July 1, 2012
These thoughts come to you in mid air... en route to the US and perhaps
over Europe. A strong cup of coffee at who knows what time, and a laptop
to pound away on while the entire cabin is fast asleep.
With the miracle of in-flight technology, I was informed on June 29th
that Leela Samson has been reinstated as Director of Kalakshetra a day
before. The alacrity with which the Ministry of Culture responded to the
unfortunate series of events that forced her resignation in April and
the subsequent storm of protests from around the globe – in which this
portal played a significant role – finally came to a quick and happy
conclusion. Not so happy, it seems to some members of the Kalakshetra
staff who have written to the Ministry about their unhappiness over
Delhi’s decision. So Leela Samson has her work cut out for her.
Dissension among the staff even during her tenure was not a secret and
now her return is certainly not bringing universal smiles on the campus.
With a full schedule of tours and teaching (UK and USA in the next two
months) her balancing act will be very closely watched. We promise
to keep you posted of developments. For now, another huge THANK YOU for
all those who rallied behind our online petition to reinstate Leela
Samson.
Early last month, I had the unique opportunity to visit Sydney and
listen to the amazing acoustic rehearsals of the classical music
ensemble called THE SONG COMPANY. Singing daily in an old church with
the expected stained glass windows and long pews, the magical sound that
emerged from 7 singers - male and female – as they illuminated the
classics in Latin and Olde English, reminded me of the power of the
human voice and the nature of what it meant to raise one’s voice in
praise of the divine. The harmony, unison and superb co-ordination left
me speechless and with wet cheeks. The lack of any amplification
reminded me of how much we need to hear such concerts in India. Just the
voice, with its minutiae of inflections and microtones, gentle and soft
accompaniments if any, and the welcoming silence of a clutch of
‘rasikas.’ The SONG COMPANY was selected to perform a lovely libretto
written and composed by British-Australian composer Nicholas Routely on
our very own DRAUPADI. I had been invited to listen and participate in
discussions of how to bring this composition to the stage using props,
costumes and theatre craft.
While in OZ, I discovered a culture that was very aware of all health
trends including gluten free croissant in the smallest morning coffee
shop and healthy alternatives to all the high fat and pure cream filled
OZ foods. Diva dancer and choreographer Anandavalli invited me to
watch the ADELAIDE DANCE THEATRE company in their latest work, which
left me breathless. Literally. Nonstop high energy movement and an
almost impossible physicality bordering on acrobatic, and a 45-minute
seamless presentation had the full house on the edge of their seats.
When the white wall moved downstage and the last dancer had clambered
through the slits in the cloth and slid down its smooth incline, the
entire hall erupted into a collective exhale and a standing
ovation. Without an intermission and a single length evening work of 45
minutes is this company’s signature. Having watched contemporary dance
in so many countries, I can say that this ensemble of dance-warriors
(that is the only word that truly describes their skills) is a fresh
voice and a definite “must-see” in any dance lover’s calendar.
It is a pity that we don’t get to see much art from Australia except for
the occasional government to government tours which then exports the
aboriginal Bangarra company and other tourist pleasers. The music of
Australia’s indigenous peoples is so exciting and I had the opportunity
to listen and watch one group while walking around Circular Quay for the
VIVID FESTIVAL in Sydney. Dressed in their traditional clothes with
painted faces and playing an ensemble of didgeridoos and drums, the
effect was a combination of trance and magic. I had never heard a set of
9 didgeridoos played in harmonious unison, each with a separate pitch
and intensity. What marred this beautiful moment for me was the
onlookers throwing coins onto a black cloth spread in front of the
musicians. Purchasing their music CDs would have been a far better way
of showing appreciation and support.
My presentation at the INDIA RESEARCH CENTRE of Macquaire University
brought a whole new audience of students, local dancers and gender
theorists. Having Professor Yudhishtir of the American University in
Paris commentate on my performance and talk of HER AND BLISS, was a
wonderful touchstone for my own developing theories on the SACRED IN
PERFORMANCE. As expected, ANDAL and TARA stole the show. As for Andal,
an interesting and controversial matter will be discussed later.
