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 e-mail: khokar1960@gmail.com An evening in Paris!And a night in StockholmDecember 7, 2025 This was the title of a famous Hindi film - An evening in Paris - a romantic thriller way back in the late 1960s, featuring Sharmila Tagore and Shammi Kapoor. 1967 to be precise but it ran for years! Those days, films made silver jubilee, golden jubilee, that's like 25 months or 50 months! Now even 25 days makes news.  AttenDance, India's only yearbook on dance turned 25 (years)! To have sustained a hard bound, all colour book for 25 years shows Punjabi spirit, Tamil mind, made in Baroda, Gujarat model! This silver jubilee issue focussed on Indian Dance in France in the last hundred years. No one in France or in India had attempted this subject in such in-depth and scope with substance. Sonya Wynne Singh did.  National launch in Delhi IGNCA At its grand national launch in Delhi at IGNCA on Thursday the 18th of September, anyone who was someone in the dance field in Delhi was present, plus those with a serious popular stature in the dance world. All joined to pay homage to the founder of attendance, Prof.Mohan Khokar, in his centenary year. He is called the father figure of Indian dance history and heritage. His mammoth collection is a donation to the nation at the IGNCA. The Bhishma-pitamah of Indian international culture and academics, Dr. Karan Singh, Former Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir; Former Chancellor of BHU, JNU and 5 times President of the ICCR, ten times Former President Auroville Foundation, scholar and savant and India's longest serving MP (35 years!) Diva of dance Dr. Sonal Mansingh; the head of India's only multi - disciplinary cultural institution IGNCA, a scholarly Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi; DG ICCR released the book and Chairman Neemrana group received the first copy. Padma awardees, SNA awardees and most of media friends and associates of all generations were in attendance on the occasion that saw the unveiling of the historic exhibition, the A to Z of Indian Dance and the Mohan Khokar Dance Collection Gallery full of artefacts, costumes, instruments, masks, rare books, posters and photographs. The international launch of attendance now in its 25th year, platforming Indian Dance in France took place in the romantic capital of the world, Paris, again on a Thursday on 27th of November. It was indeed a matter of true, deep pride and a rare honour when the Ambassador of India to France - H.E. Mr. Sanjeev Singla - hosted the 25th anniversary of attendance in Paris at his official residence. His beautiful house overlooked, what else, the world's most photographed monument of love, the Eiffel Tower!  International launch in Paris Over 70 top French names in the field of Indian dance, who came to India and partook of this rich tradition and learnt at the feet of Masters, assembled at His Excellency, our Ambassador Mr. Sanjeev Singla's stately house to be part of a history that started a hundred years ago. This silver jubilee edition of attendance was the first ever 200+ paged book compiled on such divas, dancers, stars and shishyas who have dedicated a lifetime to different Indian dances. Veteran Malavika, arrived with ace Kathakali form based choreographer, Annette Leday; Shakuntala was the first to arrive and Isabella the last, proving she had become truly Indian by never being on time! Even in Paris. Some came from far like Jyoti, a Bharatanatyam dancer teaching Yoga today, from Grenoble, Edith Albaladejo from Sete, Maitryee Mahatma came all the way from Marseille, Nelly Dargent, a Physiotherapist, has put her training of Kalaripayattu and the secrets of ayurveda, to great use relieving and curing her patients, came from Toulouse, Vidya from Nanterre and Katia Légeret Manochhaya, who has steered many through their doctorates at Sorbonne was present as was Hubert Laot, former artistic director of the Auditorium at Musee Guimet. Others like Tarikavalli, Geraldine who couldn't be present due to previous engagements sent their students to represent them. The evening wouldn't have been complete without a Bharatanatyam presence. This first classical Indian dance truly taught in France, was represented by Dalayasingham, Elisabeth Petit, Florence Vasanta, Christine Campagnac-Morette, Edith Commissaire, Jyotika Rao, Shanti, Shalini, Kaleyvani Ramanan, Maitreyi, Ofra Hoffman, Magali Uma, Virginie Gazon, Karine Salmon, Kunti, P.Sabine and Vanishree. Kalpana, a much loved and respected Bharatanatyam teacher in Paris had been requisitioned by those not present to collect offprints and books on their behalf! Padmavathi who has all the making of a great travelogue with her mouth watering descriptions of the various cuisines she tasted during her journey to India could not come! Kathakali artistes like Annie Rumani, whose young daughter