Books Banter
A Book of Productions Aravinth Kumarasamy, Artistic Director, Apsaras Arts and author of Aham, a deliberate and thorough documentation of the process of twelve key productions of Apsaras Arts, talks about why chronicling these works is crucial and what it is to wear an author’s hat What is Aham all about? What people see on stage is 60 or 90 minutes of work but it takes months and years to bring them alive on stage. This apart, the information that we collect during our research leading up to the production is a lot and in-depth and not all of it makes it to stagecraft. So there’s a lot of information in the book that is useful and interesting for people that will not only offer them perspectives on the work but also the many interesting pieces of facts and trivia that we discover along the way. The idea for Aham was born when we began thinking of ways in which we could document the work that goes behind each of our productions at Apsaras Arts. Aham also contains research about the poets, lyrics, the literature from which we choose to create our work; aspects and history of the costume and how we design it; a background on the textiles that are used for the costumes; the music, its composition… You get the drift, right? Basically, it is an in-depth documentation of the work-in-process that goes into creating every production. The book also includes people’s reactions and response to each of our works and hence the book also features interesting quotes from reviews in the press, quotes from scholars and other experts in the field who have witnessed our work. By virtue of writing this book, you also had the opportunity to go back in time and re-visit your past works, right? What were your learnings? It is one thing to create ensemble productions and quite another to chronicle their stories; tell us more? When I started re-visiting the works of Apsaras Arts, I decided to stack them chronologically from 2000 to 2023. What I realised as I did that was how our productions have really evolved over time. I can see how we have benefited by introducing dramaturgy in our work; I have learnt to appreciate how collaborations have helped us and how the involvement of a few international artistes who have participated in our work has helped propel the work both in terms of choreography and concept. It was also heart-warming for me to see that some of our works, almost ten of them, have also travelled widely, and those that have, have also evolved along the way. What was the writing process like? I have to confess that I now have a huge sense of respect for people who write books; I rely a lot on books for my research but my respect for writers has increased manifold after I turned author because honestly, it isn’t easy. I think I must give credit to my editor, who was painful but particular about the questions she was constantly asked me because it has ensured the book is squeaky clean and relevant to the reader. Particularly to a reader who is not from this industry. That was the whole purpose. I was also conscious that the book would not be limited to someone who is trained in Bharatanatyam and who understands all the jargons that we tend to use. I wanted for the book, like our productions, to travel widely. The book is also useful for people in the industry – choreographers, lighting designers, music composers, et al but also I think it would also interest people who study about history, monuments, architecture, culture, heritage and anthropology. The core of the productions featured in the book are all rooted in the traditional repertoire and yet in a sense, they have a quality of the contemporary; there are works that have been inspired by architecture, art, sculpture and some that are at the intersection of them all. Please tell us a bit about the diverse nature of the book from a content perspective. The diverse nature of the productions makes the book diverse. The book begins with Alam, a production about a banyan tree which talks about the evolution of Bharatanatyam and the last chapter of the book is Arisi:Rice, our most recent production, and if you look at it, the two works are very far and different from each other. There are productions that are inspired by architecture like Nirmanika and Anyasa. Angkor is not really about architecture but it is the story of how two civilizations, India and Cambodia got together in ancient times and the way this monument came about. Then there is Agathi, which talks about refugees, a very contemporary idea, pertinent to today’s world. Anjaneyam and Arisi talk about the cultural collaboration between India and Southeast Asia. There’s something in every production which is worth showing. All the productions have a quality of scale about them. For example, Anjaneyam and