A dance tribute by one thousand Bharatnatyam dancers to the Lord of Dance
By Loganayagi Govindarajan Back in 2010 , Apsaras Arts was invited to participate in the celebration of Thanjavur Big Temple (Periya Kovil) for turning 1000 years old. The temple was called The Brihadeeswara temple in the town of Thanjavur, southwest of Chennai. This ancient temple was built by Raja Raja Chola in 1010 AD for Lord Shiva and has been recognised in UNESCO’s list of world heritage monuments. Joining dancers from various dance schools across India and the globe, Apsaras Arts company dancers from Singapore were blessed to part of the temple millennium celebrations. One might wonder how the planned performance was executed with 1000 dancers to commemorate the temple’s significance? All 1000 dancers did perform in unision to three Bharatanatyam numbers compiled, scored and choreographed by Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subramaniam, an eminent dancer and President of ABHAI (Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India) under the support of the state government of Tamil Nadu and the late Chief Minister, ‘Kalaignar’ M Karunanithi. I joined our Apsaras Arts team in September 2010 to honour Lord Shiva’s temple celebrations. We offered our beloved dance at the feet of our beloved dancing God. We danced to three dance numbers such as the Ganapati Kautuvam, Thiruvisaippa of Saint Karuvur Thevar, the spiritual Guru of the Chola King and Siva Panchakshara Sthuthi of Adi Shankaracharya. Personally for me, this occasion was also a kind of thanksgiving to the Chola history and rulers, the sacrifices and hard labour of so many strong man, artisans and elephants behind the construction of such a magnificent temple rich with indian architectures. The entire experience itself was not only spiritual but extremely special for any dancer. Similar to visiting a pilgrim site like Mecca, Jerusalem or Kailash, this was a pilgrimage for bharatanatyam dance communities at this holy temple ground to validate their dance dedication to Lord Shiva, our King of Dance. As a dancer, this trip helped me uncover my true purpose in dance. Apart from thanksgiving to the Lord of Dance, this was also an opportune to honour my Gurus who have imparted knowledge of this beautiful art form and shaped me into a fine dancer and educator today. My journey continues in touching lives with my Seva to God and my Gurus through dance.
An Interview with Dr Uma Rajan – accomplished dancer and arts administrator
By Vidhya Nair VN: How did you come to be introduced to the Satyalingams & what were your first impressions? UR: I met them both soon after they arrived, probably 1974-5 at an Air India party (her husband Rajan was Reservations Manager with Air India at the time). Both Neila and Sathyalingam were of course much younger and my first impression of Neila was her open smile – halfway between a smile and a laugh. She was warm from the start. When she recognised that I was a student of Pandit Chokalingam Pillai (nephew and Guru of lineage of the legendary Pandanallur Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai), she made an instant connection with me. Satyalingam also remembered me from my Arangetram in Chennai back in 1954. It turned out that he was present at that recital. A lovely coincidence! I saw Neila as a typical Ceylonese-Indian family woman who spoke Tamil with the Ceylonese twang. Sathy (Satyalingam) at that time was a silent person, half-smiling and he would speak Tamil in the Indian way. We were in sync in every conversation and able to speak on many topics and have an opinion. We often talked about the arts and gelled on a big factor – her son, Skanda. I was Medical Director for School Health at the time and Skanda was a multi-disability child who needed total care and attention. Most importantly, I helped her write the first letter to MOM explaining the needs of the growing boy and his teacher-mother and why a male caregiver-helper was needed. I had tremendous respect for her in how she managed his care. Both Neila, Sathy and their daughters treated Skanda like a normal child and that was more than half the battle won. They needed a male caregiver for Skanda to move forward in their life in Singapore. After many queries from MOM, they received approval for a male caregiver from Srilanka, who was familiar with their needs and culture. Over the years each caregiver stayed for a number of years meeting the needs of Skanda and their home. It was then that Neila was able to free up her mind and channel her energy, talent, knowledge and skills to developing a new circle of artiste friends and make contributions to the arts scene in Singapore. We also gelled on the fact that my son, Sanjiv and Neila shared the same birthdate, – February 8th. My son and she would exchange annual birthday wishes and speak to each other on that date. She was terribly upset when I was widowed and we often reflected on our first meeting when she met Rajan. She had noticed then that I had placed a rose at the nape of my neck in my hair the same way she also did too. We clicked, not