BENGALURU: September 7, workshop and show in Barbados; November 16, Delhi; 19th in Trivandrum, then Mumbai, Kolkata, Paris, London...” Astad Deboo would go on and on without a pause to think. During the two weeks that our band Trayam (comprising percussionist B C Manjunath, musical prodigy Varijashree Venugopal and myself) spent with him in South Korea in 2017, we were treated to many stories from his treasure chest of experiences.
He seemed to have information about every topic under the stars. Astadji’s enigmatic memory and curiosity for information were a few of the most amazing qualities in him that all of us adored. “In an era where our mobile phones are our calendars, dictionaries, calculators and encyclopaedia, he was at ease with remembering each date of his travel and performances, and the details associated with it,” says Varijashree.
Astad Deboo was respectfully addressed as ‘Master’ by the South Korean musicians of ‘Noreum Machi’, with whom our band had this opportunity to collaborate and tour in South Korea and India just before the Covid-19 lockdown. Astadji was the dance element in this musical conversation between Indian and South Korean music, curated by the InKo Centre, Chennai. Though we knew about Astadji earlier, the 10-day production time that we had in Chennai in 2016 gave us our first opportunity to know him from closer quarters.
His disciplined lifestyle, royal dressing sense, artistic hair design, picturesque poise and confident gait were the first qualities we saw. He was one who would make himself seen in any crowd. There were innumerable instances where everyone nodded their heads when B C Manjunath exclaimed, “He is so good looking even at this age, I am sure that he was absolutely magnetic during his prime.”
Astadji was an inspiration in many ways. His zeal and passion for his art was brimming to the fullest and only increasing with every passing day. He was inquisitive and childlike, which made him explore innumerable possibilities and dimensions in art. Conversations with him were always informative and joyous. He mingled with people of all ages and was always excited for a chat.
His balance in thoughts and life was clearly visible in the inimitable dance style that he had created for himself. The Kathakali motifs, the dervish spins and the mudras which looked exaggerated on his larger-than-normal palms and fingers added necessary glitter to the strong contemporary dance style he advocated.
Astad Deboo was a pioneer of modern contemporary Indian dance. He paved the way for today’s artistes who have taken that path. Even though the time we spent was relatively short, we shall surely miss all the affectionate coffees, the delightful desserts and interesting walks we had together. He will be remembered forever.
(The author is a city-based composer and multi-instrumentalist)