A confluence with a message

With each artiste representing a major river of India, a dance presentation wants to raise awareness about preserving our water bodies, and promoting national integration

Rivers, and through that metaphor nature, when disregarded can unleash their wrath in such magnitude that before man can comprehend what hit him, there is devastation all around. This could well be a generalised summary of the tragedy unfolding in Kerala, but a year ago, it was only a thought in Churchill Pandian's mind. The Chennai-based journalist and cultural consultant then discussed the idea with four noted artistes of various Indian classical dance forms to come up with a multi-dance style performance that sends out the message of national integration, and the need to care for our rivers.

Lakshmi Gopalaswamy

Titled Ganga to Kaveri, it features Vidha Lal (kathak), Prateeksha Kashi (kuchipudi), Vrinda Chadha (Odissi) and Lakshmi Gopalaswamy (Bharatanatyam) representing the Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra and Kaveri respectively. The performance premiered in Chennai in June 2017 and is coming to Mumbai for the first time this Friday.

Churchill Pandian

"The presentation begins with an inaugural piece where all four artistes present a prayer through dance with the recital of shlokas that mark the significance of our revered rivers. Then each of them present their individual performance highlighting the stories of the rivers they represent, and unite again for the finale, the sangam," explains Pandian.

Vidha Lal

For Lal, who made a Guinness world record for taking the highest number of kathak spins (103) in one minute, the concept struck a chord because the environment is usually the domain of scientists and activists. "Ganga to Kaveri offered us the opportunity to send out a message through dance," she says, adding that the piece she is performing has been choreographed by her mother-in-law and kathak exponent Geetanjali Lal of Jaipur Gharana. It tells the mythological story of the Ganga as an aggressive, young woman before she is pacified by Lord Shiva when he captures her in his locks to bring her to earth.

Vrinda Chadha

The choice of the river they wish to represent was left to the artistes, and for Kashi, the Yamuna was the obvious pick. "The initial stories associated with kuchipudi are those of Krishna and the river is deeply linked with the lord. In my piece, choreographed by my mother and guru, Vyjayanthi Kashi, the Yamuna tells her story to the audience," she explains. Kashi also speaks of the music for the performance, which moves away from pre-recorded songs and is based on the research carried out on all four storylines.

Both artistes agree that the coming together of different dance styles was a fulfilling experience in more ways than one. "Technological advancement alone cannot help us lead better lives. We need to become more sensitive to nature," says Kashi. Lal adds, "The finale where the four of us perform together is symbolic of the fact that to save our environment, the billion-plus Indians need to work in unison."

ON Tomorrow, 6.30 pm
AT Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point
CALL 66223754
Entry Rs 200 onwards

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