realising how close we had become over the years but that’s how it was – a strong emotional bond based on our shared love for Indian classical music and dance, the medical care of her son. Managing our family and home – for me, she was like my family! VN: How did your relationship with Neila evolve over the decades? Share your thoughts about how you saw her develop her art in Singapore? UR: Neila wanted to start giving dance classes. She had a special talent for teaching little children. She first started classes at Handy Road (behind Cathay Cinema). My daughter, Rekha joined along and so did a few other mothers who sent their daughters. My son would come along too. It was a very simple, single room with a stage. She taught basic Bharathanatyam for children and Sathy and daughter Mohana gave her the background music support. Over the years, my mother, Mrs Sharada Shankar an accomplished violinist, also came forward to join Sathy, Mohana and their troupe in their Carnatic music recitals at various venues in Singapore. The way Neila started in the arts scene was gradual, a step-by-step move up the ladder. She started classes at Cairnhill Community Centre and then at Tanglin Community Centre. I remember when the Minister for Law & Member of Parliament Mr E W Barker came for an event there to present certificates to performing children, he commended her on her work at Tanglin CC. It was a step into her future work with People’s Association. At Cairnhill CC, she moved towards inter-ethnic work collaborating with other leading dance veterans, Mdm Som Said and Mdm Yang Choong Lian. This resulted in the formation of Little Angels – a multiracial children’s dance troupe. Neila wanted the children to participate in a folk-dance competition in Europe and she needed help with the funding. I’ve always believed that it is easier to seek a small amount of funds from a larger number of donors than one large amount from a single donor or sponsor. I managed to help her achieve this and we sent them to Europe. They came back winners and that was a significant feather in her cap and inter-ethnic dance became her mainstay. This is an important criterion for the Cultural Medallion (highest culture award by National Arts Council which Neila Satyalingam received in 1989) She built a little fraternity there and also at the Kamala Club on Moulmein Road (near the Indian Association). She was appointed as People’s Association’s choreographer while based at Cairnhill CC and received much needed support from them. She had an innate talent to link the artforms and the ability to respect and get along with the other ethnic group champions. They were like sisters – not commonly seen. It was not competition at all. It was them, coming together, moving up hand in hand, benefitting each other so that none were left behind. Their contribution was in the right direction. When the National Arts Council was formed (in 1990), I was nominated to be a Council Member along with Prof Bernard Tan, Brother McNally. Mdm Kay Kuok. Mr Robert Lau and other leading community arts champions under the leadership
Radhika and Muddupalani Intertwined, Sthree and Churning Waters
Priyadarsini Govind and Dr. Priya Srinivasan (A version of these articles were printed on The Hindu in 2020) Which other woman of my kind has felicitated scholars with such gifts and money?To which other women of my kind have epics been dedicated?Which other woman of my kind has won such acclaim in each of the arts?You are incomparable, Muddupalani, among your kind. In this three articles, Ms Priyadarsini Govind, a national and international award winning Bharatanatyam dancer and artist based in Chennai and Dr. Priya Srinivasan, a dancer/ scholar from Melbourne Australia discusses the inspiration behind their collaborative works that were staged in 2018-2019 as part of the Sangam, Performing Arts Festival of South Asia and Diaspora held at Dancehouse, Australia. The first article explores marginality in relation to patriarchy in the work of the acclaimed devadasi Muddupalani from the 18th century and how it informed their performance: “Radhika and Muddupalani.” The second article looks at violence against women stemming from sexual repression in Indian society due to the collusion of various forms of patriarchy in our intercultural project: “Sthree.” In the final article, the authors continue to explore questions of marginality from their perspectives through the intercultural work: “Churning Waters.” Through research and performance exchange the collaborators were able to find cultural differences and similarities including the idea that Indigenous Australians and Indians had been exchanging ideas for thousands of years evident in DNA, animals, coins, dances, songs and Dravidian languages present in Indigenous cultures. Read more… Article 1: Radhika and Muddupalani Intertwined Which other woman of my kind hasfelicitated scholars with such gifts and money?To which other women of my kind haveepics been dedicated?Which other woman of my kind haswon such acclaim in each of the arts?You are incomparable,Muddupalani, among your