Arisi are mammoth productions; Agathi is a universal theme. In the context of writing, how did you distill that scale? Our repertoire productions are small, medium and large in terms of size of the cast/ artistes, the creative team, etc. The team of Arisi and Anjaneyam is large. Agathi and Nirmanika are medium-sized productions. Then there’s Parama Padam which is minimal or small. But then, I discovered that the process in which they were made and the research that one needs to do are not very different. Parama Padam, even though minimalist in terms of cast and creative team, took its own course to find form and shape. In fact, I’d say for works that are smaller in size, the effort is usually larger as we need to distill what we really want to showcase. Then again, when you look at the scale of Arisi: Rice, it brings with it its own complexities. We have so much to say; there are so many dancers on
The Bookshelf
Books Banter “What can Henry David Thoreau teach me about dance, wonders New York-based dancer-choreographer and academic, Maya Kulkarni letting us foray into Thoreau’s writing and her own response to it “ I have been re-reading Henry David Thoreau’s works, the Walden Pond, an all-time American Classic, particularly The Winter Walk, he wrote in 1843. Thoreau’s writings have absolutely no connection to dance. I read it for the sheer poetry and the magical spell he weaves when he takes me on a cold New England morning through the frozen landscape of the woods in Massachusetts. All is still and cold. Now, what has this to do with dance? Nothing really. But I find Thoreau’s writings nourish my creative urge. First, the quest for getting to the essence of things through detailing the smallest, minutest event in the life of a forest: the journey of a fallen leaf, twisting and turning with the eddies of the Walden Pond is an event. The faint scratch marks in the soft snow are a testimony to the million tiny creatures, the slow drift of snow vapours that hug the tree stems, linger over leaves, wrap through the branches to meet the weak tops alight with gentle rays of the sun, is an event. This attention to slow progression teaches me how the turn of the head in dance, the tension in the averted neck, the rise and fall of a shoulder, is an event that will concretize a character, and enrich the visual poetry of the ‘told’ narrative. The details create word pictures that must carry the essence of things at their heart. There is an oppositional way to create meaning: stillness can be defined by movement. Pauses say much, that a flurry of fancy movements might fail to do. Thoreau’s Nature has a purpose, a mood, and character: the ‘forlorn’ call of the owl, the ‘cheerful’ chirping of small, winged creatures, the slow ‘ponderous’ slide of a worm on the leaf, the ‘lonely’ woods and the ‘stillness’ of snowclad dawn that awaits the ‘burning’ that is to come. I too have tried in my works to endow creatures with human character and vulnerabilities. My Adventures of the Naughty Bee depicts the flighty and mischievous bee; the peacock in another composition is a show-off, proud and slightly wicked. Reading of the Winter Walk inspires a mood narrative. Finally, there is the essence of things: I too look for a central idea with which to begin, thread, and end. Comparison with a literary genius such as Thoreau is unseemly, I admit, but can I not draw on the rich experience that comes from a deeper reading of his work? On Our Bookshelf On Our Bookshelf Karnataka’s Rich Heritage – Temple Sculptures & Dancing Apsaras:An Amalgam of Hindu Mythology, Natyasastra and Silpasastra 1st Edition by Lalit Chugh Amongst all Hindu sculptures, sculpture of Nataraja, the dancing Siva, is perhaps the most popular. Over years, scientists, philosophers, artistes, scholars, writers, art collectors, archaeologists, mythologists, have dabbled with its form, content, philosophy, making it their subject of research, writing and conversation. Karnataka, and its temple architecture tradition, have played a pioneering role in giving an artistic form to this convergence in its temple sculptures. Though this trend may have started earlier during 2nd and 3rd century CE, it is believed that it took center stage from the times of the Badami Chalukyas. Passing through various refinements between 5th and 10th centuries, it reached its peak with the Hoysala art. This book traces the history of temple sculpture evolution and development through the centuries by referring to the existing sculptural forms and the canonical literature that developed over time. In this book, Lalit Chugh, a post-graduate in Physics from Delhi University, who has been working on heritage preservation issues, sheds light on the convergence between Hindu mythology, Natya Sastra and Silpasastra.
