April 2021
ANITA SAYS.....
The virus licks my torn soul, guilt tripping me
I sing a love song to it, tempting the faint thump,
Causing my heart to fissure its fatty lumps; pretend
I live on a moon of my own landing, turn my flesh
Inside out, listen to the chirping of birds, amazed
That so much beauty could still exist, amid club-like
Spikes that crush the breathing soul...
A pestilence that asks for enormous surcharges, lethal
As the protean cry of daggers, stabbing me yet again.
Quietly slithering out, a warlike stratagem, as
Birds orchestrate their cheerful songs to one another...
Gone, I struggle with myself, umpteen times more
By Nishi Chawla
From the anthology SINGING IN THE DARK
Global poetry under lockdown
Publisher Penguin Vintage
#HAVE YOU VAXXED YET?
Well... have you?
Have you become bored with watching online dance?
Are you ready to SCREAM with frustration as another lockdown looms large?
Are you ready to vote for your next State Chief Minister? (this for those citizens of certain Indian states)
I am saying YES to all the above.
Read on...
|
TA KI TA TOM
The Sangeet Natak Akademi brought out its
annual journal in honor of T Balasaraswati, guest edited by her senior
disciple Nandini Ramani.
Natyarambha's KUTTY KAHANI - 55 episode series telecast, started from
14th March 2021primetime on DD Bharati, with one episode per day, with a
repeat telecast on the next morning! Kutty Kahani is a multi-art
multilingual, short video series of storytelling and performance by
young storytellers, from India, UK, USA, Singapore and Malaysia,
bringing to us Stories from India.
Seven women were inducted into Singapore WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME on March
8, 2021 on International Women's Day including SANTHA BHASKAR, artistic
director and chief choreographer at Bhaskar's Art Academy, one of the
first Indian dance schools in Singapore.
Tapas Cultural Foundation presented the VIDHYA TAPASVI AWARD for 2020-21
to nagaswaram vidwan Desur DSD Selvarathinam (music) and Bharatanatyam
exponent Nithyakalyani Vaidyanathan for their service towards bhakthi
oriented classical Fine Arts on March 11, 2021.
Premiering on Youtube and Facebook on April 29, 2021, Jiva Performing
Arts presents DUALITIES: A DANCE ON CAMERA FESTIVAL, curated and
directed by Sonali Skandan featuring Archana Raja, Aishwarya Sriram and
Mallika Murali, Nandini Kannan, Sahana Sridhar, Sahana Rao and Sneha
Subramaniam, Sophia Salingaros.
|
TAALAM: COLUMN BY LEELA VENKATARAMAN
THE EASTERN EYE: COLUMN BY DR.UTPAL K BANERJEE
Monsoon melody from corona crescent
Sparsh, a film released on March 26, under the baton of the
ever-innovative Kathak dancer Aditi Mangaldas- she literally pulled off
all stops for her Drishtikon Dance Foundation to assemble a bevy
of professionally groomed youthful male and female dancers to respond
across continents
Re-imagining the pastoral god
Ritachhanda Festival presented on the proscenium stage on February 14 by
SNB Foundation, offered a bouquet of five dances, 'Pancha Varna' built
around the Krishna theme as visualized by Ashimbandhu Bhattacharya.
Cloud messenger from beyond borders
MEGHADOOTAM had its special charm in being primarily an Urdu version
(with a smattering of Multani, Sanskrit and Hindi), composed in 1987 by
Raja Pratap Singh Gannari, a poet from West Pakistan, who had migrated
to India.
Excellent exotica
KUSUM KUSUM and GIRGITI presented on proscenium stage on February 28 by
Chetana were equally eloquent productions. While the first play
was a grim tragedy with deep folk roots, the second one was a heady
comedy.
|
ATMA SHANTI
*
The
great Kathakali legend CHEMANCHERI KUNHIRAMAN NAIR passed away at the
ripe old age of 105 in the early hours of 15th March 2021 at his
residence at Cheliya village.
Nair was born on June 26, 1916 in a farmer's family in a remote village
in Malabar. He lost his mother when he was only 3 and his father when he
was 13. He mastered Kathakali under Guru Karunakara Menon and later
Ambu Panicker, Katathanad Ramunni Nair, and Matasseri Kochugovindan
Nair. His first role, as a 15-year-old, was that of Draupadi, the wife
of Pandavas, in a Mahabharata based performance. Later, he started
acting the role of Krishna with which he is associated with the most.
One of the judges of Kerala court spontaneously prostrated in front of
him when he portrayed the Lord's cosmic form. He learnt Bharatanatyam
from Kalamandalam Madhavan Nair, Salem Rajarathinam Pillai and Madras
Balachandra Saraswati of Saidapet. Kunhiraman Nair had his debut
performance at Keezhpayur Kuniyil Paradevatha temple in 1930. He
pioneered in fusing Bharatanatyam and Kathakali and choreographed dance
dramas with over forty dancers. He served as a dance teacher in a circus
company for a couple of years. He founded Bharatiya Natya Kalalayam at
Kannur in 1945, which was the first school of dance in north Kerala. He
had four significant dance schools on the Western coast of Malabar and
also a school theatre program for youth to sustain traditional values.