kind. So begins the Radhika Santwanamu an epic, erotic poem by the devadasi Muddupalani, who dared to write about female desire in the mid 18th century. We came across the “Radhika Santwanamu” by Muddupalani at different moments in time at different spaces across the globe but united by our need to understand how women have played with power and survived. PS: I came across it in 1996 in Los Angeles in a writing class as a fragment when Susie Tharu and K. Lalita published small sections in their larger work “Women Writing in India Part 1 and 2” and wrote that the devadasi Bangalore Nagarathnammal published the poem in full with the recovered coda (above) in 1910 that named Muddupalani as the rightful author of the work. The work was censured, banned and destroyed in 1911 by British colonial authorities who did not want to read women writing about their sexuality and desires. It was also in 1996 I encountered the hybrid and appropriated history of our form (in Avanthi Meduri’s unpublished dissertation) which stopped me from dancing Bharata Natyam publicly for the next 12 years in order to understand this complex history.I sat with the work for many decades wondering when and how it should be presented, under what circumstances and who had the right to present this work- in what form? As more and more sections began to be translated, we had the complete work in English by Sandhya Mulchandani in 2009. We began seeing how women’s bodies and voices continue to be silenced around the world I felt it was time to start to engage seriously with Muddupalani’s text because of its continued relevance in today’s world. PG: I came across it in the 1990s when V.A.K. Ranga Rao brought it to my attention as a unique piece of writing by a woman, a devadasi whose work had survived the test of time. I returned to it when Priya Srinivasan brought it to my attention. The complex characters in the poem: Radhika and Ila (two women) and their love for Krishna caught my imagination. A love triangle with a twist in that Radhika marries Krishna to her own niece, Ila in an effort to retain her hold over Krishna. It was interesting to interpret the multilayered character of Radha- by giving him away did she think she could keep him? But when things go beyond her control what is her reaction? What about the man’s role? Has society changed since then? Where does this inspiration for Muddupalani comes from? To what extent is it autobiographical? I was also curious about the reason it was banned as it was no more licentious than many other male poets. Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this work to me as an artist, is the concept of a woman revealing both her most vulnerable moments and her greatest strengths with equal candor and courage. PS and PG: Together we decided to rework the poem taking only small sections of it. The collaboration occurred between us (Priyadarsini Govind and Dr. Priya Srinivasan) with Uthra Vijay (carnatic singer / composer), Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (violinist/composer), Ching Ching Ho (Director/ dramaturg) and Dr. Philipa Rothfield (philosopher and dance writer) in Melbourne in November 2019 as part of the Sangam: Performing Arts Festival of South Asia and Diaspora held at Dancehouse (the home of contemporary dance in Australia). Using performative methods of Carnatic music, Bharata Natyam, spoken word and literary readings, our intention was to represent the devadasi Muddupalani and the characters in the Radhika Santwanamu but to analyse the 18th century text from our perspective as 21st century artists. Fragments of the history reveal that Muddupalani was a consort in the court of the Thanjavur ruler King Pratap Singh. Increasing evidence also suggests that her grandmother (not by blood) the great devadasi Tanjanayaki was also his consort. This is a history of women who have no claim on the King and therefore had to negotiate power accordingly. Muddupalani’s work was being written during the transformation of the East India company from a trading company into a military power and King Pratap Singh was negotiating his own power. All this gives the composition and the author a unique place and voice in history. How she deals
Apsaras Arts hosts a book launch on “Temple Dance of Apsaras: A Dancer’s View of the Angkor Wat” authored by Mohanapriyan Thavarajah
