Whose Heritage is it anyway?

The article is a reflection of a layman’s difficulties in accessing and exercising ownership of his own culture and heritage and the questions that he poses to its guardians.

                        

“Proud to represent a culture enriched through millennia” says a slogan on the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) website. In the ICCR library one encounters liberally displayed quotable quotes of the revered Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Minister for Education of independent India and a member of the Constituent Assembly who established the ICCR in the year 1950. The Maulana, talking of the rich history and legacy of the nation inherited by him spoke for every citizen of the country, when he said, “I am an essential element which has gone to build India. I can never surrender this claim.”

At the sleepy office of the ICCR at Azad Bhawan, New Delhi; locating some officers at their work place is quite often, an arduous task. Often the person one is looking for is late to come to the office; supposedly tied up with some official work, of course, on his way to the office. Another is availing a wash room facility from which he takes forever to get back to his desk; or one is told that the person one is trying to locate is in a meeting in somebody else’s office; and appears only in the second half of the day back at his desk. These seem to be the often repeated reasons for the officials not to be found at their desks. One does not suspect the truth of the reasons given. But the utter disinterest and disdain of the manner in which a visitor is informed about the same reeks of a sedate work culture.  And finally, when one gets to meet the person one was looking for after a long and patient vigil; he barely lifts up his eyes from the files which are in front of him; and is evasive, disinterested and dismissive in his interaction. This seems to be the general behavioural trait at the supposedly busy office which takes the Indian culture abroad and brings the cultures from abroad to us Indians.

An innocuous request by a scholar to examine the annual reports of the ICCR since 1950 is met with derision. She is set off on a wild goose chase. After meeting a dozen officers in the building she discovers that the annual reports for the past 10-15 years are available but the older ones are not there. Instead of making an effort to trace them and make them available for her study, they suggest to the scholar that she should study only the past 15 years of the ICCR operations. This, they further suggest, will keep her vast project from getting out of hand. When asked if one could file an application under the RTI Act to get the necessary information, an officer sarcastically remarks that it would be a sure shot away to fish out the reports.

That was not all; the poor researcher enquires about the reports of the seminars and workshops conducted/ funded by the ICCR in the past years. The details would assist her in evaluating the programs and the operations of ICCR over the years. The officer is matter of fact in replying that once the artist gets the ticket to the foreign land or once the cheque is sent out to support a seminar/workshop; that is the end of the event they hear of. Not even a brief report is filed by the artists or the organisers on the proceedings for which the ICCR has doled out the money; the ICCR does not insist on one. The body seems to be a mere disburser of money and there is no apparent accountability/ assessment of their various assistance programs. Moreover, the premier body which cannot even preserve its own annual reports does not generate much confidence about its vision, planning skills and effectiveness of its operations.

The imposing National Museum is another institution which could swell ones heart with pride with the collection it holds. However, an interested layman unarmed with academic credentials could never gain access to see the objects which are not on display but are catalogued and are in its store; he dare not undertake scholarly research.  The mammoth set up allows only a bona fide scholar to make a special request for accessing its archives. The library at the National Museum is at any time empty with hardly any users; but even a Senior Research Fellow, Ministry of Culture, Government of India is reluctantly allowed its use only for a day or two, for reference purposes. The kind permission is accorded only after the scholar assumes a grovelling demeanour to please the librarian. The seemingly surplus staff is usually seen twiddling its thumbs with no work. But a visitor is shooed away with myriad eligibility norms and discouraged from using the library. One cannot but help contrast it with the British Library in London which trusts even a mere verbal information by a foreigner about his scholarly credentials and promptly issues its membership card after a brief, hassle free procedure.

