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Home , Mallika Sarabhai, Mrinalini Sarabhai

PAPER 7

MODERN DANCE AND ITS DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD AFTER 1960 (USA, EUROPE, SEA) MODERN EXPERIMENTS IN INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE, NEW WAVE AFTER 1930, UDAYSHANKAR AND LATER CONTEMPORARY, CREATIVE ARTISTS

MODULE 27 SMT. AND MALLLIKA SARABHAI

Padma Bhushan Smt. Mrinalini Sarabhai is a celebrated dancer and choreographer. She has achieved an international reputation that is unmatched by any contemporary Indian classical dancer. The syntax of her creativity mediates between a moral commitment to traditional form and the desire to claim one’s own experiments as unique and unrepeatable. Called “the High Priestess of Indian dance” by dance critics, she is a pioneer in creative work and has given “new concepts to traditional dance forms with fresh perspectives and new mysteries.” She is internationally recognized dancer and choreographer whose reputation for innovation is unmatched. She has retained the purity of Bharatnatyam and yet invested it with her creativity.

Mrinalini Sarabhai is the most gracious dancers ever born. She epitomizes good manners, courtesies and high breeding. Despite her high station in life, she has remained most accessible dance icon of for over 9 decades. Yes! Born in 1918 she has crossed nine decades on earth and touched many lives and mentored more. 1

She was born on 11 May 1918 into a Brahmin family in , India. Her father, Dr. Subbarama Swaminathan was a renowned barrister at the and principal of the Madras Law College, while her mother was a social worker, freedom fighter, and former parliament member.

Her elder sister Capt. Dr. Lakshmi Sehgal was the commander- in-chief of Netaji 's 'Rani of Jhansi Regiment' of the Azad Hind Fauz. Her elder brother, Mr. Govind Swaminathan, was a famous barrister who practiced in Madras as a specialist in constitutional and criminal law apart from civil law and company law; he served as the attorney general for the State of Madras () with great distinction.

She was raised in Switzerland where she learned the Dalcroze method, a Western technique of dance movements. Upon returning to India, she received her education at Santiniketan, under the guidance of . It was here that she realized that her true calling was dancing and decided to pursue a career in this art form. She went to the United States and enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts to train in dance. After a while she returned to India to continue her training in classical dance forms. She learned the south Indian classical dance form, , from Muthukumar Pillai and then Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai; the classical dance- drama Kathakali from the Guru Thakazhi Kunchu Kurup, and Mohiniattam from Kalyanikutty Amma. All of her dance

2 instructors were renowned masters in their own fields, and thus she received the best training she could get.

A dynamic personality she believes that new dance forms do evolve over time, but it is also important that they develop from a traditional classical foundation.

A pioneer in the field of Indian classical dance, she is the first classical dancer who turned to choreography. Born to a social worker and political activist, she received her early education from Santiniketan where she realized her true calling. Determined to receive the best possible training in different dance forms, she learnt Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, and Mohiniattam from some of the most prominent dance gurus of her time. She went on to attain great fame as a dancer not only in India but also in several other countries around the world. Married to the physicist , she became the mother of two children, but family life did not diminish her passion for dance even a bit. Following a successful career as a dancer she turned to choreography and has choreographed more than three hundred dance dramas. She has been bestowed with many national and international awards for her contribution towards classical dance.

Post her training she established herself as a talented and graceful dancer. Being trained in several forms of dance forms gave her an edge over other classical dancers who had been trained in just one form. She married the prominent physicist Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and moved to his home in the city of , in . Dr. Sarabhai was a broad-minded

3 person who encouraged her to pursue her passion for dancing. Dusty, industrial Ahmedabad had no cultural institutions of note. In 1949, she along with her husband set up Darpana Academy of Performing Arts.

It was founded as a small dance academy intended to teach the art of dance and to propagate the Indian classical dance forms through performances. Over the years the institution grew manifold and became a center for the study of folk, tribal, classical and contemporary dance, theatre, movement, puppetry and music. The academy focused not just on imparting education in the arts, but also sought to use arts as a means of bringing about positive social changes by influencing the general public and the policy makers. The academy uses different art forms to educate, empower, and raise awareness about the critical issues facing the society. Over the decades she went on to choreograph more than three hundred dance dramas, including the highly acclaimed musical, ‘Krishna- Gopala’ and ‘This Mahabharata’. In addition to being a choreographer and dancer, she is also a prolific writer who has authored numerous novels, poetry, plays and stories for children.

She was the chairperson of the Gujarat State Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. and one of the trustees of the Sarvodaya International Trust, an organization for promotion of Gandhian ideals. She is best known for founding the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, a centre for the arts which focuses on teaching different forms of dance, music, theatre, and puppetry. The organization also works

4 towards women empowerment and addresses other social issues relating to human rights and environment.

