Though no one from her family pursued performing arts, Prateesha Suresh always wanted to learn Indian classical dance forms. That’s why, on completing her graduation from Guwahati’s Cotton College, she joined Kalakshetra at Chennai. Today, however, the Bharatanatyam exponent is known more for her Sattriya dance recitals.
In fact, it won’t be wrong to say Sattriya has become the eighth Indian classical dance form, partly due to her research and awareness initiatives for over 30 years towards it. Her next aim is to bring Sattriya’s percussive elements, Borgeet and Khol, in the limelight. Prateesha was recently in the city for a Borgeet performance and spoke about her efforts in Indian classical forms. Excerpts:
Bharatanatyam to Sattriya
Assam-bred Prateesha started learning Sattriya as a kid. But it was after her return from Kalakshetra to Guwahati that she became serious about popularising the dance form. “My guru urged me to take it up as he had also taken the initiative to get Sattriya the classical status. I was a little hesitant, but I also felt a sense of responsibility towards my motherland,” Prateesha reminisces.
The danseuse reveals that unlike other Indian classical dance forms, Sattriya did not originate from the temples, but is an outcome of resistance to temple dominance. “However, the devadasi tradition of the temples has influenced the dance form heavily,” she adds.
Popularising Sattriya outside Assam was not easy. In the beginning, she didn’t have an audience. At times she performed Bharatanatyam in the first half of a concert (to draw a crowd) and Sattriya in the second half. She also converted her performances into lecture-demonstrations, explaining the dance form and performing it as well.
“At that time, Bihu was very popular and Assam was identified with it. It was difficult breaking that mould,” says Prateesha. Thanks to her consistent efforts, the Sangeet Natak Akademi recognised Sattriya as a classical dance in 2000.
“There is a lot more to achieve. Getting a classical tag is one thing and presenting it as classical totally another. If its execution isn’t classical in aspects of music, costume and choreography, then getting the tag is of no use,” she says, adding, “One has to be very careful in building a road for future generations to follow and evolve with time.”
The challenge now is to establish a style suitable to any condition, whether it is a performance on a mythological or contemporary subject, language or music.
“The style should have the flexibility to adopt and adapt. This way it can sustain the test of time with the ever-changing society. For this, good content-driven, researched and well-thought-out performances are needed. Equally important are costumes, lighting and music,” she says.
Uplifting Borgeet and Khol
Prateesha is now trying to uplift the status of Borgeet and Khol to classical. Considered as the oldest music tradition alive today, Borgeet refers to raga-based devotional songs compositions in the 15th-16th CE by Mahapurush Shrimanta Shankardev and his disciple Madhavdev – exponents of Vaishnavism in Assam. Khol is the percussion instrument accompanying Sattriya dance and music. All rhythmic compositions of Sattriya are done on the Khol.
“Like Sattriya, there is no doubt that Borgeet and Khol are classical styles in its technique, execution, format, etc. But only when the authorities understand that will the world do,” she says adding, “I don’t understand how a dance form can be declared classical without recognising the percussion or the music on which it is based.”
As with Sattriya, the challenges are aplenty, but Prateesha has taken the first step. Her recent event included a performance by Borgeet singer Shri Krishna Goswami, much applauded by audiences.
Prateesha opines that it is not an artiste who chooses their art but the art which chooses the artiste. “Putting barricades stifles both art and artiste.”