Dancer Lakshmi Viswanathans talk was heard with rapt

attention by connoisseurs and students alike PAGE 2

K.S. Rajendrans Aurangzeb brings alive the

rough edges of our past PAGE 3

Fans of Dev Anand have a lot to

cheer about Amir Garib PAGE 4

DELHI FRIDAY MAY 1, 2015

CALENDAR

Scanning the fault lines

Nakul Singh Sawhneys Muzaffarnagar Abhi Baki Hai is a compelling document of
how vested interests sowed hatred for a rich harvest of votes in some villages of
Western Uttar Pradesh, says Anuj Kumar

The Expendables
Centered on the mercenary
group known as The Expendables, brings together
Mercenary leader Barney
Ross (Sylvester Stallone)
and his team of loyal men for
to take on what they think is
a routine assignment: a covert operation to invade the
South American country of
Vilena and overthrow its
dictator. But, when they
learn that the job will be a
suicide mission, they must
choose redemption or the
destruction
of
their
brotherhood.
May 1, 8 p.m. SONY PIX

Men in Black
When a renegade Kylothian
monster (Serleena) disguised as a lingerie model
threatens the survival of the
human race, the boys of the
MIB get the call to step up
and get busy. With their
headquarters under siege
and time running out,
Agents Kay and Jay enlist
the help of Frank the Pug and
a posse of hard-living worms
to help them hunt down the
sultry alien.
May 2, 9 p.m., SONY PIX

King Kong
Peter Jackson's remake of
the 1933 classic depicts director Carl Denham (Jack
Black) and his crew on a
journey from New York City
to the ominous Skull Island
to film a new movie. Accompanying him are playwright
Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody)
and actress Ann Darrow
(Naomi Watts), who is
whisked away by the monstrous ape, Kong, after they
reach the island.
May 2, 12:29 p.m., HBO

he national
media might have
forgotten the
wounds of
Muzaffarnagar
riots but there are intrepid
filmmakers who continue to
question the divisive agenda
behind the development
narrative. After late
Shubhrodeep Chakraborty
timely documentary En
Dino Muzaffarnagar,
director Nakul Singh
Sawhney has come up with a
cogent and cohesive
investigation to dissect
anatomy of a riot in rural
India that many say
catapulted Bharatiya Janata
Party to power in the last Lok
Sabha elections and pushed
the supposed Muslim vote
bank away from Samajwadi
Party.
Cut from the same cloth as
Rakesh Sharmas much feted
Final Solution that delved
into the truth of Gujarat
riots, Muzaffarnagar Abhi
Baki Hai rubbishes the
Love-Jihad theory and makes
cogent observations on how
only economically weaker
sections of Muslims were
affected in the riots. How
Dalits kept away from the
conflict, the supposed role of
mill owners in dividing the
farmers on the basis of
religion and above all how it
helped one party to win a
crucial Lok Sabha election.
Excerpts from an
interview:
What was the catalyst?
My earlier film,
Izzatnagari ki Asabhya
Betiyaan was about crimes
and killings in the name of
honour and Khap
Panchayats and the
resistance against this feudal
patriarchy by young Jat
women. Though the film was
largely set in Haryana, I had
also travelled to
Muzaffarnagar in late 2010 as
part of my research to get an
idea of what was happening
in the Jat belt outside
Haryana. Jat identity
politics, which, in its
manifestation in the revival
of Khap Panchayats, had
acquired a strong anti-Dalit
and anti-woman posturing.
So, when we made this trip it
was evident to us that in
Western Uttar Pradesh, Jat
identity politics will soon slip
into Hindutva. These
districts had a high Muslim
population. Where on the

STARK DETAILS Stills from the film.

one hand huge panchayats

were being held against
marriages violating the
marital codes of gotra
exogamy and caste
endogamy, inter-religious
marriages would obviously
be considered sacrilege. It
was this social conservatism
of Jat identity politics that
found a resonance in the
politics of Love Jihad, etc.
that the Sangh Parivaar was
championing. When the
massacre broke out, and
specially when we heard that
it was around a rumoured
case of molestation of a
Hindu girl by Muslim men, I
could sense what had
transpired. This was on the
cards. In that sense, this film
is a sequel to Izzatnagari Ki
Asabhya Betiyaan. Soon
after news of the massacre
broke out we visited
Muzaffarnagar and Shamli.
How did you arrive at
the conclusion that BJP
and its ideological allies
were responsible for the
riots and that SP had
vested interest in not
controlling them?
It required serious
investigation. We discovered
that there had been a series