In 1965, she received the , the fourth highest civilian award of India. In 1968 she was honored with a gold medal by the Mexican Government for her choreography for the Ballet Folklorico of Mexico. In 1991, the Gujarat Government honored her with the Pandit Award for valuable contribution in the field of performing arts. In 1992, she received the , the third highest civilian award of India.

She married the acclaimed physicist Vikram Sarabhai in 1942 and had two children: Kartikeya and Mallika. Her first major choreographic work that really ushered in a new direction in dance direction was Manushya. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru saw the show after she performed Manushya / मनुष्य (a dance-drama) in New Delhi in 1948.

The Choreographer

In Indian dance there is no great tradition of creative choreography. It was Mrinalini Sarabhai who first used the Bharatanatyam vocabulary to speak of moods and themes other than the traditional devotional ones. She talked of bride burning and of pollution in her dance dramas.

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Mrinalini has choreographed more than three hundred dance dramas including ‘Manushya / मनुष्य -The Life of Man’, ‘Matsya Kanya / मत्स्य कꅍया’, ‘Vasant Vijayam / वसंत ववजयं’, ‘Nalakhyan / नऱाखयान’, ‘Tasher Desh / ताशेर देश ’, ‘Geeta Govindam / गीत गोववꅍदम ’, ‘Silapadikaram / शशऱाऩददकरम’,

‘Vikramorvasiyam / ववक्रमोरवशशयम’, ‘Meghaduta / मेघदतू ’, ‘Sarabhendra Bhupala Kuravanji / सारभेꅍर भूऩाऱ ’, ‘Gowri / गौरी’, ‘Abhisarika / अशभसाररका’, ‘Usha Aniruddha / उषा अनन셁द्ध,’ ‘Pallaki Seva Prabandham / ऩ쥍ऱकी सेवा प्रबꅍधम ’, ‘Valli Kalyanam / व쥍ऱी क쥍याणं ’, ‘Yasovarman / यशोवममन’, ‘Nalakhyana / नऱाखयान’, ‘Malavikagnimitra / माऱववकाग्ननशमत्र’,

‘Krishnagaan / कृ ष्णगान’, ‘Prahalada Charitam / प्रह्ऱाद चररतं’, ‘Pancharatna Kritis / ऩंचरत्सन कृ नत of Thyagaraja’, ‘Ashwatthama / अश्वत्सथामा’, ‘Stree Priyadarshini / ्त्री वप्रयदशशमनी ’, ‘Bhakti / भग्तत’, ‘Bhama Kalapam / भामा कऱाऩम’, ‘Maricha Vadham /

मररछा वधं’, ‘Ahimsa / अदहंसा’, ‘Kiratarjuniyam / ककराताजुनम नयम’, ‘Mohini Bhasmasura / मोदहनी भ्मासुर ’, ‘Sampoorna Ramayanam / स륍ऩूण म रामायण’, Nataraja Vandanam / नटराज वꅍदनं’, ‘Memory’, ‘Vidhi Natakam / ववधध नाटकं ’, ‘Kumara Sambhavam’, ‘Shakuntala’, ‘Chandalika’, ‘Atma’, ‘Revelations’ and ‘Surya’, Her latest dance dramas, the musical, ‘Krishna- Gopala’ and ‘This Mahabharata’ mirror today’s world.

“Whenever I read about caste oppression, gender bias or tree cutting, I try and translate it into poetry, which finally expresses

6 itself as a dance sequence. I hate it when people take shortcuts with art. Any art can only be honed by patience and perseverance. Though experimentation is fine and I personally encourage it, a performer should be careful while doing so. Simplify and innovate all you want, but don't mess with the basics. That's sacred.” Saya Amma.

Titled The Artist and her Art, the hour-long documentary shot in 2011 comprises shots of Mrinalini's original choreographies followed by their modern version presented by members of Darpana, among the pieces included is Shakuntala from the '70s, in which Mrinalini vehemently attacked patriarchy by adorning her protagonist with feminist gun-power. In another piece, Krishna:

The Musical, she married the classical Bharatanatyam to western musical forms such as jazz and rap to tell a mythological story. In Tasher Desh, she used Kathakali in an absurdist fashion reflecting Rabindranath Tagore's interpretation of Brahminism; while Dance of Life was a dance drama revolving around science.

