Jugaad and Intolerance in Arts

Please go to page number 7 on the following link

http://nartanam.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/nartanam-vol-xv-no-2.pdf

An Indian Analysis of Aesthetics- The Dance, the Dancer and the Spectator

Here is a peep into my first ever book.

What is it that makes a dance beautiful and what is the mechanism of reacting to dance in a spectator? Where does the onus for relishing aesthetic pleasure lie and how does it come about? These are the questions, which receive attention in my book.

Some of the best known critical-aesthetic thoughts and theories right from the ancient Greco-Roman philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Longinus, and Augustine, the ancient Indian aestheticians like Bharata, Anandavardhana, and Abhinavagupta to the much later Japanese aesthetician Zeami, and the later European theorists like Kant and Brecht, are discussed in the book and it is pointed out that they all speak of an element of the metaphysical in art.

Indian Dance and Music in the traditional classical format are ingrained in the psyche of every Indian as 'divine'. This nature of dance encompassed the myriad aesthetic theories on the existence of beauty in art, its universal nature and its portrayal that lead the spectator to experience the sublime. The ‘divine origin’ theory of Bharata in the Natyasastrawas propounded as a proof of the divinity inherent in dance. The excessive usage of pious vocabulary with reference to dance by one and all, its metaphysical content and the realisation of bliss as a spectator of dance is not uncommon. The primary Indian aesthetic theory ‘Rasa Sutra’ does not offer any explanation as to how the ‘aesthetic relish’ experienced is next only to the supreme divine bliss, brahmananda. It is also limited in the explication of the process/mechanism of its attainment in the spectator. While it applied to the poet, choreographer and the dancer and the process of production of the theatrical spectacle, the enumeration of the process of the reception of the beauty of the performance and attainment of aesthetic relish by the spectator did not receive much attention.

However, Abhinavagupta in his commentary on Natyasastra, the Abhinavabharati, does offer some insight into the subject. What is it that the spectator undergoes or ought to undergo in attaining the aesthetic relish? Can such aesthetic relish ever be equivalent to the supreme divine bliss of brahmananda, if at all such an experience is definable and is a possibility?

K. VasudevaSastri’s book on SangitaDarpanam, a 17th century treatise on music and dance, in an appealing section—sariraviveka—in its very first chapter, and the SangitaRatnakara  both describe a subtle metaphysical apparatus in the human body in the context of perception of dance and music. This, I think constitutes a theory or mechanism of spectatorship. Sariravivekaboldly proposes the presence of a metaphysical apparatus in the human body consisting of a primordial energy and an assortment of energy centres, which together appear to be an instrument for perceiving the essence of music and dance. This section of SangitaDarpanamaddresses the theory of spectatorship and thus contributes to the historiography of spectatorship.

Sahaja Yoga, a form of meditation propounded by Dr. NirmalaSrivastava, known to her followers as ShriMatajiNirmala Devi, has a vast body of research in medicine on the apparatus similar to the one described in the section sariraviveka in the treatise SangitaDarpanam.The subtle body similar to the one described by sariraviveka in SangitaDarpanam has been amply elaborated by the late U.C. Rai, an eminent physiologist of India in his book “Medical Science Enlightened —New Insights into Vibratory Awareness for Holistic Health Care” is of significance here.  He has explained the working of the metaphysical apparatus in the body and has supported it with research on Sahaja Yoga. Rai’s findings are collated with the apparatus described in the sariraviveka.

The book tries to examine the philosophy wherein the fine art over the ages has been propounded to have a ‘metaphysical’ aspect. An examination of various theories is to suggest that the age-old primary aim of the artistic process is not a mere expression of the self, as is popularly asserted by artists today. It is about relating the artistic process to self and striving for the elevation of the self by both the artist and the spectator. Fine art and its aesthetics have ever been intimately connected  with beauty, morals, ethics, spiritual uplift, education, and daily living. It was not seen merely as a skill or a knowledge intensive entertainment tool that happens to portray higher values and morals or merely as a tool of ritual in its religious context; its core purpose was always the discovery of self through the perception of universal truths.

