CHENNAI: “To me, dance, music and poetry are inseparable,” said Padma Shri recipient Alarmel Valli, setting the tone for FICCI FLO Chennai Chapter’s ‘special’ webinar — Convergence — an evening of conversations exploring the coming together of words, ragas, and bhavas, through the world views of poet Arundhathi Subramaniam, musician and vocalist Bombay Jayashri, and Bharathanatyam exponent Alarmel Valli, on Friday.
A seamless continuum of reflective thoughts — of personal and artistic explorations during the pandemic and unique yet unified creative processes; acknowledgement and appreciation for each other’s art form, abilities and rich repertoire — the 60-minute virtual event was, in the words of Valli and Arundhathi, a “creative and collaborative process” and “nourishing”.
As Jayashri discussed how the pandemic reminded her to be more present, sensitive and in the heart of it, perhaps, become a better human being, Valli spoke of the “Explosion of dance performances and digital expressions”, pointing to how the three-dimensional art form in its new two-dimensional avatar was in some ways losing certain elements in translation.
With most artistes deprived of the sensuous negotiation with the world during the lockdown, Arundhathi detailed the possible positives in an otherwise difficult time. “I haven’t explored it yet. However, there seems to be an opening, an aperture — where there are possibilities of us becoming curators, composers and choreographers of our own creative lives...in a sense, becoming creative entrepreneurs.
Where we are not bullied by sponsors and terribly imaginative festival organisers; the time to speak in the way, how and what we want. And, in some small way, to change the frequency of the mainstream discourse. Moments like these allow for those to be altered and mark the beginning of climate change on a cultural level. These are opportunities that we can explore further,” shared the poet.
Remembering the integral aspects of creation, the speakers echoed and resonated with each other’s creative route, which stems from the depths of tapping on memories, remembering, judiciously forgetting, and combining processes and in the course, finding their voice and rhythm. As spectators of the free-wheeling chat, we couldn’t but think of how the results of their nurtured love for their performing languages have, over the years, been nothing but well-manicured, deeply internalised, personal pieces of art with a resounding impact on its audience.
The evening, an endearing jugalbandhi of thoughts, was further made interesting with questions the trio had for each other. “Arundhathi, Valli Akka and I talk of immersion and internalisation and the knowledge our gurus have imparted to us. Where do you pick your choreography from?” asked Jayashri. “Gurus become the books one has read and conversations one has had. Sometimes, they are live mentors. In my early life, there was a lot of unconscious apprenticeship and imitation of people I admired.
Then, I began to look for the timbre in my own voice,” opened up Arundhathi. From Jayashri’s brief tryst with Bharathanatyam, Arundhathi’s discourse on the alchemy behind the crafting of a poem to Valli’s journey of weaving a tapestry of music, text and dance to serve a rather holistic experience to the rasikas, several illuminating experiences dotted the webinar. “I hope the three of us work together soon,” said Valli, sparking enthusiasm. “That will be a dream project!” said Arundhathi. “I am already thinking of the when, where and how!” added Jayashri, concluding the event with the possibility of an interesting collaboration.
The role of gurus
“Gurus become the books one has read and conversations one has had. In my early life, there was a lot of unconscious apprenticeship and imitation of people I admired,” said Arundhathi.