Mrialini the Writer

Mrinalini has written novels, poetry, plays and stories for children. Amongst these are: Captive Soil (play), This Alone is True (novel), Devadasi (novel), Understanding Bharatanatyam (text book of Bharatanatyam), Bharatiya Nritya (on dance), Bharatiya Nrityakala (on dance), Longing for the Beloved (homage to Lord Shiva), Kan (mystical poem), Sacred Dance of

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India (on dance) , Creations (essays on choreographic experiments), 'Vision of Vasavadatta" (co-authored with John D. Mitchell of Institute of Advanced Studies in the Theatre Arts (IASTA), New York - on Bhasa's epic Play "Swapna Vasavadatta"), The Mahabharata (poem), Krishna my Beloved (Poem), Return of Bharata (Play), Urmila (novel), Nala – Damayanti, Krishna - The Prince of Brindavan, Kiratarjuniyam, Ramayana, Geeta Govinda, Usha – Anirudha, The Youngest Dancer, Stories of India and Krishna. She has also written, and continues to write articles for journals, magazines and the arts on subjects that vary from the English language to the influences of herbs and mudras on health, to the silk route and the patola textiles of India and the South Eastern trade routes.

Mallika Sarabhai was born in 1954. She is a multifaceted personality, trained in Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam. She has immensely contributed to the fields of acting, writing, publishing, films. She is the original multi-tasker and has done all things well. She is a born communicator. She is a social activist and has participated in many socio-developmental projects initiated by the United Nations.

Born to famous dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and reputed space scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika is a woman of many dimensions and talents. She is a noted dancer, film maker, TV anchor and social activist. , an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, was trained by R. Acharyelu in Kuchipudi. As a young dancer, Mallika won many international awards for her classical dance including the "French Palme D'or'', the highest

8 civilian award of France. In 1977, she took over the reins of Darpana, the arts academy founded by her parents. As Mallika started to crystallize what it was she wanted to express through her work she drew on many elements to create her choreographic vocabulary. Of course the elements of her classical dance were there, but so were the rhythms and steps from the work of her folk dance company.

Mallika studied martial art forms from South India and from North East India, she observed and stylized everyday movements and gestures until she could create pieces which react to communal violence in India ("Mean Streets on Earth"), which celebrate rituals behind her dance (Thattukazhi), or the rites of passage of a woman (Ceremony I"). In these, and many more, she is still experimenting with other music, with video accompaniment, with multi-arts forms. In a very real sense these interdisciplinary works are deeply in the tradition of Indian performance, and now these works too are being invited around the world.

Mallika Sarabhai's theatre works reflect the challenges of the society and sends a strong message. Her natural charm with conviction creates a unique style of presentation. Sita’s Daughter won her rave reviews as did her role in Peter Brooks Mahabharata, wherein she played Draupadi. Following are some of the works performed by her: "Unheard Voices" is a physical, musical theatre piece. It is based on 's book "Unheard Voices". The story is about the lives of marginalized faces - the beggars, children at the Traffic Signal

9 and "chhotu / छोटू", the little child at roadside restaurant. These are stores of struggle and courage. “Then, Now, Forever”: This revolves around the multiple lifestyles of the people of India. It attempts to show the resemblance between the life of the tribal of Mizoram and their lifestyles with the Bollywood. The show takes the audience from the temples of southern India to the forests of the Dangs and the minds of today's creators.

Mallika Sarabhai started her acting career at the age of fifteen and has worked in more than 30 films. In 1984, she played the character of Draupadi in "The Mahabharata", directed by renowned director . The movie was launched in French and English. Some of her critically acclaimed films include "Lovesongs: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow", Peter Brook's "The Mahabharata", "Kahkasha / कहकशा", "A Thousand Flowers" and "Katha".

In 1982, she founded the "Darpana for Development" concentrating on the development of performance as a language for change. She also formed "JANAVAK", the voice of the people, to archive and preserve the folk and tribal culture of India.

Deeply excited by the possibility of continuing the work as an activist on TV, in 2001 she launched Darpana Communications. She has also produced over 2500 hours of broadcast programming in Gujarati dealing, with social issues like gender

10 bias, communal hatred, the environment, corruption, violence etc.

Mallika Sarabhai never tried to confine herself into a single character. After being recognized as a reputed dancer and film actor, she has also made herself count in the world of publications. In 1979, Mallika Sarabhai published India's first design magazine, called Inside Outside. Following are some of the acclaimed books published by Mallika Sarabahi and Mapin Publishing Private Limited.

 India's Daughters  Cultural Guide to Ahmedabad  Spectacular India  Jute Handlooms of India  Sufism And Beyond  Romance of Golconda Diamonds  From Mustard Fields to Disco Lights  Parvati: Goddess of Love  Documenting Chandigarh  Image & Imagination:5 Indian Artists  Performing Arts of Kerala  Understanding Kuchipudi (Co-Author)  Krishna as Shrinathji: Miniature Paintings From Nathdwara

In an effort to serve the society, Mallika Sarabhai took up many developmental projects including the "The Acting Healthy

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Project" (2008). The project supported by Art Venture took crucial learning on how to avoid maternal deaths and infant deaths amongst the very deprived communities. Besides, she has also played an active role in the UNICEF Peer Educators Project, UNICEF Anandshala Project in 2005- 2007 FATEHPURA Model village project and UNICEF Rural Health Project. She remains the leader of socio-cultural life in her region.

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