SHANTI SUTRA by Kalakshetra - Kalakshetra Foundation

SHANTI SUTRA by Kalakshetra

Last year since it was the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Kalakshetra Foundation presented a special production called ‘Shanti Sutra’ as a tribute to not only the Mahatma but also Rukmini Arundale the founder of Kalakshetra. This year Kartik Fine Arts presented this at Narada Gana Sabha yesterday and I got an opportunity to watch it. 

Both these individuals Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Rukmini Arundale were huge influencers of their time. They were determined in their respective missions and passionate about their work. They had lofty ideas and some even wondered how realistic these ideas and they surely would have faced their share of criticism for their methodology like all leaders. If Mahatma’s dream for India’s freedom was the single purpose of his life then Rukmini Arundale’s dream of establishing or rather preserving the ethos, creativity, culture and tradition of India through art was her personal mission. 

The dance drama brought these two visionaries on one platform and drew parallels between their lives and their work. It’s ironical that these individuals never met but were influenced by each other and their common ideologies. The dance drama depicted the shared values in different languages starting with Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and so on. I think the idea was to depict unity in diversity, where we all come with different backgrounds, culture and speak different languages and yet we can create a non violent movement which is appreciated by the whole world. 

Both these individuals treasured and valued Ramayana, while one held it close to his heart and maintained it as his ideal which he wished to emulate, the other made her work, her art a tool to bring conviction to this epic brought to life in her dance dramas This epic influenced both of them to practice ahimsa, show compassion, uphold truth and most important think of the larger picture at all times rather than dwell in selfishness. Ramayana taught them that a cause or an institution was above any individual. 
Ramayana was their gospel of truth and a motivation for them to pursue the path of common good despite any hurdles. 

Rukmini created her work within the anti colonial nationalism narrative of Gandhiji. A proof of this was the art of weaving of handloom fabric that she strives to promote. I remember my grandmother, a very elegant woman, who preferred to wear Kalakshetra sarees. The revival of Indian traditions took a radically new dimension under her institution Kalakshetra. 

The dance drama was a visual treat weaving the key elements that connect this two dynamic individuals across the country. Both of them believed in self esteem, had passion for education, non violence, a non consumerist view of the environment, an acceptance of all Gods as one while Rama being their favourite. 

While Gandhiji was spurred by the plight of the natives of South Africa and India, Rukmini was distressed about the disregard the handloom industry had faced after colonisation, and the disrepute ‘Sadir’( a solo dance form which was practised by Devadasis or temple dancers) it was a precursor to Bharatanatyam, that she decided to do her best to revive the art and create an environment to preserve it from further decay. 
Gandhi’s famous rhetoric was that ‘We allowed them to cultivate Indigo on our lands and we succumbed to the British. Now it’s time for us to unite. And Khadi will unite us.’ 
If there is something like Gandhism then there is a stamp of Kalakshetra on any individual who studies there long enough. The focus was their common love for hand looms. 

They used different art forms to depict all this, different dance styles, both classical and folk styles, like Bharatnatyam, Pung Cholom from Manipur and Cheraw Bamboo Stick dance from Mizoram and complemented with songs from different parts of India. Kalakshetra has certainly tried to bring their values and what they stood for to the audience in a delightful portrayal trusting that these values are relevant even as if today. While all these emotions of these two individuals were well choreographed and put together, it was frankly an overkill. Definitely some sensible editing would be welcome. 
Really how much can an ordinary and undoubtedly patriotic citizen like me take. There was this nationalist song by V Ramalingam Pillai ‘Aaduraiaatai’, addressing Gandhiji’s charkha —‘Keep spinning O’ wheel’ was a haunting refrain which ran through the production. Then there was a Bengali song by Rajinikanth Sen composed during the Swadeshi Movement ‘Mayer Deotale Mira Kapor’ which was sung in a folk tune. There was also Ramalingam Pillai’s ‘ Iyal enna ezhidiyum’ linked with ‘Jnanthile’ which is a charanam of Bharatiyaar’s ‘Paarkulle Nalla Nadaun ’. There was also ‘Vaishnav Vajanato’ and hold on there was also a Telugu folk song’ Dhandalu Dhandalu’ in Ragam Tillang which was on cow slaughter. They didn’t want to miss anything and there came Kabir Das’s ‘Bhajore Bhaiya’. I was beginning to feel as if I was attending a RSS meeting. And while I endorse handloom, preserving tradition, abolishing not just cow but animal slaughter ...it was reaching a saturation point for me, when they decided to end with the famous ‘Shanti Nilaya Vendum’ and ‘Raghupati Raghava Rajaram’.

About the Author:

Sandhya Shankar belongs to a well respected business family in Chennai. She is a Life Skills & Corporate Trainer by profession. She is an avid reader and a natural writer, who has written several poems and articles. She even presented her poems as a reading at the British council. She has keen interest in all art forms  and has explored many different forms of painting like stained glass and Tanjore being among them. 

Music being her first passion, she had her formal training under Terakotti Chandrasekharaiah at Bangalore and later briefly under Mrs Champa Kumar. She is a regular visitor of concerts, theatre and other live performances. Her witty reviews have gained a loyal and interactive readership for their sound technical commentary and relevance for every kind of melophile, from the casual-goer to the ragam expert, frequenting Chennai’s rich music scene.

(*The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of Music of Madras.)