Article - Harmony in Strings and Equations: Unravelling the mathematical beauty of veena - Dr. Sahana Prasad

Being a Mathematics and Data Science person, I always look for patterns and well-defined systems. When I restarted my veena lessons after a huge gap, I was able to appreciate the instrument, the divine veena. Not only was I able to enjoy the calming effects of music, especially when the string is pulled using the right pressure and the sound is allowed to gradually die away, before pressing the next sound, but also observe a strong link between the veena and science of mathematics. 

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UNbox and outta box! - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

UNbox is the latest attempt to brand Bangalore. Earlier attempts were worthy but faded away without staying power and change in admin. As part of the 11 days feast, classical dance was offered by the UNbox Bangalore Habba team at Medea in Koramangala....

Crowds came in abundance to NADAM's 24th year Kalanadam festival at ADA Rangamandira. The hall has seen better days. Even with enhanced facilities, especially parking and elevator, the staff is nonchalant, uncooperative and plain rude. They are getting a salary for work but act as though they are doing a favour! I would tell the owners to replace them with younger, more qualified professionals if these think they are doing social service. Lights go off when needed most; elevator switched off unless you can prove you are above 80 and can't climb steps. NONSENSE.

NADAM made sense despite that and for three days brought a dance palette of taste and substance. On day one were the popular local razz-m-tazz Kathak duo Nirupama and Rajendra. Day two was Odissi from the soil by Meera Das group and G. Narendra solo. Day three was Mohiniattam by Sunanda Nair, then Kathak by Nadam ensemble and Bharatanatyam by Poornima Ashok....

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Article - The music of the Geeta Govinda - Dr.Ileana Citaristi

(Excerpt from: I. Citaristi, Odissi and the Geeta Govinda, New Delhi, Manohar Publisher, 2022)

The first English translation of the Geeta Govinda to appear in the West was the one published by Sir William Jones in 1792. In the preface to the book he writes:
"When I first read the songs of Jayadeva who has prefixed to each the names of the mode in which it has to be sung, I had hoped to procure the original music, but the pundits of the South referred me to those of the West and the Brahmans of the West would have sent me to those of the North while they of Nepal and Kashmir declared that they had no ancient music but imagined that the notes of the Geeta Govinda must exist if anywhere, where the poet was born."

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Interview - Raja Reddy: We merge originality with traditional forms - Tapati Chowdhurie

The name of Raja-Radha Reddy is synonymous with Kuchipudi dance. Their illustrious career spanning over more than half a century has created a bench mark, which is hard to achieve. Their performances, public or private, in the country or outside have gained them a reputation for rare excellence and technical perfection. Both Raja and Radha Reddy got the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan individually and simultaneously for the same cause of propagating Kuchipudi dance. That created history. Similarly they were decorated with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award too.

Sitting in the well-equipped library of his dance institution Natya Tarangini - running for the last 47 years - in Pushp Vihar in New Delhi, this writer had the rare opportunity of interviewing Raja Reddy, the doyen of Kuchipudi dance.  

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Book Review - Courting Hindustan: The Consuming Passions of Iconic Women Performers of India - Dr. Ragothaman M. Yennamalli

Picking up the book 'Courting Hindustan' by Madhur Gupta was a delight. It was a breeze reading through it. I loved how the chapters chronologically trace from the famous Amrapali to T. Balasaraswati. Within the ten chapters, there is a lot of information along with familiar content that as dancers/artistes we know about. The good thing about this book is that if you are traveling, you would have finished it before reaching the destination. Packed within the pages are stories of how strong-willed women, ostracized by the society, fought with the system, survived and shone like bright stars for everyone to be inspired about.

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Article - Mandala Nritta: Techniques of staging war sequences based on Naṭyashastra - Dr. Nancy Abraham

Art revives and readapts time and space. Indian performing arts transcends boundaries and enables global platform to communicate human experiences.  This study throws light on Maṇḍalas which is the core performing techniques particularly used to stage the war sequences mentioned in Bharatha’s Natyashastra. It emphasizes on war movements. Maṇḍala Nritta is a technique to perform war dance and usage of weapons. They are usually performed by movements of feet which are graceful and harmonic. It can be delicate movement of one leg or a combination of the movement of shank, feet and thighs. Bharatha’s Natyashastra mentioned only the lower limb movements which are divided into two types, Akasha mandala and bhu mandala or aerial and earthly mandalas. Indian dance research plays a significant role in ancestry of dance movement into the integral part of modern dance world. So texts and commentaries on the one hand and praxis on the other hand were essential to understand India’s dance tradition to reconstruct their history.