He was a pioneer in producing dance dramas based on Kathakali and other
folk dances of Kerala, especially in the north Malabar area in the name
of 'Ballets.' He trained a number of talented poor boys and girls in
Kerala. He inspired several naatya practitioners to compose group
productions and there was a time when his ballets were an integral part
of any temple festival. He was also a proponent of Ashtapadi Attam,
another form of dance drama based on the verses of Gita Govindam of poet
Jayadeva. Working with Guru Gopinath, Nair also helped in giving shape
to Kerala Natanam.
In 2014 at the age of 98, he performed as Parasurama and also gave a
performance in full Kathakali attire in the same temple where he first
performed nine decades earlier. His last notable public performance was
at the age of 100.
This 'wonderman' received some significant awards only in his nineties,
which include the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi's Puraskar (1979) and
Fellowship (1999), Kerala Kalamandalam Visishta Kala Seva Award (2002),
the Kerala Kalamandalam's Kala Ratnam award (2009), and the Sangeet
Natak Akademi's Tagore Puraskar (2011). Bharata Ilango Foundation for
Asian Culture conferred its first Satabdhi Kalakaraha (artiste of the
century) award on him in Dec 2014 when he was 98 years old. He received
the Padma Shri in 2017. His autobiography in Malayalam is like a
documentation of a century of Kerala culture. This has been edited by
Aneesh Kuttan. A documentary film on his life and work is almost ready
to be released soon by the Government of India Film Division directed by
Kadambari.
*
LAXMIPRIYA MOHAPATRA, wife of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, passed away at
her residence in Bhubaneswar due to age related ailments on 20th March
2021. She was 93 (1928-2021).
Starting her dancing career at an early age at the Annapurna Theatre in
Puri in 1947, Laxmipriya came in contact with Kelucharan Mohapatra at
the Annapurna Theatre 'B' in Cuttack. Though he was an expert in Odissi
and Gotipua dance forms, Kelucharan was then performing as a tabla
player in the theatre. While working together, Kelucharan began teaching
her Odissi dance. They got married in 1947 despite several impediments
as the duo belonged to different castes. Later, Laxmipriya quit her
profession after family took precedence. A dancer and stage artiste of
acknowledged stature, Laxmipriya was the inspiring presence in
Kelucharan's life. Their togetherness stemmed from 1946 when she danced
at Annapurna 'B' theatre to his fluent support on the mardala and other
drums. Invariably, whenever Laxmipriya performed on stage, Kelucharan
accompanied her on percussion. Laxmipriya benefited from Kelubabu's
ideas on dance, choreography and stagecraft, and she saw to it that, in
his grim struggle to eke out a bare existence, every affordable comfort
was made available to him.
In the early part of her life, Laxmipriya absorbed from her rural
surroundings, an interest in the expressional Arts - dance, music,
theatre. Hailing from Khurda, Laxmipriya and her mother opted to stay in
Puri where the young Laxmipriya was introduced as a dancer in Annapurna
'A' group by Bauribandhu Mahanty. She travelled with the theatre group,
to remote villages, towns and every tribal district of Orissa; her
reminiscences about these tours abounded in lively anecdotes about
people, tribal dance and costumes, rural methods of conveying ideas,
phraseology and many other points of interest. Her powers of observation
were sharp, and her sense of humour abundant. Her teachers in acting
and dance were, in those days, the venerable Ram Mania, Kashinath Sahu,
Lakshmidhar Patra and Lingraj Nanda, who were all hard taskmasters. She
blossomed into a fine stage artiste and from the time she made her debut
as 'Mohini', Laxmipriya mesmerized theatre lovers with her virtuosity
and emotive portrayal in a number of dance dramas many of which ran for a
100 days. Her stellar roles made her a most popular stage artiste in
the plays 'Manager', 'Aloka', 'Bharasa', 'Ta poi', 'Mulia',
'Kalapahada', 'Jahara' and the 'Dasavatara' sub play in 'Sadhaba jhia'
where she performed in tandem with Kelucharan Mohapatra.
Laxmipriya is credited as being the first dancer to perform Odissi on
stage! She also acted in important roles in landmark films such as Surya
Mukhi, Manika Jodi, Amada Bata and Mala Janha and her histrionic
ability was received with great enthusiasm by the Oriya audience of that
era. Her decision to continue as a dancer and stage artiste gave the
fillip and courage to many middle class Oriya girls to dedicate
themselves to Odissi dance. She is fondly addressed as "Guruma." After
Kelubabu's demise she functioned as the chief trustee of Srjan.
She is survived by her son Ratikant Mohapatra and family and the entire Srjan parivar.
*
Mridangam maker PALAKKAD PARAMESWARAN passed away on March 25, 2021 aged 58.
|
LOOK OUT FOR
Poesia Y Musica
A presentation by ELECTROLÉ | SPAIN in collaboration with ADITI
MANGALDAS & Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company- The Drishtikon Dance
Foundation
Kala Saadhana / Shanta and V.P.Dhananjayan / Bharatanaatyam
Part 1
Part 2
Guru Shradha Soloists
Paying tribute to Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra by presenting his beautiful choreographic gems.
|
|
