ANEKAL:Padma Shri awardee Geeta Chandran recently received the Nrithya Saraswathy Award from Alliance University, Bangalore. Chandran is known to have synthesized the inputs she gleaned from a galaxy of well-known gurus to stamp Bharatanatyam with her individual style.
Chandran’s performances are tapestries of ideas, legends and mysticism. “As an only child born into a conservative Palghat Iyer household, I meandered between two banks - one of formal education with the pressure to achieve.
And the other bank of the creative arts - of dance and music. I had to learn both - and my mother made sure that I would excel through sheer dint of practice. It was this strict upbringing, and one where one did not have too many diversions that ensured that one’s energies remained focused and centered,” said Geeta.
Excerpts from an interview:
On the decision to pursue classical dance
From the moment I set eyes on my first dance Guru, the late Smt. Swarna Saraswathy, I was transfixed! She impacted me hugely. The way she moved, sang, played the veena, she was a complete artist. And her knowledge of Bharatanatyam was so respectful and kind. There was never a whiff of arrogance.
She was proud, but never arrogant! I think from the moment I bent before her and offered her the ceremonial thaali seeking her to take me as her disciple, I became a dancer! But dance as a profession was a decision that happened much later.
After my BA in Mathematical Statistics from the premier Lady Shri Ram College for Women, and then a Masters in Communications from the Indian Institute of Mass Communications, I was eager to earn a living. And then began a series of jobs that were all paying well, but I was always watching the clock to get home and dance. Till one day I said enough of riding these two ever-so-different boats. I have to choose. And my then Guru KN Dakshinamurthi gave me the courage to resign from my job and embrace dancing full time. And I did - dancing eight hours a day, like a possessed soul!
On dancing for life
Dancing to me is living. Everything I do, is centred around dance. My spiritual Guru Shrivatsa Goswami said that any artist should so fill the body, mind and soul with rasa that when the performance happens, the rasa overflows and submerges the audience. And that has been my route. I fill myself with aesthetic and creative experiences.
The dance is just a way of venting all of that. So be it poetry, literature, painting, sculpture, philosophy, music, dance, theatre, I try to absorb them all. And my dance is a consecration of all those experiences. Add to that my constant inspiration in nature and in spirituality.
But at a more daily level, dance is sweat. The body is a dancer’s instrument and it is critical to keep the body tuned. So daily sadhana is a given.
And that process constantly inspires me. Every rehearsal is a different unveiling. The power of improvisation comes with daily routine. It is only when one is fully rooted that one can fly high on wings of imagination!
On inspirational artists
I love energetic artists who are tinged with a bit of madness! Like Picasso, in painting; or Yamini Krishnamurthi in dance. Then the serene MS. Subbalakshmi in music. They are all my heroes.
In Picasso, I find the yearning for constant searching. Of change and then change again.
In Yamini akka, I found a powerhouse of stagecraft. And through MS Subbulakshmi, I realised that grace and humility are valuable traits for artists to possess. So I am inspired by different facets of all these three great maestros.
On the future of dance
Classical dance is at an exciting stage. Despite competition from popular culture, there is a huge return to the classical forms. More and more young artists are taking dance up professionally.
More and more people are coming to see dance. Last weekend, I had curated a World Dance Day Festival for over two days. It was jam packed on both days. Imagine, over 300 people showing up on a Sunday morning to see young dancers!
Undoubtedly, classical dance is on a winning streak! What we need to ensure is better funding and proper curating. Ensure that more professional event managers emerge who will showcase the classical in innovative but respectful ways. I am also aware that several such challenges yet remain.
On the lure of the stage
The stage is a magical space - a dream destination for decades of training and sadhana. Even as I enter the stage, I am enveloped in a cloud that is far away from all reality.
In that space only my dance exists - everything else withers away. I only react to the music - that to me is the core point of the dance. Apart from the music, nothing else exists.
Frankly, I don’t even care if there is an audience, or there is none.
To me the stage is my sacred space for expressing myself. What I do on stage, I do not remember. It sounds crazy, but that is the truth. My musicians know that what I dance is not what I have rehearsed at all. But after decades of working with me, they too look forward to my unpredictability.
But every time I am on stage, what I do feel is a great respect for my gurus and the fabulousness of the classical dance that fate has bestowed on me.
On challenges
The dance is never the hurdle. But there are many external hurdles. Since the body is the instrument, health is often a hurdle. And fitness. There are days when the knees do not fully cooperate. It’s a great mind game then to keep the body in command and dance!
Technology, which has become so much part of performance, can sometimes prove to be a hurdle. Many spaces for dance have not overcome voltage surges that can trigger tech glitches in sound and light.These are some possible hurdles for dancers.
On the secret to a great performance
I do not think of my performances as great. What I ask is whether they have been fulfilling to me. Has my imagination been satiated? My standards have to be met. That is my goal! Everything else is purely incidental!
Message for aspiring artists
As always, I bless them to find aware teachers who can eventually become their gurus and show them the path.
I would tell them to absorb everything the teacher has to offer. To develop an emotional link with their art. And to be honest with their craft.
If that can be done, they will be embracing an amazing journey that is probably unparalleled in its capacity to give one joy.
Not transient and ephemeral pleasure. But the deepest joy of creativity ever possible. I bless them with finding themselves in the dance.