashastra has been finalized and is offered as a course. I happened to attend Dr. Dadheech's lectures and as we were staying in the same hotel, I sought appointment with him to learn more about his career and the course. Of course, I had known about the couple as both had performed at Kal Ke Kalakar festival at C. J. Hall in Mumbai for Sur Singar Samsad.

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Wednesday 1 July 2020

Anita says...July 2020

We dance...
to breathe, to bring the soul to the fore, to be free
to remember, to experience, to imagine, to connect, to share
to include all and leave none, to travel together, to persevere
to lift each other's spirit, to realise possibilities, to transcend boundaries
to inhabit spaces beyond the body, to manifest the extraordinary
to stand in the present and reach out to the future, to conjure the unknown
to be proud in our bodies, to coalesce all parts of our being into one
to wear eyes and ears all over our bodies, to welcome all colours and sounds
to reach the centre from the periphery
We dance to feel alive!
Stand up for dance! Stand up for all!

- Jayachandran Palazhy (Founder, Artistic Director, Attakkalari)

Another month passes. Touch is out. Distancing is in. Tempers run rampant. Patience runs thin. The body passes into numbness, no matter how hard we try to find a rhythm and a routine. Television is a cannibal, feeding on carcasses of dead ideas. In small cozy WhatsApp groups, the elite discuss "serious" issues and weigh in on life and death matters while sipping a "garam chai", filter coffee or a chilled Chardonnay - with coordinated designer masks of course!

How much longer can we continue to hope that things will resume as they were for the live arts? How fervently can we pray for the world to resume its chaotic but recognizable patterns? How many more appeals can we encounter without withering into cynical ennui? For those of us who have donated, supported, purchased and encouraged performers, crafts persons, weavers and creative people across all spectrums, the endless litany of woes does not seem to have a finish line.

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