The Naṭyashastra encompasses all that belongs to the Indian tradition of art and aesthetics. It is a Sanskrit treatise on performing arts. The study of Indian art and culture derived through various layers such as theory and its application, oral and textual tradition, ethics and aesthetics, classics and folks (Margi and Desi tradition). 

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Profile - Vija Vetra: A century of dance - Prakhar Bajpai

Vija Vetra, the legendary star performer and renowned Latvian dancer from the USA, is a national treasure who specializes in Indian dance forms. She is a dance choreographer and the first dancer who started “the Indian dance movement” in Latvia. Her name carries profound significance and deep meaning. In Latvian, “Vija” means garland, and in Sanskrit, it is pronounced as “Vijaya”, meaning victory. “Vetra” means the storm or dark clouds of God Indra. Combining both words from her name simply means “Garland of Victory”. Vija, often called the priestess of Indian dance, was born on February 6, 1923, and celebrated her 100th birthday this year. She has resided in the heart of the West Village, New York, since the 1970s and is known as the Westbeth icon. She has been an ambassador of dance, bridging different cultures and hearts and uniting the world through her talent. She is a dance architect who expresses the emotions of life and nature through her dance. Dance is her way of connecting with the universe.

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Anita says...December 2023

 Where do stories come from?

They come from other stories
From deep within ourselves and from the cave of memories
Stories bind us and release our imaginations to swoop and soar
- Author SALMAN RUSHDIE award acceptance speech, Germany



We ask that same question each December!

"Where did the year go?"
"What? Already?"
"Gosh! How time flies!"

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UPAJ - Part II - NRITYA (Section # 2): Column by Janaki Patrik

ELEMENTS of IMPROVISATION

1. The Kathak body stance & stage conventions

Kathak has origins in the village storytelling style katha vaachak - literally meaning "story speaker" - from the Sanskrit root vaak - speech. Kathak's lingering folk elements contribute to the informality of many of Kathak's storytelling techniques, and to the ease with which performers can improvise. Performed with an upright torso carried on straight legs and loose knees, Kathak can cover space with an un-stylized gait, which is close to ordinary human movement. With the continuity of its upright stance for both nritta and nritya (pure dance and storytelling), Kathak can seamlessly transition into the distinctive gaits of all kinds of characters in its stories, uninterrupted by the need to return periodically to a style-imposed position such as Bharatanatyam's araimandi , the "half-sitting" pose , or Odissi's tribhanga - "thrice-bent "- pose . 

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UPAJ - Part II - NRITYA (Section # 1): Column by Janaki Patrik

In my two-part essay entitled "UPAJ - Improvisation in Kathak", written for Narthaki Online, I endeavor to demystify Kathak's rhythmic and storytelling improvisational processes. I suggest that improvisation is an art which is learned and practiced - an art which is not limited only to those who are "born with it". UPAJ - Part I - NRITTA examines the structures in Kathak dance, which support rhythmic improvisation. The essay you are now reading - UPAJ - Part II - NRITYA -- examines the techniques and performance practices, which support improvisation in Kathak storytelling.

MEMORIES
I arrived at Palam Airport in the muggy, pre-monsoon heat of July 1967. It was the beginning of my first trip to India to study Kathak at Kathak Kendra with Maharaj ji (later honored as Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj). I lived with the Garga family in staff housing on the grounds of Bal Bhavan, the National Children's School, which had been founded by Nehru and was located a short walk from Kathak Kendra. Poppa Garga, Director of the Art Department of Bal Bhavan, had been awarded a Rockefeller grant to study in the United States in the mid-1960s. To return the hospitality he had experienced in New York City from one of my friends, Poppa and his wife welcomed me into their family like an elder sister of their three children.

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Profile - Destiny with dance - Ranee Kumar

Kuchipudi as a dance form has always been in the eye of the storm with as many advocates to swear by its authenticity and antiquity and equal or a greater number of detractors condemning its classicality and its lack of sophistication. Both are justified to a certain extent. And whatever Kuchipudi we tend to appreciate today is either from the disciples of Vempati Chinna Satyam stable in southern India or Guru Radha and Raja Reddy in the North. In such a milieu, it is refreshing to note that the present generation dancer Arunima Kumar has placed Kuchipudi on the flag post in the United Kingdom with pride and dignity. With no godfathers in a foreign soil, she rose to commendable heights by sheer dint of merit and now she has landed with her Kuchipudi at 10 Downing Street on invitation!

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Dancing duos - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

Archana-Chetana are their names. Dance is their game. Born in an SOS village, they had it hard but thanks to a genuine guru like B. Bhanumati and her sis-in-law Sheela Chandrasekhar of Bangalore, they have blossomed into fine twin talents. Their show at a spiffy chamber theatre called Shukra was full of delightful surprises of maintaining perfect symmetry, speed and substance. All through the evening they kept up a sweet smile (sometimes not necessary ALL the time while dancing) but it was genuine. They were happy to be on stage....

