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 Mohan Khokar Centenary start at Kalakshetra, Chennai - Diwakar January 9, 2024 The 30th of December 2023 was a red-letter day in the world of Indian classical dance. It marked the beginning of the centenary year of Prof. Mohan Khokar, India's foremost and most generous dance historian. Prof. Khokar's centenary year celebrations were kicked off at, fittingly, Kalakshetra, Chennai, where he came as a youngster with the single- mindedness to learn an art form which was as alien to him as was the food and the culture. As with everything else that he did, Prof. Khokar threw himself heart and soul into dance and he mastered both the art form and the academics of the art form, a distinction that should not have to be made but current climes necessitate it.  Ashish Khokar pays homage to his father His art collection, which he so selflessly and singlehandedly built over decades and with great forethought donated to the country is one of its kind, a collection so large, eclectic, and thoughtful that it is pretty much a guarantee that it will remain unmatched in the foreseeable future. His son, Ashish Khokar, a reputed critic himself, has followed in his illustrious father's footsteps and has taken on the mantle of curating this collection which is now a part of the IGNCA. Ashish Khokar has inherited a legacy that he lovingly treasures and nurtures and shows impeccable taste in everything that he does as was evident in the short programme at Kalakshetra. The well attended event started with an invocation sung by Dr. Gayathri Kannan and on stage were the doyen Guru Kalyanasundaram Pillai, Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam and Dr. Sonal Mansingh, MP in addition to Ashish Khokar and Sanjay Jha. A short film about Prof. Khokar and the dance collection followed - the screening featuring footage on him made by Jamini Roy's grandson Debabrata, brought back memories of the man. However, it was marred by a few technical glitches initially but nevertheless gave the audience an overview of the great person and his legacy. How IGNCA had organised the Collection in Delhi and Ashish Khokar on screen elaborated the process. It was a tight film of seven minutes made by Film Karigar, Mumbai. Gopal Jayaraman of IGNCA, Pondicherry, gave the welcome address speaking mainly in Tamil, which was a welcome change from the norm. However, his speech was too personal and long. Welcome address should be to the point as many star speakers were there on the dais to speak after him. Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam's keynote address was well planned and just long enough to be informative without one wondering when it would end. Here is an academic dancer who knows the audience well and threshold of absorption. Dr. Sonal Mansingh as chief guest spoke very well, from the heart and with the wealth of personal interactions with the Khokar family. Her speech was studded with anecdotal gems. She was emotional too on stage, a north Indian quality.  Ashish Khokar, Guru Kalyanasundaram Pillai, Dr.Sonal Mansingh, Dr.Padma Subrahmanyam A hefty commemorative book of 50 rare articles by late Prof Mohan Khokar, written as critic and scholar from 1940s to 2000 and 50 tributes from the A to Z of the Indian dance world was released symbolising 100 years (50+50) edited by Ashish Khokar with Foreword of IGNCA head Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi. The book was launched by the dignitaries on stage and copies given to some of the contributors present in the hall like stars of the Chennai dance scene, Rathna Kumar, Rama Vaidyanathan, Atul Bagai, Bharani Loganathan, Veena Kannan, Narthaki's Lalitha Venkat, Sruti Janaki and Gowri Ramnarayan. To see a galaxy on stage and in hall like veteran guru Janardhanan, Vasantalakshmi, Nalli Kuppuswami, Roja Kannan and others showed the respect and affection the Khokar family has in the dance community, even if they don't live in Chennai anymore. Guru Pillai, the nonagenarian, was clear, strong and fluent in both his thoughts and his speech. A subtle sense of humour underlined his talk and his spontaneity while inviting and honouring Saraswati, great granddaughter of thatha Muthukumaran Pillai, was extremely heart-warming. Ashish's vote of thanks was sincere and heartfelt and the love and respect that he has for all the legends on and off the stage was evident in his words, tone, and demeanor. He certainly made his parents, Prof. Mohan Khokar and the inimitable dancer Saroja Khokar, immensely proud. The programme ended with a short Shiva stuthi performed by 13-year old Aditya Natraj who showed great poise, skill and commitment for someone his age and danced with confidence on that hallowed stage in front of a galaxy of dancing greats. Aditya shows immense potential and it is to Ashish's credit that he offered him such an opportunity and ensured that the youngster's performance was not rudely cut off for lack of time. It was a Saturday evening well spent, with a healthy dose of art and values and a harbinger of greater things in store for all in the new year. Diwakar is a Madras based software dinosaur with a keen interest in music, reading, traveling and cricket and occasionally dabbles in writing. |
