Nartanam 19-1.Pmd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ISSN 2455-7250 Vol. XIX No. 1 A Quarterly Journal of Indian Dance January - March 2019 & Special Issue Guru Surendra Nath Jena Nartanam pays tribute to it's Founder Editor Professor Modali Nagabhushana Sarma (24 July 1935 - 15 January 2019) A Quarterly Journal of Indian Dance Volume: XIX, No. 1 January - March 2019 Sahrdaya Arts Trust Hyderabad RNI No. APENG2001/04294 ISSN 2455-7250 Nartanam, founded by Kuchipudi Kala Founders Kendra, Mumbai, now owned and Late G. M. Sarma published by Sahrdaya Arts Trust, Late M. N. Sarma Hyderabad, is a quarterly which provides a forum for scholarly dialogue on a Chief Editor broad range of topics concerning Indian Madhavi Puranam dance. Its concerns are theoretical as well as performative. Textual studies, dance criticism, intellectual and interpretative Patron history of Indian dance traditions are its Edward R. Oakley focus. It publishes performance reviews and covers all major events in the field of dance in India and notes and comments Advisory Board on dance studies and performances Anuradha Jonnalagadda (Scholar, Kuchipudi dancer) abroad. The opinions expressed in the articles Avinash Pasricha (Former Photo Editor, SPAN; SNA Awardee) and the reviews are the writers’ own and C.V. Chandrasekhar (Bharatanatyam Guru, Padma Bhushan) do not reflect the opinions of the editorial committee. The editors and publishers Kedar Mishra (Poet, Scholar, Critic) of Nartanam do their best to verify the Kiran Seth (Padma Shri; Founder, SPIC MACAY) information published but do not take responsibility for the absolute accuracy K. K. Gopalakrishnan (Critic, Scholar) of the information. Leela Venkataraman (Critic, Scholar, SNA Awardee) Mallika Kandali (Sattriya dancer, Scholar) Cover: Guru Surendra Nath Jena Manjari Sinha (Critic, Scholar) Reginald Massey (Poet, FRSA, Freeman of London) Photo: Sunil Kothari (Scholar, Padma Shri, SNA Awardee, Fellow of SNA) Suresh K. Goel (Former Director General, ICCR) Cover, Design & Layout Shakeel Ahmed Annual Subscription: In India: Individual: ` 1000 Institutional: ` 2000 Past issues can be obtained from our office ` Overseas: Individual: US $ 60 Institutional: US $ 80 @ 350/- per copy for individuals ` (All Inclusive of postage) @ 500/- per copy for instiutions Note: Students in India can avail of 25% discount on (Inclusive of postage in India; Subject to availabil- individual subscriptions) ity; Please check with the office.) For all editorial enquiries, sending manuscripts, details of subscriptions, and past issues please visit www.nartanam.in Registered Office: Sahrdaya Arts Trust, #35, Poulomi Aristos, Golden Mile Road, Kokapet, Hyderabad- 500075 Email: [email protected], [email protected] Phone: 9989314829 website: www.nartanam.in All articles, photographs and other materials, appearing in Nartanam, whether in whole or in part, in any form are exclusive copyright of Sahrdaya Arts Trust unless otherwise specified, and may not be reproduced in any form or stored in any electronic or retrievable format without prior written consent. Printed and published by Madhavi Puranam on behalf of Sahrdaya Arts Trust, Hyderabad Printed at Karshak Art Printers, 40-APHB, Vidyanagar, Hyderabad-500044. (Ph:27618261) and published in Hyderabad. Editor: Madhavi Puranam NARTANAM Volume: XIX, No. 1 January - March 2019 CONTENTS Editorial/ 7 The Quintessence of Odissi: Guru Surendra Nath Jena /9 NIRMAL CHANDRA JENA An ode to the God within us /20 MANJU CHELLANI Nrityayoga: The Spiritual Science of Odissi / 28 PRATIBHA JENA SINTraveling with Surendra Nath Jena / 35 JANET CRAWFORD The music flowed through him / 46 MELISSA SPROUL- SINGH Translating Guruji / 49 SWAATI CHATTOPADHYAY Guru Surendra Nath Jena: The path to the heart of Odissi / 53 NATALIA BELCHENKO Meditations on Odissi with Guruji / 69 JAYA MEHTA Gina Lalli: A Tribute / 73 ARSHIYA SETHI Indian Dance through English lens / 82 REGINALD MASSEY The Dancing Body / 84 DEEPA CHAKRAVARTHY 6 Nartanam PERFORMANCE REVIEWS ‘Madame Menaka Choreography Movement’: A unique dance experiment RADHIKA MULAY / 91 Gopal Raj Bhatt Folk & Tribal Arts Festival 2019: A Report SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / 101 BOOK REVIEW The dance quotient of Annamacharya’s songs V.A.K. RANGA RAO / 109 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We thank the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, for its partial financial assistance for the publication of this journal. Publishers, Nartanam Nartanam 7 EDITORIAL “Madam, you seem to be a nice lady. How did you get entangled with kundalini and the chakras?” was the startled response of an official of the National Museum in New Delhi when I approached them for some Tanjore paintings on the “subtle human body” consisting of kundalini, chakras and nadis. This was during the course of writing my book, “An Indian Analysis of Aesthetics: The Dance, the Dancer and the Spectator.” Abhinav Publications of New Delhi published it in 2015 with a foreword by none other than the iconic scholar