Shabash should be her middle name. Ananda Shabash Shankar!  Shabash (means well done or bravo ) for having worked hard in the field and come up despite no real support in initial days, coming out of Kalakshetra and taking up a full-time job with the Railways,  survived cancer, and continued to be counted in the over-crowded world of Bharatanatyam and train many students in Hyderabad through her Shankarananda Kalakshetra. The young student Neha Sathanapalli had a jump in her step and suited well some of the roles like Hanuman that demanded this sprightliness....

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IIC Experience celebrates the lived traditions of South India in Dakshinayan - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

Changing tack from its usual all India approach, India International Centre's celebration of its signature festival the IIC EXPERIENCE, this year in DAKSHINAYAN, put the searchlight solely on lived traditions of South India. Starting with a journey in the Art Gallery of Kamaladevi Complex on Chettinad -An Enduring Legacy (from the collection of RM Cultural Foundation, Chennai) focusing on history and heritage of this highly evolved community known for their art patronage, with a peep into the symbolism of clan temples and majestic homes of Chettiars, to Conference Room I which was the venue for an exhibition 'of texts, reproductions of archival photographs, facsimiles of rare books, digitized copies of manuscripts and other digital reproductions' from the collection of the Connemara Public Library, Chennai, on to the open grounds of Gandhi- King Plaza where Stories from the Earth comprising Terracotta Narratives, exhibited select pieces from the Sanskriti Museum of Indian Terracotta from earthen pot for drinking water to equestrian figures of the Ayyanar cult of rural Tamil Nadu. It was a plethora of projections on and from India's South.

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Obit/Tribute - Premature adieu by Prabal Gupta - Leela Venkataraman

A Bengali settled in Bangalore practicing Kathakali stree vesham - nothing about dancer Prabal Gupta seemed to fall into one inevitable connect! Much in the same vein was his sudden passing away in the prime of health, just as his career seemed to be taking an upward curve with promise of more performance opportunities.

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Obit - Kathakali dancer Prabal Gupta is no more - Ashish Mohan Khokar

He died many times on stage, doing Putana Moksham or some such female centric role in Kathakali but that he really died on 14 November 2023 at just about 45 years of age is shocking to most in the dance field.

Cause of dance without a pause -- that was his life. He was like, possessed. A boy from Bengal with big, bulging eyes and bigger ambition to succeed in the dance field, he first learnt Kathakali from Fact Padmanabhan and then attached himself to Guru Sadanam Balakrishnan in Chennai. He settled in Bangalore a decade plus ago and was a very in-the-face artiste. He also wrote on dance initially for The Hindu ten plus years ago and got attention and importance but soon realised the flip side that his art suffered by giving reviews to others and that he won no friends or shows. So he stopped writing and focussed all out on dancing. He wrote for Ananya’s art magazine Kalasinchana too.

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Matru Devo Bhava! - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

Mothers are often the centre of our universe, if not universe itself (remember li'l Ganesha going around his parents thrice in circumambulation, to denote he had gone around the universe, while his brother Kartikeya set out globetrotting physically and returned many aeons later?) and so when a star-dancer like Prashant Gopal Shastry mounts a homage function in memory of his parents Prabhavathi and Gopal Shastry then there was many a teary-eyed in the ADA Rangamandira, Bangalore, on the 4th of November 2023.

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Natya Tarangini's Parampara Festival marks its 27th celebration - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

 It is an achievement for the celebrated Reddy trio of Raja/Radha and Kaushalya, under the banner of their institution Natya Tarangini (officially registered in 1976), to be marking the 27th celebration of what has become their signature festival, Parampara. One recollects, with some amusement, the query asked by a generally cynical critic when the festival was first announced. "In the present scenario where are the Paramparas we are celebrating?" Had the person concerned been in our midst today, one wonders how he would have reacted to how the institution of guru /shishya transmission has undergone changes to accommodate a fast moving world, with a Parampara festival now sponsoring Contemporary Dance and Fusion music with an interaction between the tabla and western drums, with other instruments like the keyboard and electric sitar! But one still speaks of the old ragas, and rhythmic patterns following tisra, chatusra, khanda, misra and sankeerna combinations! As time travels, notions and institutions from the past too undergo changes, and though Pariwar Paramparas do exist, children of traditional music and dance families, often take to other professions. The festival (Oct 6 - 8, 2023) opening with Hampi Vaibhavam was Raja's clever idea.....