National Gallery on Trafalgar Square in  London is always abuzz with visitors

The British Museum in London does seem to be the most visited museum in the UK

One cannot but help but remember museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery, the National Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in London which are at any time full of interested visitors. Often one sees droves of dedicated parents on trips to the museums with their children and also innumerable youngsters. The friendly atmosphere and the audio visual aids/guides to familiarise the visitors with the objects in the museums are a delight; which sadly, the Indian museums do not offer much of. Museums in India are tomb like with an air of decadence, separation and alienation from the artefacts; while in contrast, the above mentioned museums offer a lively air of belonging and continuance of the heritage and history to the visitor.

Ram Gopal's painting by Feliks Topolski at the National Portrait Gallery in London

The Powis Castle in Wales where Clive's Museum is located

The Clive Museum at the Powis castle in Wales displays many Indian pieces including a couple of swords and a tent belonging to Tipu Sultan. The museum hand who was stationed at the display chamber was ever courteous and one could even detect a tinge of sensitiveness on her part to the issue that such objects of our national pride found their way to Britain. It was most gracious of the staff there to assure an ordinary Indian visitor that our treasures are well looked after and respected in their country; and that they are as proud of our heritage as we are. Every question was answered with utmost alacrity and sincerity which definitely is the hallmark of culture and heritage, be it ours or theirs.

The politics of propagation and preservation of culture and heritage in our country, at one extreme, has assumed farcical proportions. At the other end they do help safeguard them. Another glorious institution, the fourth estate, plays a significant role in the safeguarding of our culture and its art forms. While many newspapers have done away with the reporting of classical arts, the others which do so cannot assure much beyond mere reporting. There are few serious writers who plod along with brave efforts at writing and educating the readers on classical arts, albeit always keeping in mind the need to catch eyeballs. There are also others whose reports are incredulously manufactured under the cloud of the unhealthy nexus of the media and the artists. Often the philanthropic policy of a section of media which still devotes space for classical arts boomerangs at them and they become the unwitting propagators of dubious standards in arts. Mediocrity and the outright lack of ethics in reporting at the individual level by the half baked experts on the subject do the harm. The basic question still remains, whose art and heritage is it anyway and who are its guardians?

Pascal Gielen(2010) rightly says that it is a sociological commonplace that cultural practices always go hand in hand with a strict hierarchy of values and norms; and according to classical sociology an institution apart from possessing other characteristics also brings with it a moral authority and a certain historicity. It may well be significant to recognise that great institutions/ businesses of any country stand out not only for their exemplary successes but also the cultural values in their operations and end products which they extend to the farthest reaches of the society.

Chicken Pox and Dance

This is one of the innumerable episodes from the travails of a misunderstood dance academician.

Researching on a variety of aspects of dance, especially to equip myself to efficiently execute my teaching responsibilities as a guest faculty at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU); I had often relied on videos of various dance forms sourced from across the world through friends and relatives. Being an independent scholar, I cannot afford to travel the world as much as I want to, for the purpose of studying dance. Financing one’s own studies most of the times is not cheap and free lance writing on dance in India barely pays for one's bread.  I wonder if the creed of independent scholars commands any credibility in India; a country whose academic portals at both school and college level reek of sedate and stagnant mindsets. Moreover, applying for grants from various bodies for studies in arts is an art in itself.

Even watching good recordings of dance is a delight; from the most sophisticated Russian folk dances of Moiseyev’s group to the classical ballet of Paris Opera Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet Company; or the Japanese traditional theatrical forms like the Kabuki and No which were rescued from near extinction and are now well preserved; or the most ritual dances of Sri Lanka and of course the innumerable folk and classical dance forms of India; they all constitute a wide variety.

The incident I am recounting here is from the days when I used to teach a subject, “An Overview of International Dances” to the students of Masters in the dance department at the HCU. My young children were quite used to living with a mother who was an avid spectator of dance. They made sure to vanish from the room where I was watching the videos, lest I should decide to introduce them to the forms, in a bid to enhance their cultural awareness.

Many of the dance forms especially the traditional theater, folk forms and some of the classical forms of South East Asia and also of India have their origins in the performance of various rituals and ceremonies; based on the folk religion and beliefs which are centuries old.

