Dressed in black, stylish cropped hair and a face devoid of make up, Ashavari Majumdar strikes you as a very unconventional classical dancer. Even during the interview she talks sans the hand gestures and eye movements.
Ashavari, from Kolkata started learning Kathak from a disciple of Birju Maharaj when she was five-years-old. She says she danced mechanically till she was 13. Then she met Birju Maharaj and her life changed. “He taught me how to bring meaning into every movement and dance suddenly became poetry for me. I was completely enamoured by Maharajji,” recalls this dancer who was in the city recently to present her classical exploration titled Surpanakha – Explorations in Kathak. She talks about her choreography and her protagonist Surpanakha.
Is it contemporary piece?
It is a pure classical Kathak performance. I just chopped off my hair and used a little contemporary attire. But the music and the dance is based on the classical Kathak dance form.
How did the IFA (India Foundation for the Arts) grant happen?
IFA had a category called New performance grants, which does not exist anymore. I applied for it and give all the credit to Veena Pani Chawla, who guided me in choosing this particular project. My husband who is also a cinematographer wanted to explore live and recorded videos with a live dance performance and that’s how this choreography came to be.
Why Surpanakha? Isn’t she a negative character?
My interest in Ramayan was not great. I found Valmiki’s version very moralistic with a perfect distinction between the good and the bad. Then I learnt that there are over 300 versions of this epic. India has a tradition of writing alternative Ramayan and I started reading some of the versions and came across a feminist version. I was impressed with it and used it for my dance. I realised that Surpanakha comes across as a bold and lustful woman and is punished for her boldness. I was now interested in the gender aspect of this story.
Your dance depicts Surpanakha be ugly and beautiful at the same time…
Ramayan says that she transformed herself into a beautiful woman. I have tried to depict her various aspects to show the different possibilities of the meeting between her and Ram. And isn’t beauty a perception of one’s mind? One can be beautiful on the outside and yet be ugly inside and vice versa.
I also see Suprankha as a victim. I see her and Sita as victims of the patriarchal system. You see she is punished for being bold and Sita is punished for being good and passive, especially when she is brought back from Ravana.
How did the critics react to this piece?
It surprised me because though the dance has pure classical choreography with multimedia, the critics called it a contemporary piece. I feel that the audience has a broader mind and are more receptive when you try out something new and experimental.