One realizes that institutions run by individual dancers have to contend with steep competition - for room at the top for performance opportunities and recognition is limited. But one would expect a modicum of fellow feeling binding dancers as professional colleagues, for without this, performing art space would be stifling. I am mentioning this aspect because in the recent Bharatanatyam performance in the capital on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir located in Mumbai, with a performance by Valerie Kanti Fernando, disciple of Guru Harikrishna Kalyanasundaram, I was shocked to see about thirty persons seated in the Kamani auditorium! Not a single recognizable face of a Bharatanatyam performer, or of any of the eminent artistes running institutions, did I see.... 

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Anita says...November 2023

 WORDS WHISPERED TO A CHILD UNDER SIEGE

(An excerpt)

No, we are not going to die
The sounds your hear
Knocking the windows and
Chipping the paint from the ceiling
That is a game
The world is playing
Our task is to crouch in the dark as long as we can
And count the beats of our own hearts

Sing. Sing louder
Those aren't boot steps
Those aren't sirens
Those aren't flames
Close your eyes.
Like chess. Like hide and seek
When this game is done you get another life.

By Joseph Fasano

It is a strange time to be talking and thinking about dance and art. But it is never a wrong time to reinforce our belief in the power of the creative soul to illuminate the darkest corner's hate.

We are smack in the midst of colourful festivals, filled social calendars, busy travel schedules and of course, the inevitable rehearsals and preparations for the annual cultural season in India and everywhere. The colours of autumn are at their glorious peak in North America and temperatures in India are beginning their downward dip. I am not including the Southern Hemisphere countries who are readying for SUMMER! (I still find it hard to adjust to that state of mind and body!)

It is the best time of the year and our international colleagues are beginning to arrive - now a trickle, but the momentum will gather steam in the coming weeks. Prepare for the deluge!

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Article - Keeping the fire - Shereen Saif

A seductress, a silly dancer, a teenager insane with grief, a terrified night watchman, an angry fisherwoman, a criminal getting rid of a rotting corpse...
While this may sound like the makings of a Netflix thriller, these characters were some of the many that lived through the actors-in-training at the most recent Navarasa Sadhana residency this October at Natanakairali. 5 artistes from Mumbai, Hosur, Delhi and Dubai immersed in Phase 4 of the programme under the watchful eyes of G. Venu, one of India's foremost abhinaya gurus and the mastermind behind Navarasa Sadhana.

For a fortnight, the abhinaya kalari came alive with the beat of the kutti mingled with a multitude of emotions. In the evenings, the motley crew descended into town to savour the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures. The mind and the five senses on overdrive through the day. 

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Matters of Dance - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

I took time to think what really needs telling. Not routine reviews that are almost passé now, when anyone can write their own blogs or FB reviews. We writers anyway rarely make a living; sometimes we make a fortune. Or history.

History in performing arts - that's India's true intangible heritage - comes from decades plus of shows like the one that had gone on for 75 years! Every year. Without fail. The Ramlila of Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. The seeds for the mega musical (that's what it is, actually) was first sown when India became independent.

Our epic tales, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana have gone on for ever. In Kathakali or Yakshagana or Kalakshetra productions or elsewhere. What makes SBKK's Ramlila special is its spiffiness and smartness of sets and substance. So many legendary gurus have contributed to it; so many music and dance greats been part of it. There's a whole book on the subject, brought out 25 years ago, on its 50th anniversary.

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Article - Time signatures: Rhythm in Indian music, dance and film - Prachi Hota

James Monaco, American film critic and author, argues that 1/24 of a unit, which is the lowest common denominator of film, exceeds the quickest rhythms at which Western music can be performed. In his book, How to Read a Film: Movies, Media and Multimedia, he says, "The most sophisticated rhythms in music, the Indian tals, approach the basic unit of film rhythm as an upper limit."

Like music (and dance), time is a central element of film. Unlike literature, where the reader controls time to a large extent by consuming it at their pace and theatre, where only crude time signatures can be used through the characters' speech, Indian music and by extension dance, revolve around time signatures in the form of rhythm cycles.

Here, of course, we are talking of the most literal presence of these time signatures in dance, music and film. Taal (or Tal, as Monaco spells it) in the case of Indian music and dance, and frame rate (which Monaco calls the lowest common denominator) in the case of film. Rhythm exists in layered forms in both these art forms, but even an examination of the most tangible form of rhythm in these arts shows us why the presence of dance and music in Indian cinema is not simply a cultural or stylistic choice by the filmmaking community. There is a syntactical relationship at the most granular level of form.