In Sri Lanka the pre-Buddhist folk religion was based on the belief that a variety of afflictions and diseases were awarded by certain demons, who had to be exorcised from the suffering patient; and certain deities were responsible for awarding benefits and blessings who had to be propitiated. Exorcism ceremonies and masked dramas of Sri Lanka are replete with dramatic activity that employ mime, song, dance, acrobatics, and bits of prose dialogue. Thovil ceremonies to propitiate and exorcise demons are quite theatrical.  The Ruhunu dances of south Sri Lanka have interesting masks for various demons signifying various diseases which are exorcised in a variety of Sanni rituals. The priest negotiates with the demon to leave the patient after accepting some offerings and the patient is cured once the transaction is complete. (Some of the interesting masks of the demons causing a variety of diseases are illustrated here.) 

Mask of the demon which causes Sleep Disorders

Mask of the demon which causes Stomach Disorders

Mask of the demon which causes Paralysis

Mask of the demon which causes Whooping Cough

Rhythmic and frenzied dancing by the masked demon dancers holding twigs or small branches of trees, making noises, chanting and miming symbolize the exit of the evil spirit from the patient.  

One such video of Sri Lankan dances was quietly observed by my daughter and stored in her memory for future reference. Many years later she was afflicted with Chicken Pox.  In the south Indian households Neem leaves are used in a variety of ways; mainly for their antiseptic properties and especially during the treatment of such diseases.  However people who rely on modern medicine no longer bother with the traditional treatments which have now assumed more of a blind ritualistic/ symbolic status. However when my daughter was ill, the elders at home did not rest in peace till I arranged for some Neem leaves. Our chauffeur obtained some twigs from the Neem tree in the backyard and handed them over to me. Even as I was contemplating on how to make use of the twigs, I entered my daughter’s room with the twigs with the intention of placing them somewhere; and then consult the elders on its utility.

Even though she was running a high temperature, the young lady asked me impishly, “Mother, are you going to perform an exorcising dance to treat my Chicken Pox?”

PS - Even today, in the rural areas of India, Chicken Pox is believed to be caused by the wrath of the angry local god or goddess. Frenzied rhythmic dancing holding twigs or small branches of trees, making noises, chanting and miming is often seen in the little traditions of rural India.

Impaired Vision and Classical Dance

"The distance between Vedika (acting area)- front and the first seat in the Prekshagriha (auditorium) itself was 24 ft. and with the central place where the king or the chief guest sat, it could not be less than 30ft. (Natyasastra XXVII, 74 and 78-79) which was far too great for any subtle expressions to be seen. Bharata's theatre was an intimate theatre and distance did matter much."                                                                                           

Goverdhan Panchal, an eminent interpreter of Natyasastra, the  ancient treatise on Dramaturgy explains why all the important scenes were enacted in an area called the Rangapeetha (the main acting area in front of the vedika which was nearer to the spectator.)

Organizing classical dance in proscenium theatres, at huge festival venues in vast open spaces and even stadiums is like visually impairing a spectator first; and then asking him to appreciate a fantastic  spectacle. 

The chief guest and other VIPs occupy the first 4 rows after which the nuances of the classical dances are perceived progressively less; as we go beyond the privileged rows to the back of the auditorium. 

The ordinary spectator (not by virtue of his understanding of the form but by virtue of his proximity to the performance space) is lampooned for not connecting to the performance. The blame game often victimizes the spectator who actually suffers the recitals; as he misses out on the finer aspects of the dance. The dancers justify their diluted repertoires to the need of the audience which they assume is not very informed and therefore does not connect. (we discount the possibility that the dancer's skills could be suspect.) Organizers are obsessed by numbers and are mostly oblivious to the dynamics/ compulsions of staging classical dances. 