The book stresses that an aesthetic theory ought not to focus only on the nature of art and its basic and formal principles but should also address the mechanism of the perception of beauty or the attainment of ‘aesthetic relish’ by the spectator.

It is generally argued that one cannot understand the classical arts without being thoroughly educated in the several forms and genres and acquiring a good knowledge of the fundamentals of aesthetics. Without being thus equipped, it is claimed that one cannot know what to look for in the high art of any ‘Great Tradition’. The book accepts this argument in the case of a scholar, teacher, performer and writer of art, but declares it incorrect in the case of a spectator.The book argues that one can lucidly perceive the arts even with a minimum of empathy and open-mindedness to one’s culture and with only a little knowledge about artistic pursuits. The indirect, implicit, and the universal in the arts portrayed successfully can be perceived, appreciated and even understood by the most ordinary of viewers through the innate subtle mechanism with which humans are equipped. This is the thrust of thought contained in the concept of sariraviveka. Thus this book proposes that the most highly encoded art can be perceived and appreciated by the most ordinary of viewers through an innate mechanism that all humans are equipped with.

The book also examines the various classical dance forms of India and dwells on the salient elements in their form, technique, and repertoire and also the content that contributes significantly to the important dimension of the experience of ‘the sublime’ through the art form.

Writer's Block

In the past few months I have contemplated withdrawing from writing on dance and also withdrawing from editing the journal Nartanam not because of financial hardships but because of :

lack of good academic writers,
lack of professionalism in the field,
lack of courage and conviction in one and all to raise issues haunting the dance field.

But as the publisher of Nartanam, and as a believer of the need for a journal like Nartanam I cannot help but continue with the crusade of publishing Nartanam every quarter- one bumper issue after the other, all in time and to great appreciation from one and all. The joy of compiling the content is as immense as is the pain and tears behind putting it together.

Amidst all the efforts at Nartanam, the  desire to update my blog took a back seat. But I am delighted that my blog is read by many like minded people.

I give here links to my editorials in Nartanam which was pretty much what I wanted to say in the past few months. One may check out page number seven in each of following links or on www.nartanam.in

http://nartanam.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/special-issue-on-spic-macay.pdf
http://nartanam.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/60-years-of-jawaharlal-nehru-manipur-dance-academy-imphal.pdf
http://nartanam.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/special-issue-on-dance-criticism-and-photography.pdf

http://nartanam.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nartanam-vol-xiv-4.pdf

http://nartanam.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nartanam-issue-jan-march-2015.pdf

http://nartanam.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/nartanam-issue-apr-jun-2015.pdf

Having said all that, the latest issue of Nartanam with a brand new editorial is in the press  and will be out in a  fortnight!

Parachuting Into positions of Power

Joined the party 5 days ago and she is the Chief Minister candidate of BJP in Delhi.

Kudos to the top bureaucrat, super cop in her day, for all her past achievements. Parachuting into a position of power/responsibility into the BJP top-cadre, her argument that the decision to "join politics" (which she so vehemently stayed away from) was a mystery to her, sounds, at the least, bizarre. Fighting for eradicating corruption and bringing about the Jan Lokpal just over a year ago as an activist, vowing to remain a neutral voice and never enter politics, she finds BJP and Modi highly deserving of her sycophantic praise. Fair enough! She is entitled to her opinion.

Politics is not my forte. 

What strikes me is that a team is built from grass roots and so does the leader grow through the ideology and working through the group. Yes, he could be a CEO recruited and foisted from outside but an essential fact is that he has to take his time and work his way to be a team member and a leader.

Politics are plenty in dance. Dancers, dance administrators and everybody of their ilk are constantly trying to parachute into some place of importance or the other.  Strangely none of them achieve anything in the larger interest of dance while they hold positions of so-called power.  While in position they remain in coteries and ivory towers never scouting and building able teams to assist them and operate in the same rut in which the organisations have been mired in for ages. And when the honeymoon is over, they lament the system and corruption, for not being able to do anything constructive. If only, those who hold offices of some significance are bold leaders. 

The term "dance" could be very well read as "arts" in this outburst.