Books Banter
To Odisha, with Love In conversation with Odissi exponent, Ileana Citaristi in the backdrop of the launch of her new book ODISSI AND THE Gita Govinda. / Why the Geeta Govinda? What is your relationship with this text? Jayadeva’s Geeta Govinda poem was one of the first things which fascinated me when I started to learn Odissi in 1979; at first as a romantic story and then as an allegorical, philosophical, sensual, spiritual work; all rolled into one. Moreover I had the good fortune to learn the exquisite dance choreographies of the Ashtapadi directly from my mentor and guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, whose renditions of the same have become legendary. Is the Geeta Govinda a text that you engage with all your life, and in a sense, allow your relationship with it to mature even as you bloom as an artiste? It certainly continues to fascinate and to amaze me for the variety of angles from which one can approach its content! One could even just study it from a botanical point of view for the wide range of trees, plants, creepers and flowers depicted! It is an endless source of inspiration. As far as my rendition of it through dance is concerned, the more I study it and learn its different aspects, the more I enjoy performing it. From a dancer-choreographer’s point of view, is the Geeta Govinda a work in progress? Do you keep going back to the text, because of the philosophical content of the text, and how it appeals to you? My philosophical background with a special focus on mythological symbols and their different layers of interpretation, which was the subject of my PhD thesis, is of course predominant in my approach to the text. But equally appealing for me is the romantic aspect of the story and the dreamy quality which surrounds the entire poem which fascinates me and fuels my imagination. What is the focus/premise of the book and how long did you work on it? As I have mentioned in the Preface of the book, the book is mainly a work of love towards Odisha and its rich culture. When I started writing this book which was to centre around the topic of the Geeta Govinda poem and its relation to Odissi dance I realised that I had to start from the roots. I had to start by introducing history, royal dynasties, rituals of the temple, life of the Devadasi, creeds and beliefs of the Vaishnava dharma, anecdotes about Jayadeva’s life, evolution of the performing arts in Odisha to reach to the core of the subject, that is the transformation of the written poem into a visual and performative one. I wrote the book during the first year of lockdown and in fact this is what helped me to go through it. My days were spent surrounded by all those books which I had almost forgotten to possess although they had been already underlined by me in the past. I realised that in the first years after coming to India in the early 80s my academic background was still a strong factor and the reading of all these books on religion, philosophy and history provided me with a strong understanding about the dance and the culture I was going to learn. Then with the passing of years the practical aspect took the upper hand; training, performances, rehearsals, choreographies, teaching sessions and so on filled up my entire days and the reading practice started fading away. It was during the lockdown period that all this surfaced again. My last book, my autobiography, had been entirely written during my travelling, either by road, train or air whereas this one has been written completely in confinement! Is it only for dancers of the Odissi form or would you think it cuts through barriers of genre, et al? It is certainly related to the culture of Odisha and to the interconnection among all its different streams such as literature, sculpture, poetry, painting, music, dance and history and how the culture is still reflected in the daily life and beliefs of the people. But it could be relevant to whomever is interested in knowing the history and the process of transformation our art forms went through along the centuries. Over the years, many scholars have written on the Geeta Govinda; what is the unique perspective that you bring to it and therefore is it also a personal take on the text? Mine is mostly an historical book which may help the students of the present form of Odissi dance in understanding the foundations of what they practice. The book traces an overview of the different components which define the cultural landscape of the state of Odisha in relation to its history, religious cults, art and literature and links the development of the various aspects to the role played along the centuries by the Geeta Govinda poem in its different manifestations. From being an important component of the rituals performed in the Jagannath Temple to becoming an essential part of the people’s daily life and artistic expressions, this immortal poem has exercised its influence on the cultural scenario of the state from its early inception in the 12th century until the present times. After the first chapter which deals with the history and myths related to the Jagannath temple, the second is dedicated to the description of the poem, its structure and content, while the third is an exposition of the cultural activity exercised by the temple dancers in relation to the different rituals celebrated in the temple. The four chapter deals with the historical development of the performative scenario in Odisha in the last century and the fifth chapter is dedicated to the analysis of some of the present dance compositions based on the Geeta Govinda poems as interpreted and visualised through the art of abhinaya in the revived present form of Odissi dance. The sixth chapter is dedicated to the music of the Geeta Govinda in relation
