Often when one speaks of the rich tradition that Kathak is, it resonates with the plethora of artistes the dance form has provided us with. For someone like the impeccable Shovana Narayan, who breathes dance, this is the tradition she has lived by all her life. As she sits on the sofa at her residence, ready to speak of the untainted nuances of dance, one notices that there is hardly an eye movement or a hand gesture which is not synonymous with Kathak; and as she settles down, the world itself becomes her stage.
“I have derived my entire existence from dance. I am a balanced person; at harmony with myself and my surroundings because of it. I learnt to appreciate different cultures alongside our very own Indian philosophy. There is no other philosophy wherein the devis and devatas have been made out to be performing artistes. Our goddess of wisdom plays the veena. The creator of our world, Lord Nataraj, is a dancer himself. In so many ways, dance exhorts one to balance out the inner being, which is exactly why it is a form of yog. It is all about harmonising the tandav and the lasya within oneself,” says Shovana.
As the common person proceeds to understand a dance form, he/she frequently forgets that the association is so much more than that of a performer and an audience. “The Natya Shastra never even mentions any dance form. Rather, it is the codification of all kinds of movements. The way a man sits, or woman walks, all of it is codified, and these are not necessarily dancers. But because we are so distanced from the idea itself, we begin to treat it separately. If there is a discussion on acoustics and lights, we automatically try and trace it to the developed world; while there has been so much written about moods, acoustics and lights in our own texts. Everything applies to normal life,” Shovana claims.
April 29 is the International Dance Day and dance as a subject needs to move from extracurricular to mainstream in a balanced manner. “We lost sight of the traditional Indian educational system which we had centuries ago, only for reasons too well-known. That needs to be revisited. Our roots lie there and they make us global citizens. Not everyone is born to become a great musician or a dancer, but, the sensitivity to appreciate these things is important and that comes only with awareness. We need good rasikas too. Even if someone only learns it as a hobby, that person is able to appreciate it a little more, which is a big thing.” she adds.
As someone who has taken the domain of dance to a global level, Shovana’s approach is extremely interesting when it comes to addressing people who say that one dance form is better than the other. She says that every one of them use the rasa to express emotions. “The eye movements in Kathakali or the subtlety of Manipuri or the clarity in footwork and speed of Kathak – each has its own level of difficulty and mastery. As a soloist, I am able to perform five different characters using mudras, something a western classical ballet dancer is not trained for. But on the other hand, their movements are anti-gravity, which is something Indian classical dancers are not familiar with,” she states.
One also learns so much about the development of history and philosophy through arts. “For instance, the references to ghoonghat (veil) only come in the medieval period. But today, it is the most used gesture to portray a woman, regardless the dance form. One is able to trace the social changes that have taken place in this regard,” adds Shovana.
Ahead of the International Dance Day, Shovana in collaboration with the Sangeet Natak Akademi organised Vividh Mat – a seminar performance festival. Vividh being various, and mat being perspective, the seminars dealt with two topics – Dharma-Adharma and Can the Twain Meet. Performances on Karna-Kunti Samvad and Yudhishtir and Draupadi (based on a poem by Pavan K Varma) were delivered by Shovana.
“As a dancer, one expects a seminar on mudras or maybe the predominance of women gurus in the field or so on. But the larger philosophy is what we need to talk about. My perception is not the unique one. Dharma and adharma are questions on morality and immorality. Your right can be different from mine and mine can be different from yours. Who is to say or decide these things? My rights and wrongs are different, it is my way of thinking ,” maintains Shovana.
The panellists along with Shovana took upon themes, perspectives, perceptions and assumptions. While Dharma-Adharma was concerned with the moral conduct necessary for the survival and maintenance of a social order, Can the Twain Meet, which is inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s well-known ballad, opened various vistas where differences of thoughts and philosophies may or may not become meaningless. “Imagine there are two seemingly different things. What happens when they are put together? Only three things can happen – they diverge, run parallel or meet and maybe explode,” says Shovana. “One would never imagine putting Yudhishtir and Draupadi together. But Pavan K Varma does. Yudhishtir justifies himself with instances and so does Draupadi. It becomes what it becomes. Similarly, Kunti’s arguments about right and wrong are put forth. Once, she tells Karna not to fight against her sons and second, she calls him her son. Where does this idea of morality go?” Shovana sums up with a question that can lead to a new conversation.