of riots in the districts fivesix months preceding the big

massacre in September, 2013.
Coupled with that were
several incidents of Muslim
boys being beaten up in
random acts of violence in
trains passing through
Western Uttar Pradesh.
Remember, these are
districts which didnt see any
major violence even after the
demolition of Babri Masjid,
specially the rural areas in
these districts.
The smaller riots too were
usually around cases of
molestation. Even random
incidents of violence
between two individuals
from different religions were
being fuelled to give them a

communal colour. . And

when we began to investigate
these riots, we realised that
local RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal
and BJP units would get
involved . Finally, even
around the Kawal incident,
which is often considered to
be the immediate cause, local
Hindutva organisations
immediately jumped the
bandwagon. In fact, the first
FIR filed by Gaurav and
Sachins parents (the Jat boys
who were killed, whose sister
was allegedly molested) had
no mention of molestation.
Local politicians got that FIR
changed to include
molestation. And in the
Panchayats that followed,
BJP and other Hindutva
leaders took over the
Panchayats, including the
maha Panchayat which was
supposedly called by
Bhartiya Kisan Union.
As for Samajwadi Party,
well, there were reports of
over 200 riots that had
broken out in UP before
Muzaffarnagar, since
Akhilesh Yadav became CM.
Big Panchayats were being
organised by both
communities between 30th
August and 7th September,
2013. Was the government
sleeping? In fact, the
Panchayat on the 7th of

It was this social

conservatism of Jat
identity politics that
found a resonance in the
politics of Love Jihad,
etc. that the Sangh
Parivaar was
championing.
Z

TELEVISION

The magic of mystery

Popular TV actor Nathan Fillions list includes the Game of
Thronesseries and Max Brooks World War Z
MINI ANTHIKAD CHHIBBER

ne of the things that

marks the popular TV
show, Castle, is the
excellent chemistry between
the characters the mystery
writer Richard Castle
(Nathan Fillion), his partner
and now wife Kate (Stana
Katic) and his daughter from
his first wife, Alexis (Molly
Quinn). Let me tell you a
little something about Molly
Quinn, Nathan says on the
sets of Castle in Los Angeles.
She is really nice. I get to
spend a great deal of time
with Stana. So it is actually
no mystery that we are able
to work together, but Molly
and I dont get to spend that
much time together.
This episode, weve been
together every day. I dont
CM
YK

have the time to visit people

on the show who are not on
sets. Two weeks ago, I had
dinner with Susan Sullivan
(she plays Castles mother, as
Martha Rodgers); it is the
first time I saw her in ages
because she hadnt been on
the show very much So it is
really an effort to go to hang
out with people. This week, I
finally got to hang out with
Molly and it was nice.
Molly, who practically
grew up on set, echoes
Nathan when she says, The
first thing I think about when
people ask what has it been
like growing up here, is how
wonderful the crew and the
cast have been to me. I think
a lot of children, when they
start out in entertainment,
have really bad experiences
because the crew is a little

salty. I think how we

communicated with each
other and how that
translated to the screen
really influenced our
success.
When asked to comment
on the direction the story
would take now that Richard
and Kate are married,
Nathan says: I would take a
wild stab they would now
have to start dealing with
things that married couples
have to deal with. I guess
speaking from the
perspective of the single guy,
when I am dating someone, I
have to remember that I have
to include them in my
decision-making process I
am just guessing. This is
really not my department.
On the mystery of Castles
disappearance before his

wedding, Nathan says:

Without spoiling too much,
we get into that a little bit
before the end of Season 7.
We start to discover at least
where he was and the kind of
things he was doing and why
he was there. We havent
accounted for the entire
two-month span that he was
gone.
Though Nathan plays a
mystery writer in Castle, he
says his all-time favourite
books apart from the Game
of Thrones series is Max
Brooks World War Z.
Ive read it four times. I
get nightmares every time I
read it and I wont stop
reading it; what does that tell
you? I have not had a lot of
time to read in the last seven
years. But I was reading a lot
of Robert Parker, a lot of his

Spencer novels. And since

then, not a lot of mystery. As
Castle, Nathan got to play
poker with popular mystery
writers. Nathan describes the
experience as a lot of fun. I
am trying to remember
which one of them said it. It
might have been Connelly
who said, as an actor I am a
great mystery writer!
Saying the poker games
lent realism to the idea that
Castle is a mystery writer
himself, the 44-year-old said,
When you play this mystery
writer on TV and you bring
these popular writers in, you