Books Banter
Of Triumphs & Turmoils Acclaimed Bharatanatyam artiste and the senior-most disciple of Dr Kanak Rele, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam exponent, Deepak Mazumdar, shares his thoughts on Dr Rele’s new book, ‘Me and my Mohini Attam’. “I am extremely delighted and feel fortunate that I am living during the era of the legendary danseuse and my guru, Kanak Rele ji. I feel very special, as I was guided to meet my guru through the divine message of Sai Baba. It is Baba who led me towards her and she too happened to be his devotee. I met her when I was 18 and my journey began to learn the true spirit of ‘Dance’ -D – divine; A – art; N – nectar; C – commitment; E – elevate. The journey was simple, as I had no other goal, but to follow the path of this unknown world, untouched by the glitter and glamour of the modern world. In her, I saw a gamut and reality of life. She was a granddaughter, daughter, mother, sister, wife, grandmother, an academician par excellence and above all the greatest guru who took me in her arms and made me what I am today. I grew up with every aspect and emotion of life rooted in culture. This biography – Me and my Mohini Attam- is a true reflection of the upheavals she faced in her journey; the sacrifices that she had to make to achieve the accolades, name and fame and establish an institution, making dance a part of every aspirant’s life. All credit goes to her for having taken dance to University level for the benefit of the generations to come. Nalanda has become synonymous with her name. I, being her senior most disciple, feel privileged along with my colleagues and her distinguished disciples to add a page of praise to the legendary doyenne. The biography is an insight into the turmoils and triumphs of Kanak ji. From her birth in the Divecha family, to her marital bond filled with love and mutual respect into the Rele Parivaar, to which, she is the matriarch now. The book envelopes Kanak ji’s early steps into dancing, her love for dance, her initiation of Nalanda upholding the sanctity of Indian classical dance at the Mumbai University, equating it with any other degree in the nation, her role as an Education Director, which she holds till today, a role model grandmother to her grandchildren, being an administrative head, a doting mother and mother-in-law… the biography covers her life from all perspectives. Furthermore, the array of experiences shared by all her students who share anecdotes and her daily doses of encouragement, which they all experienced in their own special ways, makes the book an encyclopedia of encouragement for every artist facing challenges or simply wisdom from the Connoisseur herself. The book is definitely one that every artist should not just read but rather try to emulate the sincere dedication towards a meaningful goal into their own lives.
Books Banter
In conversation with V R Devika, cultural activist, storyteller, writer and author of Muthulakshmi Reddy: A Trailblazer in Surgery and Women’s Rights, talks about the journey in documenting the story of this amazing woman and her learnings from it You have been fascinated with Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy for a while now; what was the starting point? After attending the conference titled Text and Context in the York University, Toronto, where Kapila Vastayan had advised me to resign from my school teaching job and make my Bharatanatyam in education programme widely available to other teachers in 1985, I came back and gave a proposal to INTACH, that had just started in Madras with the Madras Craft Foundation as the host. Dr Deborah Thiagarajan liked my proposal and immediately made me the cultural coordinator for the two organizations. Geetha Dharmarajan, (before starting Katha) was a resource person and we jointly began an art in education project at Avvai Home. My interactions there told me a completely different story from the one the academic scholars (mostly from outside) decrying her and Rukminidevi Arundale had been spreading. I dug deeper. Avvai Home requested me for help for a production on Muthulakshmi Reddy. I interviewed her son Dr S Krishnamurthy, her disciple Dr V Shanta, her associate Dr Sarojini Varadappan, for the production which was directed by Pralayan of Chennai Kalai Kuzhu. I decided I needed to tell her side of the story and began writing small articles and giving speeches. When did you know that you wanted to chronicle her life in the form of a book? When I began to study the life of Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, writing a book on her was never on my mind. I kept looking for more details to look at her life that the academicians of North America had seen with just one angle. ie, taking away the dance from the Devadasi. They cherry picked according to their convenience to support their hypothesis and I had also believed them in the 1980s but working as a volunteer in Avvai Home, talking to several women who wanted their Devadasi lineage hidden and who considered her a Goddess, made me want to look at this a little more. I am telling her story, from her side of the fence. Her story is fascinating. It was when a senior art critic had announced grandly at a talk, he was giving for a dance organization, that “Muthulakshmi, herself a Devadasi, became ashamed of the system when she went abroad and with a stroke of pen made all these women illegal.” He also went on to say that it was on the bodies of these women that freedom was obtained. I was shocked, and decided to share her story wherever I could. It was her disciple Dr V