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Odissi-Kuchipudi double bill, Dviparna and Gandhi Leela - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

The Double Bill concerts at IIC, apart from providing a much needed performance platform have, in the choice of artistes, shown a sensibility in presenting deserving dancers and musicians, who in the scramble for performance space, have perhaps been less fortunate in getting opportunities than some of their colleagues....

Interestingly, two styles sharing the stage each evening, in a male/female, tandav/lasya, Yin/Yang contrast was also followed in this year's celebration of Lalitarpan, the festival started by Kathak veteran Shovana Narayan of Asavari, along with Dr.Jyotsna Suri and tabla wizard Shafaat Ahmed Khan.... 

For Bhagyam Arts and Ideas, Gandhi Jayanti heralded once again an opportunity for the celebration of the Mahatma's spirit through an ensemble of Indian arts. This exploration of the life and legacy of Gandhi through India's art forms, comprises a core group, that had organized the Gandhi Leela effort last year too, headed by director Suranya Aiyar...

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Article - The transformative power of Bharatanatyam,Empowering differently-abled and autistic children - Ramya Shankaran

Bharatanatyam, one of India's oldest classical dance forms, is a cultural treasure that goes beyond its visual splendor. It carries within it the potential to transform the lives of differently-abled and autistic children. In this article, we delve into the profound therapeutic effects of Bharatanatyam, illuminating how this art form nurtures physical, emotional, and cognitive growth in these exceptional individuals.

The dance of expression

Bharatanatyam, with its intricate hand gestures (mudras), graceful movements, and rhythmic footwork, becomes a gateway for differently-abled children to explore self-expression. For autistic children, who may struggle with conventional communication, this dance offers a unique channel to convey emotions, stories, and experiences. The sensory stimulation provided by the dance paves the way for improved sensory integration, assisting children in adapting to their surroundings. 

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Article - The journey to Carnegie Hall - Vyoma Bhanap

There are few times in a young dancer's career that stands out so vividly, so intensely, that you could argue they change your life. This was one of those moments.

I remember that first December day vividly. Our Guru Anupama Srivastava (or Anupama Aunty as we girls called her) brought her students and their parents together for a Zoom call. I was away in my dorm at college, mostly focused on my school work, but even from miles away the announcement surprised me - the InSyncKathak team had been invited to perform at the world renowned Carnegie Hall? And all the way in New York! It seemed surreal.

There were some issues though. Learning a brand new choreography, assembling a team large enough to fill the stage, and of course, the large costs of getting all the way across the country! To top it off, five of the girls (including me) were away at college until June and couldn't consistently join for in-person rehearsals. But after a period of discussion, it was decided that we had to take the opportunity- after all, we had an invitation to perform at one of the most prestigious venues in the country!

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Anita says...October 2023

 Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

-  James Baldwin

All great changes are preceded by chaos.
- Deepak Chopra


Each month, I have shared my thoughts and views on various events and issues that relate to the global world of Indian dance. This portal started as a phone directory and has grown to become so much more to a whole generation.

In spite of being a multi hyphenate artiste, I realise the enormous new energy that is surrounding us at every turn. As much as I would like to imagine that I can keep up with the rapid changes afoot in every phase of our artistic lives, it is clear that there IS a generation divide and I cannot morph or reinvent endlessly to keep pace with the blur of hyper activity. It is confusing, confounding but it is also a certainty.

What do young dancers want to hear, watch, listen and read? The foremost target is to dance - to perform - to share - to shine and to smile in the glow of the spotlight.
The opportunities seem to have exploded but is it a bubble? Is Social media giving us the ILLUSION of change like a shimmering Chimera while the ground reality is much the same?
Yet, we turn to our SM handles to verify one's identity and it IS the new calling card. Like it or not, we are now an ALGORITHM to a giant robot sitting somewhere in Silicon Valley.

Aaaaand..
There are several young Indian dancers in the USA who do not know who I am and who are not familiar with NARTHAKI! Smack on face! There goes my ego!

While I ponder on that, let me continue...

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Roving Eye - September 2023

 

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Article - Mayurbhanj Chhau - Bharat Sharma

Within the battle-lines drawn around the geographical contours and 'ancientness' of dance 'styles' animating the performing arts scenario in last several decades in India, one 'style' that has been on the margins is Mayurbhanj Chhau. My love for this art form grew from the fascination my father inculcated in me from the beginning of my career.