September, 2013 (in which

over one lakh people
assembled and after which
the violence erupted) took
place when Section 144 had
been announced. Clearly, the
SP government had overseen
several small riots, and they
didnt expect this one to
become so big either. They
evidently wanted the
polarisation to build and
were hoping to consolidate
Muslim votes . This riot went
out of their control.
Did you go into the shoot
with full understanding of
how the documentary will
shape up?
No, the events were
constantly unfolding before
us. Though, I did have a sense
of how the gender and caste
politics had played out, but
several other issues were
revealed to us over the
several months of staying
there. We were often asked to
switch off our cameras.
There is a scene where
Sangeet Som, BJP MLA, tells
us to switch off our cameras
while hes addressing an
election rally . However,
what came to us as a
complete surprise was when
Amit Shah came to make a
speech at Shamli during the
election campaign. Till then,
it was the local BJP
leadership that was making
the vitriolic speeches. It was
distressing. And only our
crew consisted of people who
were clearly not from the
area in that meeting. That
made us very vulnerable at
times.
Also, what struck me was
the empathy with which
economically backward
Muslims and Dalits spoke of
each others pain and
suffering. How they were
both at the receiving end of

hang out with them and they

all talk to Castle like he is a
real mystery writer; it lends a
lot of truth to our illusion.
Having played Castle
longer than he has played
any other character, Nathan
says on the plus side, It gets
easier all the time. There is
not as much character
preparation because you
were there for all the
character building over a
period of seven years. So you
get to know the character
very well.
The downside according to
Nathan, The only thing you
miss out on when you have a
steady gig is variation. There
is a cost that comes with
getting to do different jobs all
the time. You have to try and
get those jobs. I am very fond
of saying an actors job more
than acting, is actually
looking for a job.
Watching Nathan on set,
one is struck by how similar
his personality is to Castles.
My brother sometimes gets
upset with me because he
says you are not getting paid
to act, you are getting paid to
act like yourself!
Castle Season 6-7 airs on
Star World, Monday to
Friday, starting 11 p.m. today.

the oppressive caste

structure.
Amidst the polarised
atmosphere, Naujawan
Bharat Sabha brings in the
flicker of hope. Have you
overemphasised their
role?
Their organisation also has
work in areas around Delhi.
They had screened
Izzatnagari Ki Asabhya
Betiyaan in working class
area a couple of years back .
Thats how I met them and
later discovered that they
also had worked in areas in
Western Uttar Pradesh.
When I saw them working in
these riot stricken areas, I
was very impressed by their
courage and the
interventions, however
small, that they were making.
How could the film ignore
them? Naujawan Bharat
Sabha, in the film, represents
more than just the
organisation. It represents a
progressive idealism that,
however small, keeps the
resistance against oppression
alive. In fact, they were even
able to stop the riots from
spreading in some villages
where they have influence.
Some might counter the
film as one sided where
editing skills have been
used to support one
particular argument.
Yes, the right wing is
expected to do that. But I
challenge them to disprove
even one fact in the film.
They talk about Love Jihad
but when you ask them to
give you examples, theyll
give you some vague names.
When you follow up on some
of the supposed Love Jihad
cases you realise that these
were all consensual
relationships and the girls
were not deceived . In fact, in
the film it is young Hindu
women who counter the
claim. Young Dalit activists
on the ground talk about how
they feel BJP is essentially a
Brahmanical, Manuwadi
party which is anti-Dalit. Of
course, I have a point of view.
But that point of view is
backed by hard evidence,
empirical facts. Also, the film
doesnt really say that the
mill owners played a role in
dividing the farmers. That
needs to be investigated. And
I wouldnt be surprised if
that is the case. But they have
certainly benefitted with
BKU splitting (on religious
lines), havent they?
Did you try to approach
the local officials and the
media for their point of
view?
We did approach the local
officials. However, they only
gave us pat answers they had
prepared for the media. Even
after greater probing, they
would either refuse to talk or
continue giving us the
official line. I didnt see the
point of including that in my