Shanta who urged me to write a new book on Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy. How did you set about doing this? What was the process like? In April 2020, Ramanan Lakshminarayanan, a friend for decades, called and asked me if I was writing a book on Muthulakshmi Reddy. I said I want to, but who will publish it? He said Keshav Desiraju wants to write on her. My ears perked up. Keshave Desiraju, grandson of scholar Dr S Radhakrishnan, former president of India who had just published a fantastic book on MS Subbulaksmi called Of Gifted Voice wants to write on Muthulakshmi Reddy. I knew, I stood no chance against such eminence. I sent an email to Keshav Desiraju. He replied that he wanted to write about Dr Reddy, but he was occupied with research on Tyagaraja at the moment. Then began the hunt for a publisher. After six failed attempts, Mini Krishnan of OUP put me in touch with Nirmalkanti Bhattacharjee of Niyogi and they immediately agreed to publish. They have been the most marvelous to deal with and I am very proud. It is Niyogi that has published the book. Pandemic helped. I sat from April 2020 and wrote furiously. All that I had gathered since 1985 flowed and I knew I had to place her story in context. I learnt more and more as I began to dig and was able to get access to information about her mother. I deliberately decided to quote from Tamil works available on her rather than the academic tenure driven studies on the theme. I needed to tell her story from her side of the fence and I have. I have cut it from a 7,0000 word manuscript idea to 40,000 words to fit into the Pioneers of Modern India monograph series format that Niyogi books decided to publish it under. I am very happy as I want young non- book reading girls in government high schools and colleges to read it. It is accessible to them with its simple narration, I believe. As a writer, and a storyteller and an activist, you are used to documenting people’s lives, already. Was this any different? What were some of your learnings and discoveries along the way? This was fascinating as I learnt about Pudukkottai, its history and geography, the medical college and the history of women in medicine etc as I went along. It was really exciting. This was different as it is a long story as against the brief articles I have been publishing on artists and others. I sent it to five people as I wrote and kept getting valuable feedback. I had hesitatingly asked Keshav Desiraju to look at the manuscript after the fifth draft. He gladly agreed and looked at it meticulously. He sent me the last chapter at 12.30 am on 5th September 2021 (his grandfather’s birth anniversary) He died at 7.30 am. I feel really blessed, though very sad he passed away. I have dedicated the book to him and Dr V Shanta. Why is Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy’s story relevant also in the context of the performing arts? The performing arts are riven with politicking on the act of abolition
Books Banter
The Voice of the Matter With over five decades of experience, P C Ramakrishna, Chennai-based voiceover artiste, theatre artiste, director, bass section singer in the Madras Youth Choir and pioneer English newscaster, walks us through his book, Find Your Voice. Breaking down voice into science and art, the book is a fascinating treasure trove of exercises to build and nurture the voice and is a reflection on the imperativenes of riyaaz in the context of the arts Find Your Voice is a very powerful title on so many levels; did the title come first and then did you break down the book into its many chapters or did you write the book and then think of this title? The voice has pretty much been the core of my being, one way or another, since I was a schoolboy. With fifty years plus as an actor with the Madras Players, I became more and more conscious of the human voice on stage. For most of these years, we acted in Museum Theatre (non air-conditioned till recent years), windows open, ancient fans making an unholy clatter, and Pantheon Road (Egmore, Chennai) traffic noises filtering through, without mics, and we trained ourselves to be heard clearly. Today’s young theatre actors seem to find it very difficult to be heard without amplification, even though Museum Theatre is now air-conditioned, and the fans relegated to the museum itself. There are many capable actors who conduct acting workshops, but none, if any, who train the actor’s voice. To re-quote the great Laurence Olivier, “You may be the world’s greatest actor, but it is zilch if you cannot be heard”. It is to address this aspect of theatre that I started writing this book. Again, I work parallely in the field of voiceovers, having to read scripts for documentaries, heritage films, and presentations ranging from the severely technical to medical and human interest. It is a rewarding profession which makes its own rigorous demands, perhaps why there are very few in the field. Young, and not so young aspirants have asked me over the years how to enter this profession. This book deals with the niche field of voice-overs. In fact, on request, I am conducting this month a two-day workshop for aspiring voice professionals. This book has a section also on the singing voice. I sing bass with the Madras Youth choir, and I have shared the kind of rigour required for singers to express and retain their voice quality. In sum, I would say that I wrote the book as it came, and the title suggested itself thereafter. You are right, the title goes beyond the demands of just the physical voice, but I wasn’t going to get into that! In the context of the arts, finding your voice, aside from the literal sense of the word, is also