Sitting in front of me at a restaurant in Singapore, Siri Rama looks every inch a contented homemaker, till I perceive the consummate artist and achiever slowly emerge. Siri is a Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi exponent, with an impressive repertoire of dance-theatre productions, many of them collaborations, which have been well received in several places including Hong Kong, China, Singapore, where she lives, and India from where she hails. Recognitions and awards have been part of her life ever since she began to perform. “For more than three decades classical dance has been my life,” says this artist from Karnataka.
Several talents have walked out of the portals of her dance schools, Kanaka Sabha Performing Arts Centre (www.kanakasabha.com) in Mumbai and Singapore. “We follow the guru-sishya parampara to the extent possible. So to me they are not just students, they are family.”
Siri’s penchant for innovation leads her to exploration and research of various dance theatre forms. Though dance-theatre as a genre may not be unique, the themes Siri chooses and the freshness they exude are. Exemplifying the fact is one of Siri’s recent productions, ‘Silk Roots’, which traces the route of the material and the distinct stamp that different States in the country place on it. China and Singapore also have their own silk stories to tell, which Siri has woven into the fabric of ‘ …Roots.’
‘Silk Roots’ was inaugurated at the prestigious Esplanade Theatres by the Bay, Singapore. It was backed by the Singapore’s National Arts Council, “which is like our Sangeet Natak Akademi. Living in Singapore enables a classical dancer like me to work across cultural boundaries, as the Chinese, Malays and Indians here speak English,” she says. Singapore has established schools of music and dance. “Government funding is generous. Collaborating with like-minded Chinese and Malay dancers and choreographers has been easy.” For the past seven years Siri has been the adjudicator for the Singapore Youth Festival organised by the Ministry of Education, and is the president of the Singapore Chapter of the World Dance Alliance – Asia Pacific.
Collaboration is one of Siri’s strengths — she joins hands with masters of various genres of music and dance to lend a Pan-Asian charm to her shows.
Inspiration for Silk …
Siri’s doctoral research on dance sculptures, led her to Sanskrit and Tamil scholar Dr. Rajeshwari Ghose. “Dr. Ghose was with the University of Hong Kong. She introduced me to the Silk Road in China and South East Asia and sowed the seed for ‘Silk’ some years ago. Soon I understood the significance the material holds across entire Asia,” says Siri. A collaborative attempt with Jyoti Unni, an Odissi dancer, and Sarita Sriram, a textile connoisseur and expert, the music for ‘Silk Roots’ has been recorded with musicians in Bengaluru. “Music is a key component of dance and I wanted no compromises. The story of Banaras silk for instance, was a revelation. The city, known for its Siva temples, abounds in Muslim weavers, who create exquisite tapestries in Silk, which Buddhist monks procure for their temples in Leh and Ladakh! We have brought it all in.” Siri performs this piece as a solo with the sound of the famous ‘Vishweshwara Darshana Kara’ seamlessly lending way to a Muslim prayer and ending with a Buddhist chant.
“Kanjeevaram silk that symbolises the cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu in Bharatanatyam style, the silk of Andhra in Kuchipudi format, the projection of the emblem of the Royal family of Mysore representing the tradition of Mysore silk and finally the ode to Assamese silk with a poem by Shankaradeva, a saint poet of Assam, blend in an engaging medley.”
In all this euphoria about Silk does her ‘…Roots’ show concern for the silkworm’s plight? “Yes, we bring out its anguish and the sad fact that something that kindles passion and creativity comes out of destruction. I found the sentiment echoed in Akkamahadevi’s poem on the silkworm and weaved it in,” Siri elaborates.
Tracing the root
Siri’s father performed with Adya Rangacharya’s theatre group in the late 1950s, in Bengaluru. So when Siri rehearsed Bharatanatyam lessons at home, he would guide her on body language, a character’s emotional landscape and the need to be aware of performance space on stage. “As a choreographer I began following his advice even in my early projects, the ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Narayaneeyam’.”
She has travelled extensively for performances, including the U.S., Dubai, Germany, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand. “I have also performed at several places in India, from Mumbai to Tiruvarur,” she says.
She performed at the 125th anniversary festival celebration of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai, a couple of years ago and this January Siri presented ‘Silk Roots’ as a solo Bharata Natyam recital at the Mylapore Fine Arts Club. “Try keeping me out of Chennai in December,” she smiles.