On the other hand, if only the dancers could devote an iota of their efforts for a common cause instead of sitting on the fence, when it comes to speaking up for issues and acting for their own cause, dance would not have been a poor cousin to many other departments in the corridors of power. 

Leadership is not about one man. Its about the important players coming together having a conviction, a goal and the wherewithal to work after understanding what one is best at and contribute ones best towards the cause, rising fearlessly above personal ambitions.  Be it a party or an institute or a corporate organisation, its all about team work and common goals while having individual career paths. 

And... no short cuts....  no instant gratification ... no parachuting into plum positions ... will salvage the pathetic place that arts occupy in our national agenda....

For "Senior Officers" ONLY

The "common man" has created quite a flutter in Delhi with the Aam Aadmi party catapulting to power. Even as Arvind Kejriwal is ripped apart into pieces by the Indian media one cannot but see the crystal clear thinking of the man; and the bane that the issues raked up by Kejriwal are. The Indian media appears either to be on the rolls of some or the other political party, or to be too dumb to qualify for a responsible and intelligent media. When I say this, I also concede that there are exceptions to the case. While the media and the experts judge Kejriwal by the day; and pooh pooh his angst as much ado about nothing; today, I was witness to the sentiment which is building up and boiling over; and sooner or later the slightest trigger will herald a revolution. After all, the fruits of freedom we enjoy today are because; more than a century ago a barrister was thrown out of a first class railway compartment in South Africa.

Today, at the office of the Joint Commissioner of Police- Hyderabad I saw that there were two elevators to take people up and down the mere five floors of the building. One of the elevators had a sign above it- "Only for Senior Officers" and the sign on the other elevator read, "For Junior officers and others". The senior officers' elevator had a policeman posted in front of it to see to that no one else boarded the elevator; and when an exalted official boards the elevator, the guard on duty would spare the officer of the drudgery of pressing the relevant button to take him to his destination floor. An old man who had to wait for a long time for his turn to get into the overworked and overcrowded,  "Junior officers and others" elevator, commented that class and caste can never be banished from the Indian psyche. The signs reeked of the stench of the typical Indian babudom where an officer of higher rank exists in a rarefied atmosphere; and thus cannot travel in the same lift with his juniors !!! leave alone with outsiders and common public.

This babudom seems to be the hallmark of all fields in India. Look at the haughty countenance of a Member of Parliament or a Member of Legislative assembly or a bureaucrat; and a picture of royalty flashes in front of one's eyes. A dash of arrogance, the discourtesy in talking or the aloof air in communicating or their outright rudeness makes one wonder about the training of these politicians and officers; and above all their pious intention of serving the people. Again, I will have to concede that there are exceptions who baffle by their utmost humility. 


 In the capital city of my country, one often sees the bureaucrats in charge of cultural bodies being idolised as the Maharajas or even as Gods by artists; as they are the ones who dole out largess at their whim and fancy; often oblivious of today's concerns of art and culture and the vision or the mandate of the bodies they run. 

There is a hierarchy other than that of a guru  and sishya (the teacher and the student) in dance and other arts. The  high and mighty in arts are distinguished not often by their superlative art  but by how well connected they are or how many boards or committees they grace as members/advisors and the awards they are decorated with. They are the royalty of arts! Or are they the babudom of arts? Is arts untouched by the syndrome of " Senior Officers only"?

ETTIQUETTE- Academic or otherwise

A senior scholar objecting to the word “prostitute” used in the context of devadasis in a book review by another scholar in Nartanam shot off a letter to the editor.  In it, he does not mince words about the moral fiber of the dancers today and the levels they can stoop to, for garnering awards and other benefits from the powers that be. He thus justifies that the term “prostitute” would be as applicable to dancers today (He was talking in the Indian context.) as it was to the devadasis, then.