By Meenakshi Palaniappan “I’ve always seen my role in the world of Bharatanatyam as that of the ‘Rasika’, and this book is an especial treat for me. After all, I’ve watched lovely productions by Apsaras Arts surrounding Angkor Wat, loving every one of them – Glimpses of Angkor, Angkor- the Untold Story, Anjasa and most recently their virtual production, Amara, based on the bas relief of Banteay Srei. Then, I’ve travelled to Angkor Wat as a university student and marveled at the beauty of the place itself, quietly wandering along the corridors of time in the majestic temple. Finally, above all, I am a Literature student at heart, and books are always my refuge. Mohanapriyan Thavarajah’s book, about a dancer’s journey exploring Angkor Wat, gives me the opportunity to marvel at the timeless in a time of intense change, and I can’t wait to delve right into it,” says Meenakshi Palaniappan regarding the book launch event held on May 14th 2021 at the Asian Civilisation Museum. Read More… It was a lovely evening to celebrate art and its posterity, in a time of change and uncertainty. Just that afternoon a slew of new guidelines had been announced, requiring us to keep our distance from one another. It was a balm to sit in the auditorium of the Asian Civilisations Museum to witness the launch of a book that sought to close the distance instead, across cultures, space and time. Indeed, as the world reels from the relentless onslaught of a germ, it is precious relief to disappear into the world of architecture and dance, brought to the fore through words and photography, truly no mean effort by dancer-writer Mohanapriyan Thavarajah. The evening started with a short film relating a dancer’s journey to find out more about Khmer art and dance through the study of the amazing Angkor Wat. It was powerful to hear how the tides of time and art worked to get us to this point, to this lovely book. As I understand it, the journey began in 2013, when Priyan was involved in an Apsaras’ production based on the gorgeous sculptures of Angkor Wat. He was so fascinated he went on to do more research about the connections and pathways through history that led to the construction of this amazing temple and how it stands testimony to the culture and dance of the time. What struck me most about the book was the intricate tapestry woven through history, cultures, mythology, dance and sculpture. I’ve always seen my role in the world of Bharatanatyam as that of the ‘Rasika’, and this book is an especial treat for me. After all, I’ve watched lovely productions by Apsaras surrounding Angkor Wat, loving every one of them – Glimpses of Angkor, Angkor, the Untold Story, Anjasa and most recently their virtual production, Amara, based on the bas relief of Banteay Srei. Then, I’ve travelled to Angkor Wat as a university student and marveled at the beauty of the place itself, quietly wandering along the corridors of time in the majestic temple. Finally, above all, I am a Literature student at heart, and books are always my refuge. Priyan’s book, about a dancer’s journey exploring Angkor Wat, gives me the opportunity to marvel at the timeless in a time of intense change, and I can’t wait to delve right into it. The book launch event, held on May 14th 2021 at the Asian Civilisation Museum, opened with a welcome address by Ambassador Mr K Kesavapany, Chairman of Apsaras Arts, followed by the publisher’s address by Mr Aravinth Kumarasamy, Artistic Director of Apsaras Arts. Guest of Honour, Mr Kenny Ting, Director – Asian Civilisations Museum unveiled the book alongside the author, Thavarajah and publisher, Kumarasamy. The first signed copies of the book were presented to the special guests and partners, Dr Ma Swan Hoo, Board Member, Indian Heritage Centre; Mr Paul Tan, Deputy Director, National Arts Council, H.E Mr P Kumaran – High Commissioner of India to Singapore; Mr David Pandarakannu, Programmer, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay; Mr Rajesh Boddu, whose beautiful photographs are featured in this book. The event, moderated by Ms Seema Hari Kumar, Senior Company Dancer and faculty concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms Vidhya Nair, International Development Director.
Master of Arts: A Life in Dance
By Tulsi Badrinath Master of Arts: A Life in Dance Male dancers provoke extreme reactions-Who wants to watch hairy sweaty men dance half-naked? or Oh, they are so effeminate. Must be gay! or They would not find a job anywhere, thats why they have come to this field. The author, who learnt dance at a very young age, could never reconcile this prejudice with the dignified image of her handsome guru Dhananjayan, recognized as a manly and powerful Bharatanatyam dancer. Curious about the boys from low-income families who followed their heart and dedicated themselves to dance, in a field where money and fame are not always guaranteed, the author presents their struggles to make their mark in this field. Weaving the story around her guru, and recounting the romantic story of how Dhananjayan met his wife Shanta, it considers whether his success depended on his being one half of a dancing couple. It also narrates the stories of many other male dancers like Navtej, Satyajit Dhananjayan and Anand, each of whom brought their unique perspective to this dance. About the Author: Tulsi Badrinath After acquiring a BA in English Literature from Stella Maris College, Madras, Tulsi Badrinath graduated with an MBA from Ohio University, USA. Returning to India, she worked for four dreary years at Standard Chartered Bank before quitting her job to pursue her twin passions – writing and dance. Her background in management helps her provide corporate executives with cross-cultural insights while interacting with them through the medium of dance. She is the author of two works of fiction, Man of a Thousand Chances and Meeting Lives.