Kapila Vatsyayan. The book throws light on an intriguing section– Sarira Vivekah– from the first chapter of Sangita Darpanam, a 17th century treatise on music and dance. The treatise describes a metaphysical apparatus in the human body in the context of perception of dance and music. My argument in the book was that Sarira Vivekah appears to constitute a theory or mechanism of spectatorship, which is embodied in a human being. The primordial energy (kundalini) and an assortment of energy centres (chakras) together appear to constitute an instrument for perceiving the essence of music and dance. I have tried to dispel the picture of an obscure and transgressed stream of tantra that the terms kundalini and chakras almost always evoke. Generations of Indian dancers/aestheticians seem to have missed the above- mentioned aesthetic theory pertaining to dance. Self-realization, attained by the ascent of kundalini through the six chakras as a response to witnessing a superior performance of dance/music could only fall in the realm of philosophy or religion and thus not be scientific and secular. That the kundalini does not pass through the "muladhara chakra" as it is located in the "muladhara" (which is situated above the muladhara chakra) and thus cannot be associated with sexual arousal and practices seems to have gone missing from the understanding of an entire school of tantra. The “yoga” in dance is the kundalini of the spectator rising to attain union (yoga) with the all-pervading power in response to witnessing the production. It is a theory of spectatorship. 8 Nartanam Guru Surendra Nath Jena’s style of Odissi seems to have been a tad misunderstood as much for the technique as for his choreography and the element of the sacred that he tries to explore and attain. Alessandra Lopez Y Royo has elaborated the guru’s style and work in her writings which are a “must read” to understand Guru Jena’s school of Odissi. From the various writings of his disciples and the critical studies of Surendranath Jena, the guru comes across as one who pushed the boundaries of the reconstituted Odissi of the fifties and used it as a means of expressing his devotion to the supreme being. His understanding of the kundalini and the chakras to attain a state of self-realization is visionary. He seems to have explored the potential of extending a transformative experience to the spectator through his presentation of Odissi. The accentuated tribhangi and chauka, the undulating movement of the torso, and the extensive exploration of the raudra and bhibatsa rasas marked Guru Jena's unique school of Odissi dance. The style was not feminine and sensual but it could explore the divine, say some. His choreography drew inspiration from the sculptures of Konark and Hirapur. His style of Odissi was taught and performed solo. In this issue we present a few writings of his disciples in an attempt to know more about Guru Surendra Nath Jena’s style of Odissi, its technique and aesthetics. We inform our readers of the sad demise of Modali Nagabhushana Sarma (24 July 1935 – 15 January 2019), the founder editor of Nartanam. An eminent theatre personality and scholar, his contribution to theatre, dance and folk arts is immense. We will celebrate his life and work in a forthcoming issue of Nartanam. Madhavi Puranam Nartanam 9 The Quintessence of Odissi: Guru Surendra Nath Jena NIRMAL CHANDRA JENA My father was a maverick, a fearless pioneer with every reason to be frightened of the world that imposed on him, but he was not. He had a vision steeped in philosophy, values and rituals and his vehicle was Odissi dance, a timeless, ageless expression borne out of the depth of consciousness and worship. He embellished this with a commanding scientific base consisting of theory, technique, music, poetry and illustrations. He invested his life in the arts and created dance and music masterpieces. Eka eka mala deli gunthita jatane kebala pindhi paribe kala sebi janee (an excerpt from his poetry) – "I have created this garland of jewels with great care, and only the chosen can be adorned with it." Odisara shilpa chitra jete dina Guru Surendra Nath Jena: thiba aei kalara satyata je banchiki Nupurpadika pose rahiba – "For as long as the sculptures (holding ankle bells) and the paintings of Odisha are visible, the Photo Courtesy: truth of Odissi will remain; for as long as Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi there is deep inquiry, the truth will be NIRMAL CHANDRA JENA is a well known Odissi practitioner and Guru. He is the son of late Surendra Nath Jena. He is based in Sydney, Australia, where he has been practising, presenting and teaching his father’s style of Odissi. He is the artistic director of the Odissi Dance and Music Company. 20 Nartanam An ode to the God within us MANJU CHELLANI The impact of the ethereal arts of music and dance has been understood by civilizations all over the world since time immemorial. Partaking of the cultural ambience around us has always been considered as natural as learning how to eat, talk and socialize.