However, citing the degradation of the ethical grain of dancers today, does not negate the fact that the socio-economic and other factors did lead to the exploitation of many of the devadasis, if not all, which compelled them into prostitution, which might not have been by choice.  And when a devadasi was in a live-in relationship with a man of her choice (to whom she might have been more faithful than a wife); it was because she was already married to God as per the oppressive ritual order of devadasis; and hence was not allowed to marry a mortal. Asserting the fact that many of the devadasis were pushed into prostitution, especially when arts patronage under the temple and royalty saw a downward slide, does not cast a slur on them or their exemplary art. It is a mere comment on the sorry state of the society at that point of time, and even as recently as in the mid 20^th century.

An army friend related instances when he chanced meeting a couple of Indian dance divas on different occasions; and he did not bother to be subtle in expressing his reservations about the overtly evocative behaviour of the dancers, off stage. Of course, one cannot brand every dancer by the same yardstick and any such generalization would be blasphemy. Moreover, no one is entitled to take up the role of a morals/values commentator/judge. Well, all that is beside the point and I come back to academics.

All I want to put forth is that wielding the right to freedom of expression comes with a lot of responsibility. This is especially so in case of a community which deals with the most refined derivative of human mind and spirit- artists/scholars. The grace of written/spoken word and manner is imperative for artists and academicians.

Classical art is replete with suggestion, poise and exploring the transcendental. The personal state of mind/emotion of a dancer or actor is irrelevant when he/she is performing.  So is the case in academics of classical arts or any other subject. While putting forth an academic argument there is no scope for being personal or getting emotional.   It would then be no different from a vicious skirmish. And moreover, a scholar could be guilty of a researcher’s bias when he is  emotionally high-strung about his argument.

At this, I cannot help but recollect a dear friend’s writing style which is laced with a poetic tone even when he forcefully makes his point to the extent of being nasty!

No, I am not advocating a licence to be poetically vicious!

Egoism and Insanity in Classical Dance

When in Delhi, I am ensconced at the Sangeet Natak Akademi library, a pleasant place with lovely staff and above all a good collection of books and journals. I do not venture to watch much of dance in the evenings as I have to negotiate a great distance back to where I stay in NOIDA by the metro rail. The city makes me feel jittery after sunset. The crudity of the Delhi "lehza" is harsh on my sensibilities and does not generate much confidence in the humanity of the place. Its tough to trust an autorickshaw ride or a cycle rickshaw journey back home from the nearest metro station. The vast lonely stretches of roads makes one very uncomfortable at night.

My friend nudged me to catch up the Bharatanatyam recital of a talented dancer, Lakshman, and I succumbed to the temptation. Of the many concerns the classical dance presentations arouse in me.... all of which I shall not expound here.... I have to report the following.

Lakshman is technically excellent; but has put on weight and has become sluggish on his feet.... abhinaya is not his forte but he had to present a varnam to prove his mettle.... so far so good...

Sudha Raghuraman, a singer par excellence was accompanying on the vocals.... its not her fault that she is a fantastic singer.... but the singer forgets that she is an accompaniment and the beautiful and yet unnecessary flourishes in singing, which are not being executed in dance movement, are a distraction. They take away the spectator from the dancer and the dance. Why is the simple fact that dance is the visual execution of the lyric and music forgotten and the singer charts a course of her own while the dancer is not able to execute the same? In this case even the mridanga player sought to highlight his instrument by demanding an increase in the volume of his mike.

What is the point? I go to watch a Bharatanatyam recital.... and end up getting snatches of excellent singing and spirited playing of the mridnga.... a bit of dancing here and there only when the dancer manages to overshadow the parallel performances of the accompanists... the egoistic components of what could have been a fine product.... if only they see sanity.....and care for their art; if not for the supreme sacrifice of the spectator.... who braves difficult logistics to come and watch the program.

The role of accompanists needs to be examined with urgency. Sense must prevail to prevent the already "out of context" presentations of classical dances from becoming caricatures....

I pray to God that I am blessed with the ability to enjoy whatever comes my way and be sympathetic and tolerant in my report/review of the performance and .....enjoy my martyrdom as a spectator at the altar of insane presentation of the classical dances of my country.

Woman–Independence- Arts/ Business and Nartanam

That is quite a confusing assortment of issues in one title.

Maybe reading on will present clarity.

