The news of Dr Dinanath Pathy’s demise on the morning of 29 August 2016
came as a double-whammy shock during my breakfast in Bali, literally
minutes after I had learnt of the death of another icon, the
Australian-Balinese architect, Made Vijaya. I had just spoken of Pathy’s
article in Quintessential Sutra during its Bali book release, just the
previous day. I had alluded to Pathy’s connection with Bali - how
he was the visualiser of the Kalinga-Bali Yatra (1992) mooted by the
former Chief Minister of Odisha, the late Biju Patnaik. My speech had
emphasised the continuity of Malaysia-Bali-Odisha connection till the
present day. Pathy, who had not been to Bali since, together with artist
Lekhasri Samantsinghar and her husband Bijay, had once again travelled
to Bali in August 2013, with me as guide. We had a splendid time. Many
anecdotes of that landmark Bali-Odisha cultural mission were recounted
by Pathy and many jig-saw pieces put in perspective.
Read the tribute in the site
Today, art and culture are gaining popularity with the masses. Every
nook and cranny has a dance or music school. Some dance students give up
after few years (due to various reasons), but some eager and dedicated
ones continue their lessons. After rigorous training comes the question
of getting on the stage.
One of the common trends these days is to make the dancers pay to
perform. In the guise of providing and creating opportunities for young
and upcoming dancers, organizations and individuals are collecting
payment. Some might say that the organization of a program is an
expensive affair – there is the hall, the sound and lighting, a
certificate or memento, seating etc. to be paid for. But how is it that
some organizations with limited means are able to promote upcoming
artists without collecting money from them?
Where does a budding dancer go? In order to build a profile and to work
on some performance experience, most are ending up having to pay for
these opportunities. No one expects to amass a fortune as a performing
artist. Most don’t even expect any sort of payment as a dancer. However,
to make them pay money to perform is unfair.
Read the article in the site
In Samvet, a scintillating Kathak solo, the young dancer Gauri Diwakar
visualised confluence of the five elements to form the whole, coalescing
in complete harmony. According to her, "This balanced coming together
awakens our senses and brings to us a sense of perfect equilibrium,
instilling in our heart, mind, body and soul the feeling of everlasting
bliss."
Read the review in the site
The year was 1964. Whenever one entered the office of the then Director
of the Ashok Hotel Cultural Wing, late A.J. Jaspal, what arrested the
visitor were three oversized photographs, dwarfing everything else in
the area, of Yamini Krishnamurty, Sonal Mansingh and Uma Sharma –
the three “prima donnas of Indian classical dance” as Jaspal described
them. I was witness to Uma Sharma, at the time evolving as a
sophisticated Kathak dancer for the proscenium, her artistry in abhinaya
giving her an edge over other Kathak performers. I still recollect her
performing to Surdas verses, describing the first meeting of young
Krishna and Radha in Brindavan –“Bhoojat Sham, ‘Kaun tu Gori?’”
(“Who are you fair one?” asked Krishna). Thundering applause greeted the
dancer’s presentation of the item.
Read the article in the site
Since last four years Nrityagram artists pay homage to Protima Gauri
(Bedi) on her death anniversary on 18th August. In order to share with
public the various activities and training programs at Nrityagram near
Hessaraghatta, some 30 km away from Bangalore, Nrityagram dancers
present performances in Bangalore city. Last year was the 25th year of
establishment of Nrityagram.
Over the years Nrityagram, with Surupa Sen as the choreographer, has
been choreographing several dance works, with single minded devotion and
dedication. Surupa Sen, Bijayini Satpathy and Pavithra Reddy have won
acclaim world over for their performances as classical Odissi dancers.
By fortuitous circumstances, I was spending a week at Kula, the special
residency block Nrityagram has built, where residencies are held through
the year. I was privileged to attend rehearsals for the performances
scheduled for 18th August. They were conducted at Odissi Gurukul
and Amphitheatre to live music, supervised by Surupa Sen.
Read the review in the site
"When the whole world says "MOVE"
You plant your feet firmly like a tree
And say
"NO. YOU MOVE."
Lines from the film CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
These thoughts come to you from a month of watching, absorbing and
reflecting on a variety of performances, venues, cities and people I
have met and interacted with.
I started this editorial on the flight to Colombo, continued it in
Singapore and completed it in Kuala Lumpur. In all three
cities/countries, I was starkly reminded of the fascinating history and
achievements of the Tamil communities. Their long struggle under
colonial rule through generations of oppression and marginalisation
forced them to find cultural moorings for their own psyche. The answer
for many lay in music and dance. It was not just in the building of
temples and shrines, but in their steadfast loyalty to the Tamizh tongue
via the cultural conduit of Bharatanatyam, ritual hymns and of course,
movies that buoyed the millions of diaspora immigrants through their
dark and brutal early years. Today, dance and music lives on in the
homes and lives of the Tamil people around the world, the Sri Lankan
Tamils being among the most faithful and active.
However, it was not Bharatanatyam that I watched in the month of August.
In fact, there was not a single performance of BN that I attended,
although festivals and premieres were occurring almost every single day
somewhere on the planet and in my home town of Madras/Chennai.
Read the message in the site
