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 Karmayogi-Vikasit Bharat, film Purush and Prakriti, and Mishranam Melanam - Manjari Sinha e-mail: manjari@sinha.com March 11, 2024 From 'Karmayogi', a dynamic dance tribute to the Prime Minister of India to 'Mix and Match - Mishranam Melanam,' a multimedia tribute to the Weavers of India, and a Kathak-based dance film 'Purush and Prakriti' on the role of Yoga in creating harmony and fulfilment in life, the dance lovers of Delhi were offered a sumptuous and nourishing variety of treat this past month. Shri Kamakhya Kalapeeth, Centre for Indian Classical Dances, and its founder president Dr. Sonal Mansingh, presented 'Karmayogi: Vikasit Bharat: A dance tribute to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi' recently at the Habitat Centre. The obvious theme was the difficult dream of a developed nation 'Vikasit Bharat' by the Karmayogi Modi, who believes in dedicated hard work, the 'Karma Yoga' theory of Bhagavad Gita that says "Karmanyevadhikaraste..."! Sonal communicated the theme through her art, with great conviction.  Sonal Mansingh The versatility of Sonal Mansingh as an eloquent Sutradhar, accomplished vocalist / composer, and imaginative choreographer came across from the very beginning with the Ram Stuti "Rama Rameti...." sung in her tuneful voice with the backdrop of the artistic slides projection on the screen and the group choreography on stage to celebrate Shri Ram Mandir and Ram Katha from the birth of Ram with "Awadh mein janme Ram..." to climaxing in keertan style "Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram".  The auspicious invocation took 'Karmaveer' ahead with a collage of cameos depicting the dedication and consistent work of Modi to realize his dream of 'Vikasit Bharat'. There were glimpses of some of his umpteen schemes to help the poor and marginalized like the Ujjwala Yojana and Har Ghar Nal to reach drinking water in remote villages depicted through the Kumauni folk dance showing the hard work of the village women who had to fetch water from long distances on the mountains and cook on fire in harmful health hazards, and their happiness as beneficiaries of these schemes.   Nari Shakti was showcased with the Durga Stuti in raga Durga set to drut ektala, Van Dhan with Santhali dance, the restoration and renovation of Shri Vishwanath Dham, Kashi, with the Vishweshwara Stotra. 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', the 'Sutra Vakya' or motto for the inclusive policy of connecting with the world as one big family, for the G-20 summit was depicted through group choreography opening with Surya Namaskar. Sonal linked each segment as a Sutradhar adding the inputs like PM's dream of India becoming the third largest economy in the world, and their friend and well-wisher too. All this was artistically communicated through music and dance without even once showing the photograph of PM Modi or even mentioning his name. Karmaveer was conceived, choreographed and directed by Sonal Mansingh. Music by Sonal had accompanying musicians Bankim Sethi - vocal, Balram Sisodia - tabla, Rishi Shankar Upadhyay - pakhawaj, Siddharth Dalbehra - flute, R. Kesavan - mridangam, and Hemnath - keyboard. Ram Nath Kovind, the chief guest of the evening, eulogized Sonal with "Namastasyai Namo Namah", for all the accolades she deserved!  Purush and Prakriti 'Purush and Prakriti' was a unique film screened at Gulmohar, Habitat Centre, followed by an invigorating panel discussion. Based on the role of Yoga in Kathak and creating harmony and fulfilment in life, it was conceived, choreographed and directed by Nisha Mahajan. Concerned about the increase of drug usage amongst the youth, caused by depression, a sense of isolation, and lack of self-worth that many of the youngsters face today, Nisha Mahajan, the film's producer-director, realized that there is an urgent need to have more awareness about the role of Yoga in helping them to combat this problem. Her introductory remarks opening the panel discussion continued, "The theme of Prakriti and Purush deals with the conflicts in life and its solution through the Ashtanga Yoga of Maharishi Patanjali. Every human being needs a healthy body and an efficient mind with emotional balance for that sense of achievement, fulfilment, peace and happiness." Produced as a dance work that started way back in the 90s on the behest of Nisha's Yoga Guru Shambhu Nath, it was premiered in Delhi last year and the positive response inspired her to transform it into a film for the greater benefit of youngsters. The film would equip them to deal with the turbulence and strife in life and reach them to a state of harmony at the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. It