Dr Shrivatsa Desai, a retired consultant eye surgeon, has lived in the UK for 50 years. With a keen interest in Indian culture and heritage, he is associated with several dance and music organisations in the north of England, especially Yorkshire.
In this special column for iGlobal, he explores some recent diaspora activities in Yorkshire, especially in regard to the famous South Indian dance form Kuchipudi.
It is often stated that one may take an Indian abroad but they cannot take India away from him or her. It may be a cliché, but it still holds true; otherwise we wouldn't be having so many of our children enrolled in Indian music and dance classes and particularly in classical South Indian dance and music, apart from Bollywood dhamaka!
When I arrived in UK in 1974 from Karnataka, I would hardly meet a Kannada or Tamil speaking person on the street and it was another 20 years before I saw a classical dance performance in Bharatanatyam or Kathak. If they happened, they happened mainly in and around London, even though a fair number of expats lived in the north of the country. It is only in the last 25 years that we see such performances regularly, thanks to the many diaspora organisations devoted to spreading the Indian culture and catering to the new generation of immigrants, especially those working in the IT sector.
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EARTHKala – Meaningful Art, is a dance school based in the mining town of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, founded by Ms Vrata Chigateri, an accomplished and passionate Kuchipudi exponent hailing from South India. Trained under many renowned gurus including, Vyjayanti Kashi and Veena Murthy Vijay, Chigateri has done extensive tours and performances in India and Europe. Subsequently, she founded her own Kuchipudi dance organisation and set about training students in Yorkshire, hoping to pass on the baton to the next generation. One such young talent is Rhea Srivastava whose Rangapravesha (graduation or Arangetram) took place recently.
Rhea's guru, Chigateri, has conceived and produced a few much acclaimed shows like 'Blue Gods' and ‘Mahabharata’ and recently a 40-cast ‘Barisu Kannada Dimdimava’. Rhea was taken by her parents to watch Blue Gods and was so impressed by the beauty and grandeur that she decided to learn the dance with dedication and vigour. This passion and dedication culminated in her Rangapravesham last month at Rockingham Centre in Rotherham in the presence of Keranjeet Kaur Virdee, MBE, CEO of South Asian Arts (SAA-UK).
In Rhea's presentation, the opening dance, 'Naandi Shloka,' was followed by 'Jathiswaram.' The story of King Rama was artistically depicted in a brisk and lively piece of 'Ramayana Shabdam,' a traditional work from the Kuchipudi repertoire composed by Hemadri Chidambara Deekshitulu. Nataraja (Shiva), the Lord of Dance, was shown in his cosmic 'Tandava,' performed here at twilight, marking the transition from light into darkness. In 'Vedalera Vayyarulu,' the heroine Devadevi captivates the Lord with her grace and beauty, presented by Rhea with poise and accompanied by enchanting music. The finale centred on 'Navaneeta Chora Nanda Gopala' (Lord Krishna) in a 'Tarangam,' symbolising waves. Rhea executed this skilfully in the concluding segment, balancing on the edge of a brass plate as her rhythmic footwork aligned intricately with the music's beat - a hallmark of 'Kuchipudi.'
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I was reminded of the saying in mining area of Yorkshire that “where there’s muck, there’s brass"! However, although there isn't much money to be made in dance in the area, the dedication of those passionately promoting such a dance form – which believes in the tradition of 'guru-shishya parampara' (teacher-student tradition), pays off in kind!
“The tradition of touching the feet of elders and gurus is symbolic of relinquishing one's ego while embarking on learning this ancient art,” said the judge, Ms Virdee, in her speech.
This event was as much a triumph for Rhea as it was her guru, Vrata Chigateri. One hopes this continues and attracts more students.
*Info: EARTH Kala