continues in her mother's footsteps, Louba Schild and Nathalie Leboucher, Martine Chemana were there as was Angela Sterzer, Manipuri. Odissi was represented by no one even though they have contributed to the book. Karine Leblanc, an English teacher as well as a passion for dance was busy with her students and for Mahina Khanum, a toothache prevented her from coming! The backbone of this book are the contributions of scholars like Eliane Beranger, anthropologist of dance, Tiziana Leucci, researcher at Centre d'etude de L'Inde et Asie de Sud, Katia Légeret Manochhaya, Eva Szily not to forget Lionel Tardif, a renowned filmmaker and former Director of Centre Socio-Culturel de Beffroi who was greatly missed. Other artistes like Sharmila Sharma and Yona Colette Pruvot, Kathak, Dominique Delorme, Nancy Boissel, Valerie Kanti, Jessie Veeratherapillay, Armelle Choquard, Bharatanatyam, Lila Laurence, Kathakali, Cecily Gordon, Kalaripayattu, Brigitte Chataignier, Mohiniattam, and Michel Lestrehan weren't at the launch for various reasons. The cold Paris weather on 27th kept Master KarunaKaran away. It was a pity Maria-Kiran, a superb Bharatanatyam dancer couldn't come and was missed by many. Thomas Vo Van Tao, Mohiniattam, performed a padam before an enraptured audience. The cherry on the cake was Helene Keller from Bibliotheque National de France (BNF). Today the 25th edition of attendance has found a pride of place at the Bibliotheque. Hopefully next week Centre National de Dance will be receiving their copy thanks to Eliane Beranger. A great regret would be the absence of Jean-Paul Montanari, Director, Montpellier Danse Festival. He passed away on 25th April 2025 leaving behind an incredible legacy. Our Guest Editor, was perhaps one of the last people to whom he gave an interview which was supposed to be for 15 minutes but lasted more than an hour! The help Elisabeth Petit extended in arranging this meeting was enormous.  Third Secretary Anup Das, Compere Mayur, Protocol Shalini, Editor Ashish Khokar, Second Secretary Abhishek Bakolia and overall Rahul Raheja Indian Embassy's efficient Second Secretary Abhishek Bakolia and an informed Third Secretary Anup Das, aided by all-rounder, ever-helpful and smiling Rahul Raheja were the Trimurtis who steered the whole show, planned minute to minute from arrival to departure in clock work precision. At exactly 6.30pm, His Excellency our Ambassador, looking debonair and distinguished, made an entry and the grand launch function started in right earnest with his speech which highlighted culture as a critical component of bridge building and how, over the centuries, the Franco-Indian relations had been built.  Elisabeth Khokar, Sonya Wynne Singh, Ashish Khokar, Malavika, the Ambassador H.E. Sanjeev Singla Indian dance in France had the most interesting history: Uday Shankar in 1936 danced at Champs Elysees, his example was followed by Ram Gopal in whose company Amala Devi and Malavika were both based in London and Paris. Their example brought many like Milena Salvini to learn from M.K.Saroja (my mother) in the mid 1960s, in addition to learning Kathakali, she being the first woman from France to do so! Milena, Malavika and M.K.Saroja and later Muthuswami Pillai took to teaching dance to maximum there and here. They were the enablers. Malavika and Milena were on the scholarship committee in Paris and chose only the best to go to India on an ICCR scholarship. Initially, ICCR would host visiting foreign students only at established institutions like the Kathak Kendra in Delhi, and Kathakali and Mohiniattam was mostly taught then at Kalamandalam in Kerala. It was when many French started feeling stifled in huge institutions like Kalakshetra for Bharatanatyam, where they didn't get individual attention that the Government of India appointed the great dance authority of India, Prof Mohan Khokar who was also then the Secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, to give his opinion and assessment. He, being informed and ethical, gave a report that allowed individuals like guru Muthuswami Pillai to teach at home. Thanks to this decision, many French students started going to individual teachers. One man can make a difference.  