very crucial, right? When did you actually find that voice? We don’t get to hear your personal story too much in the book. As I have written briefly in my Introduction to the book, the French, Belgian and Irish priests in the school at Calcutta where I studied discovered this potential in me, even before I knew it. They recognised intuitively that I was more interested in the spoken word and the human voice than the next student, and created opportunities for me to hone my skill. The work I do today to keep the home fires burning is entirely due to their foresight. More than twenty years after I left school, I discovered this profession, and thereby hangs a tale. We love how you have treated voice both from the perspective of science and art; it is the coming together of both, right? Yes. Voice is science plus art. That is why I have dealt with the physics of voice in the first chapter and the chemistry of it in another. However emotive and expressive one is, one can make no impression if the voice sounds like a bullfrog in the mating season. Per contra, you can have a God-given voice, but if you have neither feel nor modulation, no one will listen to you. My take on this would be, a good voice is 40% voice quality and 60% feel. In the chapter on The Chemistry of Voice, you talk about the classical school of acting where the “mind, instinct and the word direct action”. You turn to The Navarasas to elucidate the idea. Tell us a bit about your relationship with the classical arts and how it has shaped your thought, process and performance both as a theatre artiste and a voiceover artiste? There are several schools of acting, as I have acknowledged in the book. The classical style in which I have been brought up works from the mind to the body, as I have detailed in the chapter on ‘Chemistry of Voice’. The Navarasas I have referred to apply to both dance and drama. It is the dramatic element of my training in theatre that has helped greatly in my voice-over work. I have to reach an unseen audience ranging from corporate executives and technocrats to tourists and children. How I reach them through the modulation that makes sense to them is what I have drawn from my theatre experience. The book is also a treasure trove of resources in terms of exercises, tips, strategies in terms of how to cultivate and nurture the voice. This is very generous of you; have you drawn from your own experiences or did you also have to research to write this book? The chapter on exercises is largely from my own experience of what works, bolstered by the tips given by experts that bear out the work I do in this connection. You also talk about the concept of rigour and riyaaz, taking us back to your days in Calcutta, watching maestros practice; why is rigour crucial and what is your own rigour? Riyaaz is a must. Unless the actor or voice over
Books Banter
A Life in Mohiniyattam Mohiniyattam exponent, writer and author, Bharati Shivaji on her book, Mohiniyattam: Its Art and Aesthetics, an in-depth conversation about Mohiniyattam and how it has influenced her life Can you start off by letting us into the genesis of the book, Mohiniyattam: Its Art and Aesthetics? The genesis of the book is tied to my multi-dimensional, intimate and exploratory journey with the art of Mohiniyattam, which continues to be an integral part of my being and identity. It has been a living experience of decades, which started by finding myself being entrusted with the task of re-structuring and evolving a beautiful art form and which went on to enrich my life in a multitude of ways including people, places and experiences that have come with it. Each contributed to and left an indelible mark on my life journey with this uniquely graceful art form. It needed a unique identity, and a major part of my life has been spent on creating one. I feel we both (the dance form and I) symbiotically grew together. There have been dream-like learnings and possibilities of exploration for me. The book is a natural culmination of collating and sharing this journey of love, learnings and growth with the readers. What, according to you, is the hallmark of the aesthetics of Mohiniyattam and how have you managed to capture the essence of it in the book? I tried to understand Mohiniyattam in relation to its ambient cultural scape – literary, sculptural and other native arts and traditions. It is very possible for each to influence the other and in the case of Mohiniyattam too, I saw connections. For example, some sculptures seemed to echo the Lasya mood of Mohiniyattam. No art is immune from surrounding influences. That said, I do believe that every dance form must develop its distinct identity, spirit and flavour – an aesthetic framework it can call its own. It shouldn’t be overly influenced by or restrict itself to necessarily following formats set by other styles. Initially, Mohiniyattam resembled Bharatanatyam a lot in its format. To me, the hallmark of the aesthetics of Mohiniyattam has been to have the dance form develop its unique, distinct identity, while being enriched and embellished by the rich artistic soil of Kerala. This has been the essence of my journey and this is what I have tried to express through my book. Performing Mohiniyattam is one thing; writing about it, quite another. What was the process of writing this book like and what was the rigour that went into writing it? I am more of a performer than a writer. For a performing artiste, I believe nothing speaks more than the performance itself. So, my primary focus and approach has been to work extensively on choreographies and exposition, rather than literary practice. I did study them though as part of my deep work with