will enable them to create an atmosphere of creative fulfilment to counteract the violence and insensibility within and in the society that affects their well-being and happiness. The film opens with the auspicious 'Aum', the primordial sound, and the Sanskrit shloka "Purnamidam...Purnameva avashishyate" emerges from the serene sound of the flute. The opening scene traces the course of evolution from amoeba, reptiles, birds, and animals like elephants, deer, monkeys etc to man. The man with Trigunas - Rajas, the source of creative ability, Tamas results in lethargy and sluggishness, and Sattva Guna is activated when the mind takes charge with full awareness. The discipline of Yoga makes this possible through Yama, Niyam, Asan, Pranayam, Pratyahar, Dharana, Dhyan, and Samadhi. All this was explained through the language and the vocabulary of Kathak with appropriate music by the Late Anupam Mudgal and dance choreography by Nisha herself.  Panel The panel with Nisha, and senior dancers like Mangala Bhat, Abhay Shankar Mishra, Hemanta Kalita, Pooja and Jyotsana indulged in an open discussion with the discerning audience. Nisha said, "There is so much disintegration in society. Yoga is the science of the well-being of individuals. If each individual evolves into a healthy, proactive, peaceful, and fulfilled human being, society is automatically taken care of." One of the suggestions from the audience was that the film should be screened in colleges for the benefit of young adults because students take many years to understand the possibilities of their body, mind, and spirit as one integrated unit. The film caters to spreading awareness about the role of Yoga in determining the quality of life.  Nisha Mahajan Nisha concluded her point as the director's note, "I felt an intense necessity to bring into focus the total expanse of life. When there is an awareness about the totality of life, we are in a better position to guide it toward peace, fulfilment, and happiness. The film is dedicated to all fellow travellers on this planet and to the well-being of all humanity." 'Mix and Match - Mishranam Melanam' was a multi-media dance production about the diverse variety of saris of all regions of India, presented as a tribute to the 'Weavers of India' by the well-known Bharatanatyam exponent and Guru Jayalakshmi Eshwar and her Abhinaya Dance Company, at the capital's Kamani auditorium. The thematic dance production conceived and choreographed by Jayalakshmi Eshwar imaginatively used music and dance to weave the story about each variety of sari through mythological stories and their textile traditions.  Jayalakshmi Eshwar The show featured about fourteen disciples of Jayalakshmi Eshwar in Bharatanatyam along with three Chhau and creative classical dancers for group performance showcasing the extensive variety of saris from Bhagalpuri and Mithila, Moonga silk saris from Manipur to Kalamkari and Venkatagiri, Pochampalli to Dharmavaram from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to Kanjivaram from South. Saris from different regions of India were displayed through the dance and music of that particular region; 'Pinnal Kolattam' for example, the 'Braiding Dance' with Kanjivaram silk and cotton saris.  Saris-Tamilnadu The multimedia design was created by Avinash Kumar, an experienced media producer with extensive work and credentials. The original music compositions, immersive visual arts, and captivating storytelling incorporating saris and textiles from almost all Indian states with extraordinary diversity along with voice-over about the weaving techniques, was a harmonious display that captured the kaleidoscopic beauty of India's unity in diversity. The journey of saris depicted four regions across India, divided into four segments namely Northern and Central States, Eastern States, Western and North Western States, and Southern States. The musical score for the first and third segments was by Gopal Rao Parnandi from Chennai, the 2nd segment and Rudraksham by Vettriboopathi and Arvind Narayanan from Delhi, and the fourth by Sanjeev Venkataramanan from Chennai.  Finale The imaginative choreography of Jayalakshmi's 'Mishranam Melanam' took the audience on a journey across India, highlighting myths, folklore, and textile crafts unique to each region. This beautiful tribute to the Weavers of India, resonating with varied cultural traditions and languages, came out to be an elaborate cultural spectacle that intricately narrated the diverse tale of saris and textiles as a vibrant reflection of Indian culture.  Manjari Sinha has an M.A. in Sanskrit and Music, and Sangeet Prabhakar in vocal, tabla, sitar and Kathak dance. She has regular columns in national dailies as a music and dance critic. |