Amongst the memorabilia Baba left behind for me to dwell upon is the key Marg issue (volume 22, number 1) of 1968 printed from Mumbai that was gifted to me once I started learning Mayurbhanj Chhau seriously in 1976 in Delhi. This volume, which has not got critical attention yet, was obviously a milestone of its time, and remained a benchmark for scholars and students of Chhau style for long. The cover page, with a picture of two dancers from Seraikella Chhau, begins with an emotive editorial by progressive writer Mulk Raj Anand (founder-editor) by placing Chhau as a 'subaltern' amongst dance styles. Thereupon, there are articles by Sunil Kothari on Seraikella Chhau, and by Jiwan Pani on Mayurbhanj Chhau. In each case, there are photographs of two sleek male bodies demonstrating respective techniques - Kedar Nath Sahu for Seraikella and Krishna Chandra Naik for Mayurbhanj. These were perhaps the earliest writings on Chhau in a recognized 'national' art magazine. 

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Odissi of two vintages - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

Odissi in the Guru Kelucharan style and in the Debaprasad style happened to be, coincidentally, presented in two performances during the fortnight at two different venues in Delhi - one in a solo representation by one of the most venerated dancers of the form, while the other in a group presentation, where space was shared, with other dance forms also being part of the evening. Neither evening, one at the Kamani and the other at the Habitat, sadly could boast of handsome turnouts.

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Tribute - Delhi's pioneer institution builder for Bharatanatyam passes away - Leela Venkataraman

Pioneer in the setting up of an institution for propagating Bharatanatyam in the capital, the founder of Ganesa Natyalaya, Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan, is no more. The institution initiated in 1972 in Patna where she resided with her bureaucrat husband, was shifted to Delhi in 1974, with Mr.Vaidyanathan being posted to the capital. While the school at first functioned from a modest place, with the help of sponsors and well-wishers who were many, thanks to the fund of goodwill earned by both Saroja and her husband, it was in 1988 that the new building was set up in Delhi's Institutional Area. As an inevitably significant presence in the capital's dance scenario, since the 1970s, Saroja Vaidyanathan's absence is going to be sorely felt. And she will be deeply mourned by all her students, spread in different parts of the country and abroad. 

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Obit/Tribute - Saroja Vaidyanathan (1937-2023) Ashish Mohan Khokar

Delhi-based senior active guru Saroja Vaidyanathan is no more. Born in Bellary on 19 Sept, 1937, she passed away just a day after her 86th birthday, on 21st September 2023 in the wee hours of the morning, in her sleep, after a prolonged illness.

Saroja Vaidyanathan learnt Bharatanatyam from vidwan Kattumannar Muthukumaran Pillai's ace disciple in Chennai those days named K. Lalitha (Sastry) in Triplicane. Hers was a school (Saraswathy Gana Nilayam) where for five rupees (those days; today 5k!) one could learn any art form, mridangam or violin or dance. It is to Saroja Vaidyanathan's credit she mastered a form and after marriage to an IAS officer of Bihar cadre - where there was no eco system for fine arts, that too southern forms like BN - that she made it a point to propagate it and promote Bharatanatyam in Bihar in the 1960s and 1970s. She told me once, "Ashish, it was so difficult to even explain who Andal was sitting in a pandal. There was hardly any hall with proper stage in a state which was then backward."

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Tribute - Rukmini Rasiah of Yogaville: Iron lady with a flower heart - The Dhananjayans

 

Rukmini Rasiah, affectionately addressed by all of us as 'Amma Rasiah' was a colossus of a dynamic personality. Short but gigantic intellectual with sharp crystal clear convictions of a rare quality. A woman of substance, she lived up to 105, a phenomenal achievement indeed for a Srilankan repatriate in the USA.

(Rukmini Rasiah passed away on 27 August 2023, at the age of 105 at her daughter Padma Rasiah's residence in Richmond, USA)

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Kathak in varied manifestations - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

It was a couple of weeks of Kathak and more of it in the capital! But contrary to the 'appetite getting sickened and dying' (to use Shakespeare's phrase from Twelfth Night) unexpectedly handsome turnouts for each event proved how new ideas have the power to stir jaded audience curiosity. The credit goes to young people, who, in a field so wedded to 'Khandaani' heritage, have boldly tethered Kathak grammar and body language to hitherto unexplored themes.

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Interview - Arunima Ghosh: Srishti's always happy on stage - Shveta Arora

Srishti Debroy is a promising young Odissi dancer who performed her manchapravesh in 2022. She is a prodigy because she did that at the tender age of nine years! She is the daughter of Delhi-based Odissi dancer and teacher Arunima Ghosh and photographer Sanjit Debroy. Arunima has learnt Odissi under gurus like Monalisa Ghosh and Sharon Lowen and also teaches Odissi in NCR, which is how Srishti has been watching Odissi since she was four months old.