Organizers of festivals at large venues ask for huge dance troupes,  dramatic and racy choreography aided by the multimedia interventions and loud acoustics to appeal to the audiences. Synchronized classical dance movements, formations, acrobatics, the complementing light and sound show can grab eyeballs and hence is the main component of the new genre of classical dance much in demand today.

Solo performances with nuanced abhinaya (histrionic representation) which blend the delicate body language with the evocative singing can make an impact even on an uninformed spectator. He need not always decipher the language of alien gestures (hastas/ mudras) to understand the layered presentation that classical dance is. Classical dance could actually appeal to a wide cross section of the spectators and in fact it should; as rightly propounded by Bharata in his Natyasastra.

A classical dance performance has to be essentially in an intimate setting to generate the desired rasa (sentiment) apart from it being a performance of utmost skill emerging form disciplined and dedicated training.

It may help the organizers and dancers  to be a little sensitive to the spectators' needs, especially when they want to create a newer audience base and not blame the audience disconnect only on the western influences and changing times.

I cannot help but reiterate that SPIC MACAY is the only movement which has understood this basic ingredient of classical dance performances and takes the best of the maestros to youngsters in a simple and yet a comfortable and intimate setting and thus provides them with the profound experience of joy of high art.

Non Violence and Dancers

“In necessary things—unity; in doubtful things—liberty; in all things—charity.” 

Nothing could describe more aptly the need of classical dance today, than Richard Baxter's words as quoted above.

Unity, tolerance, a healthy competition (if at all artists must compete) and above all a collective vision seems to be the need of the hour of the classical dancers/teachers/students.

Bitter rivalries between dancers and gurus which pass on through their students are not new to the minuscule world of classical dance. Dance scholars/researchers today do not see eye to eye with dancers; colleagues in dance departments at universities and institutions do not work in cooperation; and the students suffer the lack of role models in the mediocre departments. Various universities do not cooperate to work for a common vision; musicians and dancers no longer form a progressive team; the divides are too many and too deep to bridge at times. 

The pursuit of the classical arts demands a rigorous discipline from the practitioners. Maybe, it also seeks from the practitioners, liberty in thought and pursuit of liberty through discovery of self. 

Charity in action, word and  spirit do seem to be the most needed. There are dancers past their performing prime (I seek forgiveness for sounding irreverent), reluctant to make way for their own students. They could be the visionaries who could teach and guide an entire generation. They could be the uniting force of the dance fraternity and take the art forward. Alas, they are busy frittering  away their time and the wealth of their art; seeking mere visibility for their unparalleled glorious statures through mere performances on stage; which no longer scintillate. 

At one national festival of dance, the inaugural celebratory dinner party for the participants and guests, saw the most shocking conversations and gossips spewing venom on competitor gurus and dancers; especially after the choicest liquor was consumed. One may accept liquor as an essential on the menu, especially among the elite who are the "karta dharta" and the stars of the classical arts;  but what comes as a surprise is the crass emotions of hate, jealousy, spite and insult. This is the world of performances, awards, titles and honours.

In the context of classical dance, prevalence of such emotions is more crass though. The very perpetrators of the exalted art would be guilty of  what Gandhi would have termed as violence (harsh words and thoughts being equivalent to violence).

Pious mannerisms of the excessive bent of torso to exhibit utter humility, the right hand being placed repeatedly on ones heart proclaiming connection to one's very soul, pulling one's ears in reverence for elders do not impress. Dressing up in regal traditional attires and rattling of sublime verses from scriptures cannot mislead one to charitably accept the shocking behaviors as a part of the mercurial artistic temperament. 

But yes, indeed there are maestros who never require the crutch of greatness to make an ethereal impact. They just touch every heart, even that of a child or an uninformed  lay spectator, that comes in the purview of their divine art into which merge their stellar personas. 

To be Said or left Unsaid ?

Today's Deccan Herald, Hyderabad quotes Dostoevsky:

"Much unhappiness has come into this world because of things left unsaid."