film.
As far as the role of the
media is concerned, we
werent targeting any one
journalist in particular but
the institution as a whole. If
you look at the coverage of
several reports, particularly
those around sexual violence,
from roughly six months
before the massacre, youll be
struck at how irresponsibly
they were covered. The film
even shows some of those
headlines.
What were the
challenges during the
shoot? Did you have to
hide your identity?
While there was the fear
around our security, but it
didnt amount to hiding my
identity as much as the
camera persons identity,
who is a Muslim. In fact, his
presence in the crew was a
constant reminder for us
about the degree of
polarisation in society.
But, another big challenge
was the politics of
representation. We had to be
careful to not show the
affected Muslims as just
victims. My big concern was
finding a way to preserve the
dignity of the survivors who
had lost everything. I wanted
to show them as more than
just victims, as real people.
According to you what
are the takeaways for the
society from the riots?
These riots took place
mainly in the rural areas. The
violence may have lasted a
couple of days but its impact
and the polarisation it
created is long term.
However, there is no reason
to believe that there is no
space for moderate voices.
People are already angry
with BJP in the districts.
They can see how the riots
have ruined many of them
economically. The farmers
are not getting money for
their produce. People are
already beginning to see
through the larger politics of
the riots.
How will you take the
film to the audience? Will
you take the CBFC route or
will you like to release it
directly on the Internet?
The way the government
functions is very
unfortunate. People who
make the most vitriolic
speeches from RamzaadaHaramzaada to speeches
where people are instigated
to dig out Muslim women
from their graves and rape
them are roaming around
scot-free.
Whereas people who offer
critiques of this madness
through films, plays, songs,
paintings and forms of
cultural expressions, are
made criminals. We are
taking the film to people
through private screenings
and also plan to release it on
the Internet soon.

The karma chakra

Vinod Bharathan on his first
full-length feature film
NIKHIL VARMA

openhagen-based
Indian filmmaker,
Vinod Bharathan, who
is giving the final touches to
his first full-length feature
film, Karma Cartel, ventured
into films after his superior
officer at a logistics company
liked one of the videos he had
made using his new camera.
I made an attempt to
showcase how people behave
during a meeting. My boss
liked the video and said that I
have a good eye for detail.
That spurred my interest in
making short films.
Talking about Karma
Cartel, Vinod says, It is
basically the tale of six
individuals, whose lives take
a turn in a period of three
days. There are many subplots within this premise.
The movie is set in Kerala,

but is meant for a global

audience and has received
awards in Rome and Canada.
PVR films took up this film
and will be looking after its
release in June this year.
Vinod feels that India has a
long way to go, before indie
films make it big, the success
of movies like Court and
Lucia notwithstanding.
India is choc-a-bloc with
film lobbies, with bollywood
exerting a lot of influence. I
use a bicycle example to
describe the situation. A
bicycle is considered cool in
the West, while it is not liked
much in India. Indie films
are a bit like the bicycles in
India, not appreciated
beyond a niche audience.
Karma Cartel tries to
incorporate elements of
Italian neo-realism and some
ideas from Scandinavian
filmmakers.
ND-X

FRIDAY REVIEW

IN SYNC P2

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU Friday, May 1, 2015

WORLD DANCE DAY

A window
to rasa

PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Seasoned dancer Lakshmi

Viswanathans talk was heard
with rapt attention by
connoisseurs and students
alike, says Anjana Rajan

t was good to see a

small if intense group
of classical dance
enthusiasts gather at
the India
International Centre on a hot
afternoon to hear a talk by
eminent Bharatanatyam
dancer Lakshmi
Viswanathan this past
Sunday. That this group of
serious art practitioners,
cutting across genres of
classical dance, theatre,
poetry, music and other
disciplines, as well as
students of various hues,
battled the sleep inducing
heat to be there was a
reflection of the capacity of
both the speaker and the
organisers. The event was a
part of the World Dance Day
weekend organised by Geeta
and Rajiv Chandran under
the aegis of their
organisation Natya Vriksha.

The conversational and

witty manner of the veteran
Chennai-based dancer kept
the listeners in enthusiastic
attendance. Also known as an
arts writer and author, she
comes across unencumbered
by the weight of study, and
belying the formality of the
title, Rasa in Dance:
Inspiration and
Imagination, brought alive
moments of vivid beauty in
life and art, linking the past
and the present and drawing
parallels between various
genres and languages.
Given her audiences level
of engagement with the arts,
she did not have to begin with
a search for definition of rasa,
which has been variously
explained as the essence of
experience, vicarious
experience, taste or
enjoyment in relation to a
work of art.

The phrase Rasa theory, as

she noted, sounds heavy, but
her examples and
illustrations brought out that
it is based on the sparkling
moments of experience that
linger vividly in the memory.
Having given her solo
debut in 1953, she belonged
to a generation that was not
specifically taught dance
theory, she remarked. Guru

Elappa Pillai taught her

seven varnams (complex
Bharatanatyam
compositions), and when
after the seventh, she
ventured to ask him about
the Natya Shastra she was
told, You want to know
about shastra? I am the
shastra. The gurus pithy
reply to a young disciple
exemplified the inextricable