Mohiniyattam. Over several years, I have spent a great deal of effort and time in exploring the musical traditions, ragas and tala systems of Kerala and the surrounding ethos to build a musical and performance repertoire suitable for the mood of Mohiniyattam and present it with its own rich identity and vocabulary, visual and musical. Group choreographies and dance dramas were introduced too, exploring a gamut of themes (historical as well as contemporary) for the first time. This greatly helped popularize it to a much larger audience, including international. The process of writing this book was to capture the multi-faceted growth and explorations as they have happened over the years and the underlying thought process and efforts entailed therein. The book talks about your thorough research and meticulous approach to the revival of Mohiniyattam. Can you throw more light on that? Would you say that as a researcher, you continue to do whatever it takes to keep this form fresh and agile and relevant to the world that we live in? Re-structuring and evolving the art form has required extensive understanding and exploration of its past and present in context of the surrounding regional ambience, their impact, synergies and influences (not all necessarily serving growth of the dance style). All this, while working towards carving a distinct identity for Mohinyattam to stand on its own in the galaxy of classical styles, has involved patient and meticulous research and a multi-disciplinary approach. Theatre, music, other classical and folk art forms, sculpture, literary content, etc, were all needed to be deeply observed in the process. Kavalam Narayana Panniker, the great Indian dramatist, theatre director and poet, played a monumental role in initiating and introducing me to many aspects. He greatly enabled my journey, approach and understanding, and initially even composed a set of items reflecting the regional flavour. Coming to the second part of the question – yes; my continuing work and explorations speaks to that, I think. Would you say the book is also a personal take on the elements that were involved in reconstructing Mohiniyattam and how you went about doing that? Given the length and depth of this journey I have experienced with Mohiniyattam and all that I have shared with you and in the book, I would think so. As a practitioner of Bharatanatyam and Odissi in your early years, you took it as your life mission to revive Mohiniyattam. How has this form influenced/ transformed your life? I don’t consider it amiss to say that I am what I am today because of the dance form I have been associated with and to which I have willingly given a large part of my life. It forms a lasting and inextricable part of me, my life philosophy, thinking, practices and choices. We are intimately connected at a much deeper level and I am ever so happy for it. Why is documenting art forms as books crucial for a future generation? Documenting art forms allows for them to not just cater to the viewing audience but also for readership, study and research. Today, dance is taught as
Books Banter
Sketch in Time Meenakshi Bhaskar, Artistic Director, Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, Singapore, talks to us about their new comic book, designed specifically as a tribute to their Founders, KP Bhaskar and Santha Bhaskar. How did the idea of this book come up? Various ideas were explored to commemorate Bhaskar’s Arts Academy’s (BAA) 70th anniversary in 2022. One of them was to create a book that would celebrate and tell the story of our founders, KP Bhaskar and Santha Bhaskar. The BAA team wanted an easy-to-read book that would appeal to all age groups and therefore the Amar Chitra Katha style was chosen. BAA then reached out to local children’s author Abhirami Krishnasamy to take on the project, who by chance was already planning to write a book on Mr & Mrs Bhaskar, her teachers. Things quickly fell into place after that. Abhirami introduced us to illustrator Sayan Mukherjee and publisher World Scientific Publishing. Why did you choose to go the illustration way? Children of Indian descent have learnt about mythology, fables and even Indian historical figures from a comic series called Amar Chitra Katha. These books conveyed the story in an easy-to-read manner and were a popular way to introduce children to the stories from their culture. We wanted a book that would be accessible to as many people as possible. The actual story of how Mr Bhaskar had his start in the arts is dramatic, as is the story of how he chose and married Mrs Bhaskar. This is the story of a pioneer of dance in Singapore, and of a South Asian migrant, which is still relevant in so many ways. The vibrant and colorful depictions convey the story in a novel way, and allows readers to finish it in one sitting. Who is the book meant for? The book was written so that even young children could be engaged by the story. We wanted to reach all demographics. The extraordinary life of Mr & Mrs Bhaskar is inspiring, considering their humble beginnings. They never gave up even during tough times. We believe it is a story that needs to be captured and preserved for future generations, and hope it can serve to inspire the many emerging artists around the globe. What can we expect from the book? Is it a biography on the lives of KP Bhaskar and Santha Bhaskar through the lens of dance? This is a story of KP Bhaskar and Santha Bhaskar, pioneers of dance in Singapore. It is also the story of South Indian migrants to Singapore, and how they started up. It is a story of the beginnings of a couple who strove hard to keep arts alive in Singapore through all the odds they faced.
