REMEMBERING
DARPANA WITH AMMA
by
Sapna Rangaswamy, Baroda
e-mail:
rangaswamy@satyam.net.in
Jun
2001
I met Amma
after a long time. So elegant and so picture perfect...she was my idol
since childhood. I was 4 years old when I joined Darpana as a student...I
remember Amma used to walk down from her bungalow to the dance class...an
umbrella in one hand, a big red colored bindi and neatly draped sari...she
would fascinate me...I didn't want to be like her, I wanted to be her...
Surprisingly, when I talked to her, I found I was so much like her!! The
words were on my lips and she was doing the talking..
For how
many years have you been dancing?
-Since my
previous birth.
Do you believe
in birth and rebirth?
-Yes. Because
in my family people were in a very different profession than mine. My father
and brother were advocates; my sister joined Shubhash Chandra Bose in the
independence struggle while I chose to dance.
Your Gurus..
-I learnt
at Kalakshetra. My Gurus...Mutthukumar Thatha, Gauri Amma and Rabindranath
Tagore. I spent many years at Shanti Niketan under his guidance. I spent
enough time in Indonesia to join a palace dance class in Jakarta.
When you
dance, you portray characters from mythology and folktales. While playing
those different characters, do you remain a dancer who is just performing
a story or do you become that character?
-While dancing,
I lose myself in it and it happens whenever I dance...
Do you get
disturbed or disgusted when some people in the audience yawn and talk or
drink Pepsi and eat popcorn...
-Never. I
told you, I lose myself in my dance. I never notice those things
and it never bothers me. I don't dance to get their applause, I dance for
myself.
How different
a dancer than other ordinary mortals?
-Not only
dancing, any other art will make you a very special person. Dance opens
the third eye of a dancer like Lord Shiva; she sees and feels life better
than any other person.
When did
Darpana happen? Who was the first student?
-In1949 I
started with two students.
What is
most required to become a dancer?
-Most required
to become a dancer is your dedication towards the art and your patience.
You cannot learn dance or any other art overnight.
Do you think
today’s MTV generation really care to learn such an old art form? Aren't
they confused?
-Nowadays
people are not dancing, they are acting. The spiritualistic part of the
dance we have now lost somewhere on the way. That is why we have stopped
teaching dance at Darpana!! Darpana is now a professional company of
performing
art.
Even in
this MTV time, many people are learning classical dance forms...do you
think these people will preserve the art?
-I am not
sure about everybody but some of our students are very serious. They are
doing their best to preserve this ancient art and spreading it. Look at
Mallika, through her dance she is fighting for other people’s rights, she
is spreading awareness among people.
What else
can dance teach a person?
-That you
should tell me...you are a Darpana student, you are talking to me so confidently,
you know the meaning of life, you know why you are in this world and above
all you look so happy. This is what I teach at Darpana. My students don't
need a stage to dance.... they dance while cooking in the kitchen, they
dance when they bring up their children...and turn them into a beautiful
human being.... they dance throughout their lives and carry on dancing
even in the next birth... Everybody cannot become a famous dancer but those
students who are really eager to learn have achieved happiness in their
lives and that is my greatest achievement.
"Darpana Academy of Performing
Arts"
Mrinalini Sarabhai
Usmanpura, Ahmedabad 380013
Ph: (079) - 7551389
e-mail: darpana@icenet.net |