What I say in this blog is not to eradicate unhappiness- mine or anybody else's. I could not be an activist for I have not understood myself yet; leave alone the world around me. I have no moral high ground to be self righteous and yet I do falter on this slippery ground. 

However, I feel the need to share some of the most trivial experiences and observations of mine as Common Man which are at times funny, sad, ironical, grave, crass and even insane and trivial. But nevertheless, each one of the experiences somehow points at my own inadequacies and the need to evolve as a human being. 

Yes, I do consider myself to be an important component of my world/ my nation/my family and every failure of any of these units is mine as every success of theirs is equally mine too.

I leave my anecdotes to be interpreted as per the intellect and emotions of my readers.

Starting a blog with toilets as a topic was not terribly elite and talking of it in the context of classical dance festivals was definitely out of the league of high art and intellect. 

I wish more pious thoughts could invade my mind and banish the realities form it.

My friend informs me that from 3rd October, 2012 begins the Nirmal Bharat Andolan against open defecation sponsored by Government of India with Vidya Balan as its brand ambassador!

Toilets and Classical Dance

WAIT! Do not over react to the atrocious title of today's blog !!! Let me explain...

On a recent visit to London, I stayed with a gracious hostess, of Pakistani origin, whose parents had settled down in London. In their hearts, they always remained the citizens of an undivided India. The lady, who now is a dear friend, was interested in the classical dance forms of India and I was told by a common friend that she would be happy to have me stay with her. I was happy too, as I was on a severe low budget trip to UK to explore the dance scenario there.

As a lover of classical dance and also being an editor of  a journal on classical dance, Nartanam,  who gets to see many dance festivals around the country; I was supposed to be a valuable visitor whom she looked forward to meet. And I was too happy to find audience for all that I always love to share on classical dance.

I arrived in London and found great warmth in the comfort of her lovely home and hospitality. One evening, anticipating a stimulating discussion on high art, I settled down in the elegant drawing room. Suddenly she asked,

 "Does India have more toilets now, than what I had encountered during my trip more than a decade ago?"

Dumbfound, the initial thoughts which fleeted through my mind were dictated by the indignant response we Indians assume, when questioned bout the basic amenities here, our civic sense, poverty, etc etc. We love to bash the west's obsession with these issues. 

My intellect was ready to launch the "India Shining" emotion; and the profane citing of the probability of us being the next superpower; and spite back citing how we have done better than the west, especially Europe in dealing with the economic crisis, etc. etc.

But suddenly a lightning stoke of realization struck my egoistic high art persona; and the reality and simplicity of my hostess's query dawned on me. 

The difficulty I had locating a toilet at the Dhauli festival, flashed through my mind. The agony of not being able to find a toilet was as fresh in memory as if it had happened just an hour ago. 

The Dhauli and Konark are high profile festivals, both organised by the Odisha Tourism at the most picturesque of locations of Odisha. I was a privileged guest by virtue of being a writer on dance. And there I was, in the later half of the cold evening,  agonizing over where to relieve myself. Both festivals venues are quite far away from the hotels where the guests stay. In spite of reducing my intake of water to NIL; as a healthy human being whose kidneys were functioning to the optimum, I could not be blamed for wanting to relieve myself; after more than five hours after leaving my hotel. After a few discreet inquiries I was directed to a toilet which no human being would dare to enter without risking a violent assault on the senses and sanity. 

This definitely is not an isolated incident with me; and it is not true of only this venue. At any tourist place, temple town, dance festival, other than at a few well developed venues or modern auditoriums; the basic amenities are pathetic. Even the classical dancers performing at the myriad Chennai sabhas have also been vocal about the toilet and green room blues. A dear colleague of mine lamented on the toilet blues at Konark, not long after my embarrassing experience. It is quite baffling how the spectators who travel from far and wide to these venues which are quite out of the city, manage? Especially the women!

I am sure the 'Saga of Toilets' is not limited to just 'Classical Dance' and its performance venues; and surely my experience is not the first and the only one.