The living masters of intangible Indian cultural heritage

It make me feel something is still right in this world when I see puppeteers, folk and tribal as well as classical performing artistes, being honoured by the President of India in the magnificently formal setting of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Wearing dhotis and Kanjeevarams, Himachali caps and lungis as well as smart modern attire, our living masters of intangible culture proudly walked up the three historic steps of the Durbar Hall dais, many needing a helping hand, to receive a nation’s gratitude for their contributions in dance, music and drama with Sangeet Natak Akademi awards. 

The same maroon velvet drapes and 5th century Buddha statue that framed the transfer of power at Independence backed the President as he heartily rose again and again for each awardee. After the ceremony, I had to pause at the doors open to Delhi to relish the view. The red carpet below my feet matching the top of India Gate and the breathtaking sight of the illuminated Jaipur column, a fitting tribute to the Maharaja who gave Raisina Hill for the new capital over 100 years ago. 

In addition to 2016 awardees, four Akademi fellows were awarded for overarching contributions to Hindustani and Carnatic music, Shri Arvind Parikh and Shrimati R. Vedavalli respectively, Shri Ram Gopal Bajaj for his contributions to Indian theatre and Shri Sunil Kothari for his outstanding contribution to Performing Arts through as author and critic. I have not had the privilege to know the music fellows, but it was a joy to congratulate the friends who became fellows and awardees and applaud the others.

The performances and talks by all of these national treasures were a treat for residents of the national capital region and I can never get over my good fortune to live in the only capital city in the world where great performing arts can be seen gratis simply by walking in. Anyone with a Metro card, Uber/Ola number or car, can attend virtually any production in multiple theatres daily. These annual Sangeet Natak Akademi award programmes should be high on the list of anyone with an interest or even curiosity in the arts or who has a desire to nurture cultural awareness in their children.

Anita Ratnam, awarded for contemporary dance, opened one evening’s dance offerings with her solo presentation on Ahalya, created by Brahma as an experiment in perfection and cursed by her husband Sage Gautama for infidelity when she and god Indra, disguised as Gautama, are discovered. Anita is a strong feminist performing artiste who is inspired to interpret shared cultural myths to shift the paradigm of understanding a woman questioning the injustice of women living as a stone and then to become one. 

The pulsating grey and gold draped figure of Anita was mesmerising as she was far more than a lifeless stone but more the Bala Kanda description of remaining invisible for thousands of years, fasting by subsisting only on air, suffering and sleeping in ashes. The woman from the stone emerged first as a mouth, vividly framed inside the dark contours of “stone”. Sandhya Raman’s first-rate costuming of stretch lycra was the perfect modality for a use of the body covered and changing shape immortalised by Alwin Nikolai’s 1953 Noumenon and Martha Graham’s 1930 Lamentation. Milind Srivastava’s lights were a good reminder of how essential lighting is to the performing arts, something often neglected.

Good lighting is just one of the integrated elements of the quite superb presentation of Odissi choreography by Srijan, the dance group directed by awardee for Odissi Ratikanta Mohapatra, started by his father, Padmavibhusan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.  Everything Ratikanta does is well crafted and he has contributed to the field with brilliant choreography and training of dancers.  The classic Ardhanarishwar etched-in-memory choreography by Guruji for the incomparable Sanjukta Panigrahi has totally metamorphosed into scintillating dynamic group choreography with fast paced and fast changing perfectly coordinated images and movements with no compromise on technique.

Ratikanta’s focus as an artiste has been on more on choreography than performance, so it was a pleasure to see his well conceived, choreographed and presented solo portrayal of Sharbari, tasting the fruit offered to Rama, spitting out the sour one, evoking memories of the nuanced bhakti sensibility imbibed from his father.

The Seraikella Chhau performance by awardee Pt. Gopal Dubey began with a stirring Jatra Ghat by seven musicians playing the resonant large dumsa, typical lilting Chhau shenai, two dhols and sweetened with flute, sarangi and violin. Gopal performed Surya, pursuing Chandrabhanga until she escapes by throwing herself into the sea. It was a powerful evocation of another #metoo moment with Surya’s remorse unable to undo the devastation caused. The other masked dancers performing Arati, Fisherman, Hara-Parvati and Chandrabhaga to Gopal’s Surya were Pradeep Basa, Parash Pathal and Chandan Kabi. 

This sophisticated dance of Jharkand, like its closely related unmasked form Mayurbhanj Chhau, were both supported by Odia speaking Maharajas who also exchanged Chhau gurus with dowry during intermarriages. Both lyrical, martial arts based dance forms urgently need innovative, well monitored support for new choreography and incentives to motivate for students to take up this art which is languishing despite past SNA patronage.

One of Gopal Dubey’s three Chhau gurus mentioned, Guru Kedarnath Sahoo, was also my guru from 1981 and I was very touched that Gopal included in his SNA bio that I was Odissi dance guru. With his Trinetra Chhau Dance Centre in Seraikella, I had worked with him to create Seraikella- Mayurbhanj Chhau productions for Doordarshan and the Delhi Kamani stage. I hope the award, in addition to his Padmashree, initiates a new energy in the development of Chhau dance.

Two other performances completed this particular evening of awardee presentations, Shrimati A.B. Bala Konondala Rao, awardee for Kuchipudi, and Shrimati Geeta Chandran, awardee for Bharatanatyam.

A.B. Bala Knondala Rao, trained by Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam, skilfully demonstrated her stature as a senior performer and teacher with her charming abhinaya well partnered by her accomplished son. They both performed with consummate grace.

I was surprised that Geeta Chandran only received an SNA award this year, considering the prestigious work she has done in India and abroad for ICCR, the ministry of culture and SNA itself. She has contributed not only with her own Bharatanatyam performances, but also via her Natya Vriksha Dance Company and her writings. As expected, Geeta Chandran’s Bharatnatyam performance was dynamic and powerful.

Besides specific awards in individual fields of dance, music and theatre, the Sangeet Natak Akademi also confers awards for Overall Contribution in the Performing Arts and no one could deserve this more than photographer Shri Avinash Pasricha. It is virtually impossible to open a book on Indian dance or music that does contain some or all of its images taken over many decades by this consummate artiste behind the lens. I am happy that he has shared his photographs to accompany this article.

Sharon Lowen is a respected exponent of Odissi, Manipuri and Mayurbhanj and Seraikella Chau whose four-decade career in India was preceded by 17 years of modern dance and ballet in the US and an MA in dance from the University of Michigan. She can be  contacted at sharonlowen.workshop@gmail.com