Different shades of one evening

Different shades of one evening

In the pre-Independence era, the slogan of Vande Mataram galvanised people to come together to demand freedom for our motherland. With the passage of time, it has become imperative to broaden its definition and pledge solidarity and compassion with every human being – that’s how Bharatanatyam dancer Ramya S Kapadia envisions Vande Mataram and will be conveying it through her dance recital on Sunday evening.

Kapadia and Seema Vishvanath, who are based in US currently, will be presenting the dance production and urge us to look within ourselves and question our values, ideals and outlook towards life in general. 

“Vande Mataram literally means, ‘I bow to my mother’, and refers to the love for our country. In light of the recent wars and attacks on so many countries, it is important to reach out to each and every human being in a gesture of solidarity and compassion. 

We are all children of the earth first and must therefore pledge to love one another and blur the lines drawn by race, gender, colour, language or geography. Vande Mataram — This Land, Our Home seeks to drive home the idea that home is truly where the heart is,” says Kapadia, who pondered over this idea around 11 years ago. Her fellow dancer Vishvanath and her brother, Rajiv Sundaresan who has composed and produced the music, worked very closely with Kapadia in bringing this idea to life. The Durham Independent Dance Artists gave the impetus for producing this work in 2018. 

When asked how has staying abroad influenced her idea of Indianness and patriotism, Kapadia replies, “I’ve been lucky to have lived in different parts of the world and also in different parts of India. This opened my eyes to the fact that we are such a diverse set of people. It taught me to appreciate the differences and value everyone as people first ....because that is how they treated me. In the USA too, I have been lucky not to have faced discrimination based on my race, colour or religion. But that is not the case everywhere unfortunately. The amount of hatred everywhere feels like such a colossal waste of all that this world could be. Vande Mataram — This Land, Our Home was the need of the hour. In the process of working on this show, Seema and I have actively practised shedding preconceived judgements and bias towards people; to extend our homes and hearts fully.” 
The festival, which is being presented by Parimal Performing Arts and Research Centre, will also have another dance recital titled Shrunkhalika. This segment will feature choreography by Dr Parimal Phadke and performances by his students, Saee Shetye, Madhumita Sathe, Neha Mujumdar and Avadhut Chavan. 

“Vande Mataram is an extremely serious production whereas Shrunkhalika is more on arts and entertainment,” says Dr Phadke, adding, “In the first half of Shrunkhalika, we have Murugan Kauthvam. It is a recitational composition which intersperses rhythmic syllables with lyrics. This composition praises Lord Karthikeya for his valour, beauty, grandeur and infinite power. The second composition is a varnam. It is also about Karthikeya, seen through the eyes of his first wife, Devyani.”
In Maharashtra, Karthikeya is supposed to be a bachelor. But in South, Karthikeya has two wives. 

“The first composition, Murugan Kauthvam brings out the divinity of Karthikeya and the second composition, which is the piece de resistance of Shrunkhalika production, is one where Devyani, the first wife of Karthikeya complains to her friends about the manner in which her husband has been seduced by the other woman — his second wife ,” adds Phadke.  

In the second half of Shrunkhalika, the dancers will perform a brija padam featuring the Mugdha Nayaka, who is not aware of his youth and the feelings of love. He is being enticed by the Madhya Nayika. The nayika takes him out for a stroll and points out to him metaphors in nature, which hint at the union of man and woman. When the nayika starts getting intimate with the questions, he is totally taken aback and doesn’t know how to answer. The manner in which it is choreographed leads to humour,” says Phadke.  

ST Reader Service 
Catch Vande Mataram and Shrunkhalika on August 11 at Sardar Natu Sabhagruha, off S B Road,6 pm onwards. Tickets available at ticketees.com and at the venue on the same day

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