Books Banter
Celebrating Continuity in Tradition Chennai-based historian, writer and author, Dr Chithra Madhavan, an expert in Indian temple architecture, history, sculpture and iconography, shares her thoughts on her book, Srirangam. Srirangam is a fabulous compilation of this temple town; what was your experience of putting it together? The Srirangam temple is an amazing temple-complex which has evolved over many centuries. It is truly a combination of traditional lore, history, architecture, sculpture, inscriptions, rituals, festivals and a whole lot more. It is important to understand that many of the rituals and festivals in this temple are many, many centuries old and are still being practiced today. There has been a continuity in tradition here despite many setbacks. Numerous dynasties have contributed to the architecture and sculpture of this temple. It was a challenge putting this book together, as the different aspects had to be showcased. The contributors have done their best in writing relevant chapters for this book. Without their contribution, this volume would not have been published. As a historian, do you believe that a place never exists in isolation; that its people, culture, society, practices, art, sculpture, architecture all have a crucial role to play? Indeed so. A place can never exist in isolation- there are many factors that make it happen. In times of peace and in times of stress, the reflection is seen on any place and more so in a temple. Rebuilding after an invasion, enhanced social and cultural activities in times of peace, migration of people from other parts of India bringing in their own customs which become entrenched here. These are a few factors that influence the ethos of a place. Srirangam is of particular fascination for classical dance and dancers because of Andal. What aspect of Andal does this book delve into? Andal’s association with Srirangam is well-known. It is here that she merged with God Ranganatha. Her Tamil verses (pasurams) on this deity are many and are recited with fervour even today. There are as many as three sanctums for this Goddess in the Srirangam temple. Many festivals are celebrated here for Andal and she is part of the ethos of Srirangam. This book looks at the different shrines of Andal that are in this temple in the chapters on architecture and sculpture and also many details about this pre-eminent devotee in the chapter on the Azhvars connected with Srirangam. Do you believe also that for any artiste, understanding and appreciating the allied aspects of an idea can help enhance their articulation of a central idea? All of our arts in India are connected. If a performing artist- musician or dancer- wants to sing or dance about Andal, for example, they must know about her life and her association with the different places she was connected with. Likewise, it is mandatory for a historian to know about at least some nuances of allied subjects- literature, music, dance etc. These subjects cannot be studied in isolation. While there has to be a focus on one particular subject, the peripheral ones too need to be studied. This is mandatory. You said this book is extra special to you. Can you tell us why? This book is indeed special to me because first, I am a devotee of God Ranganatha and Goddess Ranganayaki Thayar and also because I am in love with this temple because of its ancient history, architecture, sculpture and inscriptions. This huge temple complex has the largest number of gopurams, the largest number of sanctums, the largest number of mandapams, the largest number of festivals and more than 600 inscriptions. It is a paradise for historians and archaeologists and scholars of religion. It is number one among the 108 Divya Desams (places sanctified by the pasurams of the Azhvars) as eleven of the twelve Azhvars have praised God Ranganatha. For these reasons and more, I’m in love with this temple and so this book is special to me. As a writer and author, does writing each piece or book become a journey of discovery; what was that moment for this book? Indeed, writing or editing each piece or book is a journey of discovery. Since I was not the sole author of this book, but the General Editor (also contributing several articles to it), I learnt a lot from the contributions of the other authors. There wasn’t just one, but several moments of discovery while putting this book together. So many nuances of its tradition like the Araiyar Sevai ritual, the sacred garden from which the flowers are brought to God Ranganatha. So many more were things I did not know much about earlier.