Dance, culture and development

Two dancers, two visual artists and the president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry formed an unusual panel at the annual FICCI general meeting recently. Culture and development within the over-arching theme of translating aspirations into reality was a refreshing invitation to new visions for a gathering of CEOs and captains of India’s businesses and industry.

As an artist, I have attended many seminars discussing the place and path of performing arts in the new millennium. We all see the rapid embracement of global brands and the middle class enthusiasm for the new, which is often misunderstood as western rather than simply modern. Along with this has come a level of stress, competition and cultural disorientation.

The distinctiveness of framing this discussion within the context of a gathering for leaders of India’s economic development shifted the focus to what and how traditional Indian performing and visual arts can play a role in this scenario.

The inspiration for bringing the power of “soft culture” to a forum on economic development was the brainchild of Dr. Jyotsna Suri, outgoing President of FICCI and chairperson & managing director of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group. She invited dancers, musicians and visual artists to reflect on how we view building “Brand India” through our heritage of art and culture. From the world of dance she invited the eminent Kathak artist Padmashri Shovana Narayan and myself; from visual arts the Padmashri painter Paresh Maity and Professor Rajeev Lochan, director of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.

A natural starting point was the potential to attract tourists with the example of the annual Khajuraho Dance Festival. Shovana Narayan pointed out the way this successful festival has served as a nucleus for a spiral of economic development for the entire area. Beyond this, the role of dance and arts gives an identity which is a capital asset in shaping the youth and future of India.

There is a tendency to underestimate the cultural reach inherent in preservation and development of heritage, from instrument making to textile design in costumes, as examples. Rajeev Lochan reminded us all that what is traditional today was contemporary earlier and that there isn’t enough exposure given to art and culture to maximise its use for economic benefit.

I believe that at a fundamental level, at issue for India’s youth is the fact that it is not difficult to enter the global stream but it is essential to be rooted in one’s own. In the world of dance, there are many beautiful forms: classical, traditional and contemporary, yet the metaphysical aspect from which classical Indian dance genres arose is unique. Indian aesthetics and spiritual traditions seen in the dance and other arts express a vision of human love as a metaphor for understanding the divine love rather than bifurcating this into sacred and profane, as seen in western religions. The uniqueness of Indian culture is a draw for the rest of the world. Sustaining, supporting and maintaining these arts is important for every Indian on multiple levels as well as sharing it for international audiences here and abroad.

Until recently, classical dance performances were a regular feature of corporate and other conferences, whereas today they would only be featured if there were a foreign dignitary in attendance. Sad that showcasing heritage is felt to be valued for international guests rather than a preferred feature of our own gatherings. Like the folktale of the Pied Piper, who cost an ungrateful community its children, Indian society may not realise what is lost until it is gone.

The value is not only for economic development and tourism promotion, important as this is, but also for sustaining the richness of creativity and the uniqueness of India.

Colonial efforts to denigrate India’s artistic and cultural heritage was counteracted during the Independence movement’s reclaiming of Indian arts seen in the example of the reconstruction of diverse classical dance traditions. The sense of identity and pride sustained in the post Independence focus on national integration and unity in diversity, with the arts playing a significant role. While the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia fragmented, India has maintained its unity through shared cultural identities.

Rajeev Lochan shared that when he speaks to students, he questions why they rush to emulate others’ culture, trying to be what you are not, rather than rediscover, reinvent, revitalise and re-contextualise what is your own. He went on to state that the arts reflect and show our evolution as individuals, as a culture and as a nation. The deeper you go into your own culture to understand yourselves, the higher you will rise.

Shovana expanded on this to ask “Are we seeking endorsement from the west, which is actually a kind of mental subjugation where we are competing on a turf that is not one’s own ” Uniqueness comes in understanding our own milieu which will attract others to come to us. If we choose to use the cultural path that is ours, as a large percentage of the world’s population, using our creative capital, our arts and philosophy, we will draw others to us as centres of creative power and excellence.

Upwardly mobile middle classes, after achieving basic material comforts, look to enhance their quality of life. It is up to the successful leaders in the economy to model and support behaviour that supports the arts, traditional and contemporary, even carrying the culture to the people in factories.

With the dynamic, powerful creative expressions that still live in the villages of India through dancers, singers and artisans, in Paresh Maity’s view, India could be the number one country in the world with our heritage Jyotsna Suri stated that keeping our arts and culture alive is important to keep values and gentleness in our youth and for society not to be caught up in competition for material ends alone. She reinforced the idea that it is time for us to rethink and bring Indian culture back into the mainstream so that it can remain alive.

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