Sunday, 3 March 2024

Book Review - Mohan Khokar - The Father figure of Indian Dance History - Dr. Uma Anantani



It is always difficult and complicated to apply an appropriate, praiseworthy epithet to Prof. Mohan Khokar. He was the one who had travelled wide and far in search of dance and dance material. And now in the year 2024, commemorating his birth centenary, a book titled 'Mohan Khokar - The Father figure of Indian Dance History' published by Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts and edited and compiled by Ashish Mohan Khokar, has 'travelled' for its launch and will continue to do so through many big cities of India and abroad; this will reinforce and concretise the dance history of past many centuries and create an awareness among readers of generations to come.

The tour itinerary in association with IGNCA of this extremely attractive compilation in 300 pages, this state-of-the-art volume began with its inaugural release on 30th December 2023 at Kalakshetra, Chennai, followed by release on 7th February, 11th February and 12th February 2024, at Mumbai, Vadodara and Ahmedabad respectively. At Mumbai, the release event was organised in association with Shri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts Sangeetha Sabha and Ministry of Culture, GoI; at Vadodara, it was in association with Anjali Memorial Committee and the Dance Department, Faculty of Performing Arts, MS University and at Ahmedabad with JG College of Performing Arts. For every release, the mesmerising feature was screening of a short film on Mohan Khokar and his works and interesting talks by practitioners and scholars on dance and dance history. 

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7 comments:

  1. It’s a very valuable article by Dr.Uma Anantani about Sri Mohan Khokar ji🙏
    “He was indeed a highly respected individual. His vision of documenting art-related matters for future generations is commendable. I also believe that Sri Ashish Khokar, with his strong command of literature and excellent oratory skills, undoubtedly inherits his father’s qualities. My sincere gratitude to the legend who has left behind a wealth of valuable information for all art lovers.”

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  2. Subramanian Ramamurthy4 March 2024 at 22:32

    Very well written article. Insightful. What a significant contribution to Indian culture!

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  3. Uttara Coorlawala4 March 2024 at 22:34

    Congratulations! Your book is full of deep dedication and a lot of active love. And it is a great resource and tribute.

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  4. Murali Mohan Kalvakalva5 March 2024 at 05:14

    Wow wow wow!!! What a journey… of documenting dance history. Such an abundance of information for the current and next generations. So articulately expressed by Dr. Uma ji. Congratulations and kudos Ashish ji to share so generously with everyone.

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  5. Truly, it is parents blessings for Ashishji.

    Ashishji, himself is Mohanji’s eternal award - who is carrying forward his incredible work for today’s generations. He is proud of you that you carry his vision. He lives through you and through your works.

    Congratulations and heartfelt gratitude to you Ashishji 🙏

    Anjana Gupta

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  6. Mohan ji's "Khokarism" has trickled into the veins of his son, Ashish ji, who is carrying forward his father's legacy in the most dignified and artistic way. Awards are not the only measure of achievements. Mohan Khokhar ji has left for the world such invaluable work in the field of arts which many can't even achieve in multiple lifetimes!

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  7. Very well written blog. Sri Mohan Khokhar, a great scholar, was born to serve the Art forms of India and left a treasure for the future generations.
    Congratulations Ashish ji for your contributions.

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