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Laudable attempts at recapturing flavours of Vedic women and their wisdom - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, the Koochipoodi Dance Centre of Swapnasundari presented Brahmavadini-Vedic Women of Wisdom at the C.S.O.I auditorium, Delhi, in what must be regarded as one of the rarest of programs. Researched, visualized and directed by Swapnasundari, the performances over two successive evenings, brought glimpses of six Brahmavadinis of the Vedic period - Maitreyi, Ghosha, Romasha, Lopamudra, Apala and Gargi - by reputed dancers each representing a different tradition of dance, covering in the process six dance forms.

Suman Sanjay Agarwal, the compere, in her succinct introduction summed up the state of women in the Vedic era. Equal to the sons in every way, daughters too went through the coming of age upanayanam (thread ceremony), and had full authority for reading the Sastras and participating in Vedic rituals. Women were allowed to partake of soma rasa and considered Dharma Rakshaks along with men - to the extent of participating in battles as soldiers - thus sharing in every activity man was part of. If anything, woman's position in our society today would seem to suggest regression rather than progress.

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Anita says...September 2023

 "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail".

- Ralph Waldo Emerson


Photo: Sangeeta Banerjee/Oneframestory

#ON AND OVER THE MOON
It was a moment that united all Indians globally. The August 23rd touchdown of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon's southern surface. All differences were put aside to cheer our scientists. And then the debate began. What will that point be named? The first moon mission that crash landed on November 14, 2001 was called JAWAHAR STHAL (point), to honour India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Should this point be named after Dr Vikram Sarabhai or President Abdul Kalam? Suggestions came thick and fast on social media until we were told that it was going to be called TIRANGA (Tricolour) POINT and SHIV-SHAKTI POINT!

Dancer Mallika Sarabhai, daughter of the iconic scientist and father of India's space programme Dr Vikram Sarabhai, had a long post on Facebook about the origin of the space programme INCOSPAR and her father's pivotal role in spurring attention and resources towards India's space research. "For those interested, I am recording history rather than fairy tales," she says, taking a self-deprecating dig at the recurring Radha Krishna mythological tropes!

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Obit/Tribute - Guru Rajkumar Achouba Singh (1936-2023) - Sinam Basu Singh

The renowned Guru of Lai-Haraoba and Thang-Ta (martial art), Rajkumar Achouba (Achoubisana) left for his heavenly abode on August 19, 2023. A milestone of Manipuri culture, Guru Rajkumar Achouba Singh's demise is a great loss for Manipuri culture as well as Indian culture.

Rajkumar Achouba Singh was born on 5th December 1936 at Imphal, son of R.K. Sanahal Singh and Ch. Mangisija Devi. Achouba was brought up in an environment of an artistic family and he nurtured arts since his early childhood. He was excellent in academics too as he passed Intermediate Science under Guwahati University in 1961. Guru Achouba learned various art forms of Manipur from different Gurus. He learned the fundamentals of Manipuri dance from Ch. Suchindra Singh and R.K. Akesana Singh of Bijoy Govinda Rasdhari in 1985. And further he learned dance from Guru Maisnam Amubi Singh and Guru Haobam Atomba Singh. 

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Dance in the old mould and in new directions - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

It was a week projecting two faces of classical dance - in the time -honoured mould and in work showing new directions. Amongst traditional dance forms, Kuchipudi, an all-male form even as late as the fifties, has been largely taken over today by female dancers, with even the male Gurus from its traditional families getting to be fewer - with female teachers now running schools. Male dancers presenting Stree Vesham is rare now, and under the circumstances, it was a change to be greeted by a male solo dancer of Kuchipudi presenting a one man ballet, at the Habitat Centre, Delhi. The artiste D.Dilip, trained under Sailaja at Saila Sudha Academy since 2012, presented his own choreography of Kamakshim Kalayami proving himself to be a refined performer, with full control over all aspects of the dance form. Growing up with an awareness of tradition and culture infused in him, one is told, by his late grandmother V. Shantha Bai, his Kuchipudi training has been strengthened by acquiring knowhow on the allied disciplines of nattuvangam, music under Rajeswari and others, with percussion lessons under Bakthan.

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Interview - Sujatha Srinivasan on 'Samayam - A moment in eternity' - Dr. Ganga Lakshmi Srinivas

Embarking on her ongoing exploration of abstract themes, Guru Sujatha Srinivasan once again interweaves Vedic concepts with contemporary realities in the long-awaited production of 'Samayam - A Moment in Eternity.' This captivating performance, delayed due to the pandemic, graces the Gordon Square Theatre in Cleveland's vibrant Gordon Square Art district in early May. Shri Kalaa Mandir-Center for Indian Performing Arts was poised to present this production as a double bill with Morrison Dance in April 2020, becoming an early casualty of the pandemic response. Cleveland Public Theatre responded by featuring several dance troupes to reignite public engagement through its DanceWorks series of weekend shows.