Mandapa It was good to visit Mandapa, the institution created by my mother's first French student Milena Salvini (with husband Roger) in the mid 1970s. She came to learn in the mid 1960s and was instrumental in platforming many artistes from many cultures at Mandapa. PM Modi bestowed the Padma Shri award on Milena post Covid. Her guru M.K. Saroja had also received the same honour a decade ago making both the guru and shishya receive the same award. For one final time, I took my mother's paduka to Mandapa, as though taking final leave of a place. One also visited the square opposite now named after Milena. All this history and more comes alive in pages of writings of Maitreyi, Milena (by first rate archivist Eliane Beranger) and others. The book is replete with anecdotal and historical references lovingly translated from French to English by ace art book maker Sonya Wynne Singh, living in France for the last 40 years. She is a senior talent who has spent years correcting and editing long drafts (dancers rarely like the art of editing or want to learn it, on stage or off!), making sense and translating them. Dogs and cats had to be left out because this was not a biography of some neurotic megalomaniacs but a record of Indian dance in France for posterity. No future book on Indian dance in France, or film script can afford not to touch this book or use it as a source. When asked to address the gathering, yours truly as the editor publisher had three focus points: the past, as painstakingly documented in this tome; the present unfolded in teaching, learning and dissemination and the future where a French edition done by a body like CND with attendance or any private publisher would help reach the book further into schools and dance conservatories. The Samosa spread in the end helped many bond over boondi ladoos, tikki and gulab jamuns made for all by the Embassy as a gesture of athiti devo bhava. That not a single French known to me for 30/40/50 years even cared to bring a piece of small chocolate as a gift showed the size of heart! The Offprint given to each contributor was another act of Indian generosity and discounted author's copy to most who attended. While I waited with bated breath with pen in hand to sign copies, most in the melee forgot to get one and next day as I flew to my favourite European country - Sweden - I got messages to send digital autographs! Stockholm and Sweden are not just another country in Europe; these are another planet. These countries make France and other European countries look quite dated, having stood in time, as the Scandinavian 5 ( Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland) are way ahead in many social, environmental, human, technical, financial and futuristic trends in history and hospitality that they look like aliens living in another planet! I lived and worked in Sweden in the last century, some 40 years ago. I got a scholarship in 1985 to study theatre admin at VarHuset, Medborgarplatsen then under director Gunter Wetzel. This is Stockholm's oldest children's theatre built by Astrid Lindgren, of Pippi Longstocking fame. That scholarship led me to help motivate the cultural authorities in Sweden to meet the following year in France where the Festival of India was on and the main team headed by Arild Berglof of Swedish Institute (the mai bap of govt cultural exchange and patronage in Sweden, all our 3 national akademis put in one plus more! The ICCR) came to see events in Paris; then we went to see Peter Brook's Mahabharata in Avignon. We then created the protocol to have the first ever state to state cultural exchange between India and Sweden in 1986/7. The festival of India in Sweden was a six month long programme where over 500 artistes; 10 big exhibitions; film makers like Govind Nihalini, poets, authors , designers, painters went. I was the mere cog in the wheel and worked very well with my colleague at work Elisabeth (with the Swedish ICCR), that this was one government cultural exchange programme with a very tangible long term result: we married! I told her I was no Maharaja (even if I am told I looked royal) and that she had to come deal with the Delhi of the 1980s! No gas cylinder on time; no phone at home! I too had no permanent job after the project got over. Love must be totally blind for she did come in 1988, first year to see and study Sanskrit! Thinking everyone spoke it. Delhi folks then and now could hardly speak English without adding Punjabi cuss words, what of an ancient language like Sanskrit? She plodded on. I got lucky that my work abroad was seen by the top cultural leaders of the time and I was hired as a director of INTACH. I was just 29! Conservation and heritage then in the 1980s was more a drawing room conversation than real measures. INTACH created an eco system by using trained architects, helping identify and document urban heritage lists, bring in laws so many are still standing like the Opera House in Mumbai; Police sea facing HQ opposite the lighthouse in Chennai; Budha Park on Delhi the biggest green belt; Ekamra Kshetra in Bhubaneswar; Rachol Seminary in Goa....hundreds of such initiatives in Kolkata or Kanpur, Amritsar or Assam. 150+ chapters acted as watchdogs and I headed 40 from Cochin to Bhubaneswar. That's why I'm at home in most parts of India and can understand seven Indian languages too in addition to French, Swedish and Italian. To cut a long long story short, Sweden taught me punctuality (as an Indian, I used to be very democratic with watch!). It opened my eyes to nature and environment and it taught me hard, honest work that stands the test of time. No wonder Sweden created the Nobel Prize; many inventions that changed lives like velcro, tetra pack and even high end technology in most fields. Just 9 million people and this unique country is a benchmark in many fields.  