The VIVID festival is an international lighting event which picks
important architectural landmarks in the city and commissions
video and lighting designers to project artistic lighting with music and
movement ONTO the exteriors of these buildings. The result is not some
haphazard kitsch but a carefully thought out series of images from
planes landing, children flying off with balloons, street activity and
animals leaping – all measured to leap off windows, crawl into a crack
in the wall or just blur in front of your eyes, with building after
building having very different video art. The Opera House had a moving
image of an Asian dancer crawling and leaping in Butoh like slowness
across the famous white wing tips of the structure. All this in the
height of an OZ winter where the locals were holding huge ice cream
cones and enjoying the sights.
Writing this monthly column has helped me connect with so many of you
who seem to look forward to my musings. I have been used to speaking my
mind and so accustomed to resistance to my words and work that when a
Chennai based arts organization called me to say that I was being
conferred an award for my contribution to Indian dance, my first
reaction was ME? WHY? And not “THANK YOU. I AM SO GRATEFUL.”
And so it goes... Some time to connect with my two kids who are both in
New York City and later to travel to Santiago, Chile for an Oxford
University led conference on RELIGION, THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE. On
June 1st I was in Sydney, on July 1st in New York and on August 1st it
will be Santiago. These are the perks of being an artiste where the
world is literally our stage.
I close with a recent disturbing incident involving the story of Andal.
This 7th century Tamizh mystic poet is revered as a Goddess among her
people and a new article in the Madras University Tamizh language
syllabus portrayed her in a very negative light. The Tamizh writer had
claimed that Andal was the illegitimate child of the priest Perialwar
and that she came from a family of dubious reputation. Chief Minister of
Tamilnadu, Jayalalitha immediately intervened in this matter that
created an uproar amongst Andal’s followers – and they are in the
millions around the world – and the story was removed from the syllabus.
With a long history of caste based issues plaguing my home state,
this is the latest in the pathetic attempts of a few politicians
to dishonor the memory of those beloved by so many . For those of us who
believe in and admire Andal as the crucible of early Indian feminist
poetry and metaphor, these incidents are both hurtful and
unnecessary when the world at large and the arts scene itself needs
understanding, harmony and healing.
And so it goes… up and down... in all our lives…
Keep good health, in body and mind.
Keep those limbs pliant and the mind nimble.
- Dr. Anita R Ratnam
New York/ Des Moines/ Minneapolis/ Santiago
Comments
Dear Ms. Ratnam,
I now see the bigger issue behind your lament. Desecration of heritage
structures by bigots out of sheer malice to suit their whims has a long
history in India. Remember Karikaala Cholan who threw away the statue of
Govindarajan from the Chidambaram shrine? The only difference is the
scale of such acts, there are many such Karikaalans in today's world.
Sanskritization has the highest opposition in the Tamil land since a
long time. But in today's world, when the differences between people
have blurred (has it really?), it is quite appalling to see people
behave this way. Anyway, thanks for bringing this issue to light.
Sumana Srinivasan
(July 2, 2012)
Dear Ms. Srinivasan
Thank you for the mail. I agree that Andal's birth is not important and
her poetry and defiance at that early time in 8th century is far more
meaningful. Whether she was born "on the wrong side of the tracks" does
not diminish the impact of her life and words. I think that this
reaction from me is coming from a long history of deliberate devaluation
of many symbols, lives and iconic tropes.
Placing the statue of a unknown local politician outside the entrance of
the Srivilliputtur shrine, whose gopuram has been the symbol of
Tamilnadu for decades.
Inserting hagiographies about unknown and mediocre people into Tamil
textbooks and deliberately misleading an entire generation of government
school children about Ram and Krishna is but a small example.
We can continue to ignore all such incidents, but I am only commenting
after Ananda Vikatan and Tamizh news channels picked up on this story
last week. I did not bring this issue to light. Already thousands have
protested like they did when the previous Pope travelled from Rome and
announced on DIWALI DAY about ten years ago - in New Delhi - his plan to
EVANGALISE ASIA. Why on Diwali Day? Should we have ignored that timing?
China had refused entry to HIS HOLINESS on that same trip?
If I protested in a signed petition - which I did along with several
other citizens- does that make me less liberal a thinker and more
secular?
These questions are troubling to me as are the issues and circumstances
they arise from. I hope that I did not ramble on for too long. I am a
huge fan of Andal and her words. Thank you for taking the time to read
and write.
Anita Ratnam
(July 2, 2012)
Twitter: @aratnam
Facebook: Anita R Ratnam
Instagram: @anitaratnam
Blog: THE A LIST / anita-ratnam.blogspot.in
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