Exploring the concept of Time, Sujatha and her daughter Shriya ingeniously employ adavus' symmetry and the concept of kaalam to depict the second, minute, and hour hands of a clock. Sujatha shares insights about this intriguing production.

Why the theme of Time?
The idea of exploring Time has lingered since the 1990s, given its immense relevance to our daily lives. My initial vision was to illuminate the activities unfolding between sunrise and sunset. Over time, this concept evolved into a broader exploration. In this production, I aimed to portray the passage of time as perceived by individuals based on their emotional states or circumstances. It was crucial for the audience to connect with this concept. Time exerts a profound influence on our lives. Juggling commitments, moving at a frenzied pace, we often sense its scarcity. Moments of existential reflection frequently arise from the ticking of time. Indeed, change remains constant, and our challenge is to embrace the present.

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August rains - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

August was like it rained dance, especially Kathak. Literally. In one week three mega events, with hundreds in attendance. Each hall full of Kathak adherents. Ticketed too, which even in Delhi or Lucknow or Jaipur - old addas of Kathak - doesn't happen nowadays. In Delhi, less than a hundred can be found in a hall (even small halls like the IIC, Triveni don't fill up). There are scanty audiences and few takers for ticketed shows. Not in South of the Vindhyas. Pune has more Kathak talents than Delhi and Bangalore has more Kathak teachers and students than even Pune, if an estimate were to be done. Add Chennai and Mumbai so the hegemony of North (in Kathak) is over! Dakshin Bharat has taken the only classical form from Central, West and North India - Kathak - and made it its own! That's the biggest news in Indian dance style of Kathak, in this century. 

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Yajnaseni - Born from the womb of fire - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

As the story of the essential human being, who through years of varying political contours and civilizational changes both negotiable and non-negotiable, continues to display the same characteristics even today, it is hardly surprising that the Mahabharata as an epic should still be the subject of discourse. Significantly, in the episodes surrounding its heroine Draupadi, one is struck by the discovery of an unabashed rootedness through Time, of the issues centered round society's treatment of women. In the occurring shame of women being assaulted and disrobed, debris from Draupadi's struggle in the Kaurava court still seems to glow ominously.

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Interview - Nishi Singh: All Kathak gharanas portray the same theme in their own unique styles - Vijay Shanker

Accomplished Kathak exponent and Reiki master Nishi Singh is based in Dubai for the last nine years. Nishi is the senior disciple of Kathak maestros Pt Birju Maharaj, Pt Durga Lal and Pt Rajendra Gangani. Nishi holds the distinction of being the recipient of awards like the 'Aekalavya' and UAE Amazing Teachers Award for her contribution in the propagation of Kathak on the international platform. Nishi shares her experiences regarding learning Kathak in different Gharanas, her challenges in promoting Kathak in Dubai, being the host for the online festival during the pandemic, her research on the spiritual aspect of Kathak and its relation to Reiki, her passion for Kathak for more than three decades and more.

You are one of the senior disciples of Late Pt Durga Lal and you have learnt from other mentors like Kathak queen Sitara Devi. Can you tell us the technical differences you experienced and your experience of learning from such veterans?

I started learning dance when I was 8 years old under my first Guru Pt.Rajendra Gangani. There was a dance institute called Sanjaydeep Music College in Janakpuri, Delhi, Guruji fondly remembers, and we often talk about those memories whenever I meet him. I really miss those days. After I completed my levels from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Guruji advised my mom to try my admission in Kathak Kendra, New Delhi. After completing my 12th, I cleared my entrance exam and interview at Kendra but was admitted to Pt. Durga Lal's class. I was not the senior most disciple of Guruji, when I started training under him, there were few seniors already. It was a blessing, truly bliss learning under his guidance. But unfortunately, while I was still learning, he left us suddenly and we lost our Guru, our guiding light. It was a very sad moment for all of us, but I guess god needed him more than us. I still remember his vibrant personality, his graceful, energetic performances. He often played pakhawaj during our classes and that sound still haunts me and gives me goosebumps. I remember all his lessons and miss him always.

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Prism - Tandava across art: Exploring Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan's diverse representation of Tandava - Kiran Java

Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan has extensively delved into the Tandava style dance, exploring it from various perspectives across different art disciplines. Through this exploration, Dr. Vatsyayan aimed to understand the theoretical foundation underlying the formation of dance traditions and techniques. She examined several treatises on art to ascertain a comprehensive understanding of Tandava in those respective texts. She identified instances of Tandava in the following texts and illuminated the different interpretations attributed to each of them.

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