Stockholm town hall We had gone also to attend my nephew Aneesh wedding with Stina at the 15 century Town Hall, where 40 years ago pt. Bhimsen Joshi sang to open the Festival of India in Sweden. Gurus Kumudini Lakhia, Alarmel Valli danced and Martand Singh created a textile magical exhibition. Jyotindra Jain, then head of Crafts Museum, was partner to Ethonografiska museum and Prince of Wales Museum Mumbai with Far Eastern Antiquities. Mansingh Lalit, then DG ICCR, was the most suave diplomat and Daljit Aurora the head of Festival Directorate. G. Venu played Chenda at the opening ceremony in Town Hall and shared his hand puppets while Micheal Meshcke with Rolf Theorin created the Mela opening ceremony. Stockholm had never seen a cultural extravaganza at this scale. In all this, the publicity material was printed by Bhupinder Sachdeva of Printways in India (this year's attendance award) and Sonya Wynne Singh (also our awardee this year) was the par excellence book maker under the guidance of charming and astute Asharani Mathur. To think the same Sonya - from 40 years ago - today, living in France curated and created a tome - Indian Dance in France - for Indo French relations, shows gold and good work always shines.  Critic, connoisseur, historian, author, artivist, archivist, administrator and more - editor, columnist and mentor Ashish Khokar remains true to his muse. More on attendance-india.com Responses * Hearty Congrats on "attenDance" attaining Silver & the launches both national & international - sustaining for 25 years is no wonder given its par excellent quality and the men like the great Mohan Khokarji - whom I hold in great awe & feel a connection for he was assessor for my thesis way back in 1959 - and equally amazing Ashishji being at the helm. Yes, the article rightly makes a reference to the unique amalgam of pan India region spirit that has propelled it to the SILVER. Hats off to who even thought of researching, chronicling and producing History of Dance.. in a distant land i.e France - a great service to our culture indeed. It was an eye opener to learn the long reach of Indian dance so far away and back in time. Surely it would also serve as a valuable reference document. Great compliments to Ashishji also for his article written in his usual inimitable witty style, very exhaustive cataloging who is who in dance fraternity in France. I just loved it. Best wishes for "attenDance" and other ventures of Ashishji. - Padma Sharma, Mumbai (Dec 11, 2025) * Absolutely enthralling, engaging, and elaborate read on the journey of the unique AttenDance that has become the benchmark for true rasikas of the art form. Not only in India but world over. Accomplishing 25 years in the field is no mean task. Where no one dared to enter, a seemingly insurmountable task was made easy by the sheer dent of perseverance by who else but the Khokar family. Kudos to Senior Khokarji and his more than capable heir apparent Ashish Khokarji to so admirably carry forward the legacy. May AttenDance keep scaling Himalayan heights perpetually providing us with intricate insights, layered nuances, and hitherto unheard of anecdotes about our rich art forms and their exponents for eternity. We are eternally grateful for that. Here's wishing Ashish Anna and Team the very best wishes for all future endeavours. May Attendance etch its name in the Indian cultural history books forever. - MV Krishna (Dec 10, 2025) * Truly a salute to this remarkable milestone! Heartfelt congratulations to "Attendance" on its glorious Silver Jubilee. No words are enough to express the overwhelming emotions. This beautifully written article captures the spirit of history and movement so powerfully. It has allowed us to journey through eras of dance, culture, and artistic legacy. More strength and applause to you, Ashish Bhai, for your unwavering dedication in bringing this wonderful magazine “Attendance” to audiences worldwide, celebrating dance in its purest form. Wishing many more years of inspiration, creativity, and cultural enrichment. - Abida Desai, Ahmedabad (Dec 7, 2025) * An absolutely fabulous article. Extremely informative, engaging, enriching with a fascinating history spanning decades and geographic regions. It is personal, yet professional, detailed, yet comprehensive. Surely this edition of Attendance is a MUST read as are all the previous ones, many of which I have had the good fortune to read. Kudos and respect. - Jigyasa Giri (Dec 7, 2025) Post your comments Please provide your name along with your post. All appropriate comments posted with name in the blog will also be featured in the site. |
