The Platinum Mudra

Begun early this year,the global celebrations of culture academy Kalakshetras 75th year finally reached Delhi.

The pining strains of the veena suffused an almost chilly Delhi evening. As the lights changed to a deep blue,seven male dancers emerged from the darkness. Carnatic musicians raised their tempo and,on cue,Krishna,wrapped in a blue classical costume,combated with the evil Kaliya naag. The arresting movements in Kalinganartanam,captivated the audience so much that when the dancers came to a standstill like human sculptures,an ovation rose in the hall. Choreographed by eminent dancer and chairperson of the Censor Board,Leela Samson,this was one of the pieces through which the dancers revisited the teaching traditions of the institute from 1936 to 2011 in just one-and-a-half hours. The entire performance was part of Samsarga,a three-day festival that began in Delhi on Tuesday,marking the 75th anniversary of Kalakshetra. Samson is also director of the institute.

Founded in 1936 by theosophist and Bharatanatyam dancer Rukmini Devi Arundale,Chennais Kalakshetra is one of the most respected cultural academies of the country. Its platinum jubilee celebrations began in January with Carnatic music recitals and Bharatanatyam dance performances,but Delhi got a taste of this fare only now. Interestingly,except Chennai,its hometown,and now Delhi,these celebrations were not taken to any other metropolis. Instead,with much fervour,sans pomp,they were organised in small and big towns including Guwahati,Imphal and Coimbatore. The performing troupes also went abroad to Philadelphia,Washington,Houston and Toronto. The Delhi stopover included dance dramas,dances and lecture demonstrations.

Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Samson recalls her own journey with the institute,which she first joined as a student. A small banyan tree was planted in the new premises that is now a great banyan tree. The older teachers have moved on or passed on and younger people have taken up the work responsibility. I am representative of that change, she said,adding,that students now join because of their own love for the art. In my day,it was because our parents thought it was the right thing to do, she commented.

Merging tradition with the contemporary,Kalakshetra constantly innovates the dance forms,music,even its academic curriculum. Kalakshetra moves with the times and the young among us create new and different work. Modernity is a Western term and is linked to Western history of dance. Contrarily,our dance forms are perennial in nature and nobody makes a fuss if an artiste treads an untrodden path, explained Samson.

The institute had started out on the lines of the Theosophical Society in Adyar,Chennai,and shifted its residence to Thiruvanmiyur as an independent body. However,since the Society did not accept the arrangement,Arundale changed her course of work. The modern-day Kalakshetra stands firm on the same grounds and ideology.

Before the celebrations conclude,there will be more performances in Chennai till February 29,Arundales birthday. The Delhi event opened to a small but enthusiastic audience. Kalakshetra is a symbol of revival of classical arts. Linked with pre-Independent India,the institute has an organic connection with the city of Madras which has an uncritical audience. But Delhi,without any sense of nostalgia for it,doesnt have a natural audience. Probably 10 years from now,there might be. Also,Delhi events have too much spectacle and no content, said Sadanand Menon,an art critic and columnist. Samson may only partially agree. I am not so much for numbers as for the quality of people who came. It will take time and several more visits for Kalakshetra to draw packed houses in Delhi. Thats the way the cookie crumbles, she said after the event.

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Leela Samson

The Platinum Mudra

Begun early this year,the global celebrations of culture academy Kalakshetras 75th year finally reached Delhi.

Begun early this year,the global celebrations of culture academy Kalakshetras 75th year finally reached Delhi.