“But that is UNFAIR to a man,”said my nephew in a conversation which veered around women’s rights and a famous divorce wherein the man had to part with a handsome portion of his life’s savings to his wife who made his home while he earned the big bucks.

“Mother, you are in danger of sounding extinct!” - reacted my daughter a few years ago,  to my sage advice as she was leaving for the USA for her under graduation. All I had suggested was that it was in the woman’s nature to nurture and be the pivot of a family and that it may be worth its while to consider the same when she sets out to make a career and a life.

“You are too radical in your thoughts!” say my men friends when I suggest that women’s unpaid work at home is an important force behind the paid work that men undertake; and when assessed, it could turn out to be a substantial slice of the economy and the GDP of any country.  

The efforts of women as home makers, care givers, tutors to their children, caring for their elderly, being around the family as a support system in many small and big ways goes unacknowledged. It is another matter that most women home makers find their unpaid job to be extremely rewarding, emotionally.  

Arguments in favor of women’s unpaid work are either cold shouldered or met with indulgent smirks; or worse, a judgement is passed that the arguing woman is not a lady of culture. Of course, there is no dearth of elite drawing room- arm chair high thinking in my country which is not a penny’s worth. 

Women and independence at times seem to be mutually exclusive terms. The feminists would love seeing me barbecued on hot coals for saying that.

Moving on to Arts/ Business and Nartanam, a journal of dances of India:

“Mother, you sound too meek; a go get-er has to be aggressively articulate,” said my daughter who is studying law, when I commented that the spokespersons of various political parties are too aggressive in their voluminous sound bytes on Television and seem to be so devoid of etiquette/culture.

“Your children are grown up; what stops you now? You are too regressive to be a successful career woman,” said a well meaning successful friend when I cited family as a reason for refusing to locate to Delhi for better work opportunities.

“You have to make the journal financially viable. You cannot finance it from your pocket drawing from your husband’s resources!”-  said a well meaning aunt. I have barely taken over the sick journal from its former publishers for whom I had worked gratis for a long time. My artistic inclination and work were highly appreciated; as long as it did not demand investment of money. That a venture needs some seed capital and a gestation period before it breaks even; more so a financially sick journal dealing with classical arts, is a negligible fact.

“But you cannot close down such a fantastic journal! We are with you,” say well meaning friends from the field. One is grateful for their moral support.

“Can we purchase the latest issue of Nartanam? We do not want to take a subscription,” said a caller. When asked why he wants this latest issue, he informs that his daughter is a dancer and her picture is there on one of the pages.

Dancers do not have time to read. Yes, they sure are interested to be on the pages of the journal. Dance students cannot be accused of having had a brush with serious reading on dance; they have never had the fortune of seeing their seniors or teachers at it.

However, most of our readers are genuine lovers of dance; not the dancers or dance students. The latest is a doctor from USA who was so touched by the wealth of Indian dance presented in Nartanam’s pages that he wants to buy all the past issues and donate it to a temple library in the USA so that its contents are seen by many others.

It is impossible to deal with government libraries. They all want the books but payments are harassing slow.  Government orders of our special issues are too risky to execute. If the concerned IAS official is transferred; ones supplies are stuck up and usually the succeeding IAS officer likes to reverse everything the former was up to. 

“But what happens to my own writing?” I protest. Reviving the journal has taken me away from my own writing. I am caught up with Nartanam’s financial viability while also ensuring the publication of a world class issue every three months.

Sublime Arts and literature had always flourished under the royal and elite patronage or were the fruits of passion of maverick saints and artists. Has one ever heard of traders taking up elite arts as profitable business ventures?

I am no royalty and one cannot mistake me for a saint or artist. Yes, I do seem to be a maverick to have taken up the sick journal; and continue bringing out a dazzling issue, dot on time every quarter; and yes, I seem to have no option but to run Nartanam on a business model.

That, my friends, is the story of Nartanam which at the moment needs subscribers, advertisers and may be a patron or two (if not royalty) who believe in its work and are willing to finance it at this difficult juncture.

Nartanam’s work and worth is there for everyone to assess at www.nartanam.in and you are free to contact me at editornartanam@gmail.com