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Ashadi Ekadashi at Prashanthi Nilayam

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Standing there, behind the backdrop, we held our breath. We had been working with 43 Bal Vikas children with little or no knowledge of dance since May, and this was the outcome of all our efforts. Working towards the performance for Ashadi Ekadashi at Prashanthi Nilayam was often frustrating, but ultimately, deeply rewarding. The children had practised just once at the final venue - the day before the programme. We finished practice around 10:30 at night and then the children got up at 3 in the morning for their make-up because all of them had to be ready by 7.Contending against all odds, it happened.In a flurry of movement backstage, we changed their costumes, changed their hair-dos and helped with their jewellery and make-up. But they did it. People were moved to tears. People came up to us over and over again to thank us.Hats off to the children whose faith pushed … [Read more...]

The Story of Cirrus Flux

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"Where are you, Varsha?" "I'm not here!" I call back. "It looks like you are." "No, I'm inside here." (pointing to my book)That's the way it was with The Story of Cirrus Flux. I enjoyed the ride through 18th century England, with Matthew Skelton's small liberties with historical facts.I wondered again at how far science has come, but how cruel the human race is.We're such a bunch of contraries. We are capable of great kindness and great cruelty. We are capable of infinite selflessness and inhuman selfishness. We want revenge, but want to forgive. We go to any lengths for people we love.The Story of Cirrus Flux, while making you gasp and shiver, also has all these contraries melting together. … [Read more...]

Hastaabhinaya – expressing through your hands

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Classical dance is a language that has the power to express your deepest emotions. When we learn a language from scratch, where do we begin? When you read, you begin with A-B-C; when you sing you begin with Do Re Mi ... The alphabet of dance consists of mudras or patterns formed with your hands. With four fingers and a thumb, the number of mudras we can form is extensive. Codified by the Natya Shastra, a treatise on dramaturgy, mudras form the base of Indian classical dance.What makes a mudra beautiful? What can we express with our hands? Who sets down these rules? How can I understand something I see? Expression through our hands - Hastaabhinaya. At "Abhinaya", our dance workshop at The Cultural Centre. … [Read more...]

Abhinaya: A Dance Workshop

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What is abhinaya? Does it really just mean 'expression'?Etymologically, abhinaya comes from two words 'abhi' (towards) and 'niya' (leading). So, Abhinaya leads you, the audience towards something. And what is that something? Rasa - aesthetic pleasure. Considering that these ideas come from the Natya Shastra, the abhinaya aspect of dance is linked to theatre and drama. It involves the aspect of dance that deals with storytelling, expression and emotion.Come, experience the richness and depth of abhinaya with us at "Abhinaya: A Workshop on Indian Classical Dance" at The Cultural Centre later this month.Dates: 26th and 27th July, 2014 Time: 5 pm - 7 pm Fee: Rs. 1,500For more details, do contact me or call: 09764441478 … [Read more...]

The Midnight Fox

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It is not that I have not been reading. As a matter of fact, I have been reading quite a bit. I read A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master and enjoyed it. I read three of Dick King-Smith's Sophie books. But nothing prompted me to write until this one - The Midnight Fox by Betsy Byars.The Midnight Fox builds suspense so brilliantly that I had to keep taking time out to breathe a bit. I needed to know what happened next, but did not want to know.With old books, I am usually pretty sure that somehow or the other, there will be a happily-ever-after ending. With this one, each page made me chew my lip and wonder and hope. I almost did not finish reading it simply because I was so afraid.But I finished it and it filled me with a deep sense of grandeur.The Midnight Fox showed me the wonder of things that are wild. Fierce love that lives in the face of danger, hope that survives even during … [Read more...]

Not the Mona Lisa

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Entry to the Louvre is free on the first Sunday of each month, and I landed in Paris on the first Sunday of June. Jet lag is a luxury that people who have time and money to spend in a foreign country can afford. I couldn’t.Whatever debate may surround the aesthetics of the pyramid of the Louvre, within, you have everything to choose from. For a few seconds, we stood there, letting history and culture seep into our blood.“So, where do you want to go?” My sister smiled at me.“Not the Egyptian zone, that’s for sure.”I could not decide, so we walked along, slowly getting the kind of head-rush that I have begun to associate with museums. As our heads filled to saturation-point, we began to wander a little aimlessly, continuing to look at things around us. We saw the crowd around the Mona Lisa.“Do you want to go?” my sister asked, a little doubtfully.I shook my head. “She looks … [Read more...]