INTERVIEW

link between practice and

theory, philosophy and life
skills, erudition and
observation, stylisation and
reality that form the core of
Indian arts.
It was only later that she
began her own readings and
also learnt Sanskrit to help in
her pursuit of the views of
the ancient writers and
commentators on the theatre

arts.
Thus, saying she didnt
claim to be Bharatamuni
number 103, she
emphasised her route to
understanding the concept of
rasa was through a process of
exposure and practice, rather
than dry research and
literary study.
Her mother Alamelu
Viswanathan was a trained

vocalist and veena player, and

the young Lakshmi learnt
music from stalwarts
including Semmangudi
Srinivasa Iyer because they
happened to be neighbours.
Recalling her own first
rasa experience, she told the
gathering she would dance as
her mother played a song on
the veena, and her parents
would take photos. Today,
she can tell by the expression
in her eyes as captured in
those photos, how deeply she
must have felt that
experience, and how smart
were her parents to recognise
the passion in such a young
child and put her in training.
Pointing out that the term
natya refers to the theatrical
art, where acting, stage
construction and design and
music get prime importance,
she said dance is a derivative
of that.
Thus placing in
perspective the art of dance,
she added, There is no rasa
without poetry. Thats why
we dancers depend on the
spoken word, which became
the sung word.
Talking of the nine rasas
love, humour, anger, sorrow,
valour, wonder, fear,
odiousness and peace she
mentioned that the Natya
Shastra listed only eight, but
since we always like to
interfere with old texts, dont
we, later commentators

Homage to legendary composers

Odissi dancer Aloka Kanungo speaks about her passion.

TAPATI CHOWDURIE

DISSECTING DANCE
Aloka Kanungo PHOTO: S.
GOPAKUMAR

inaugural function of the

Festival of India, where I
performed in front of all the
dignitaries including Indian
Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi and the Minister of
Culture, Narasimha Rao and
of course the Prime Minster
of Japan. I performed duet
with Anandi. All the famous
dancers like Pandit Birju
Maharaj), Saswati Sen,
Malvika Sarukkai, Pandit
Hariprasad Chaurasia were
there with us.
Have you
choreographed on
contemporary themes
and subjects?
I have worked on ancient

scriptures and extinct forms

with contemporary
sensibilities.
What are your thoughts
on the guru-shishya
parampara?
It is an excellent tradition,
where the guru not only
teaches the art but also
shapes the characters of his
disciples and prepare them
as guardians of the form.
This tradition is dying
because there are very less
residential teaching centres
or gurukuls. Moreover nowa-days classical dance has
lost its glamour.
People are more keen on a
stable lucrative profession. I

enjoy teaching. I believe it is

a two-way process. You learn
as you teach. I try my best to
motivate my students.
What is your vision in
dance? Dance should be an
intense feeling of joy and
happiness.My sincere advice
to the future generation is to
nurture the traditional arts
and keep it in its pristine
form for future generations.
What are some of your
memorable
choreographies?
Sthapatya Satya is very
close to my heart.
It is based on extensive
research, embellished with
Bandha Nritya an
acrobatic limb of Odissi.
Shakti is another group
choreography based on
tantra philosophy.
In this production I tried
to project again sabda nritya
and Ravan chhaya which is
getting extinct.
I used modern amenities
like power point
presentation to project
Ravan chhaya pictures and
Jantras.
I have also used few
innovative ideas like
showing Jantras with sticks,
blood and cloth.But my
innovations are always
restricted in the parameter
of tradition. Maharaas is
an Odissi Manipuri
choreography with Kalavati
Devi which is a visual treat.
Kautuk based on five
Panchatantra stories, was
also very spectacular.

G. Abilash chose compositions of Tyagaraja and Purandara Dasa

in his vocal concert.
RENDITION
VENKATESAN SRIKANTH
SOULFUL
G. Abilash performing at
the festival

hennai-based
musician G. Abilash
gave an impressive
vocal concert on the first day
of the two-day Purandara
Dasa Tyagaraja Music
Festival organised by the
Ramakrishnapuram South
Indian Society and the India
International Centre,
recently in the Capital.
At the outset, the efforts of
the two organisations for
conducting a festival
dedicated to Purandara Dasa
and Tyagaraja, the legendary
composers, are laudable.
Young Abilash chose the
compositions of these
composers throughout his
concert and did complete
justice to the title of the
festival.
After reciting a short verse
on Lord Dakshinamurty in
the form of a virutam,
Abilash embarked upon to
sing Tyagarajas Tulasi
dalamulache in the raga
Mayamalava Goula in a
somewhat detailed manner.
The neraval of the phrase
Sarasiruha punnaga
campaka patala kuruvaka
and the subsequent
kalpanaswaras for this first
piece itself was indicative of
Abilashs creative talents
even at the early stage of his
recital.
Abilash then sang
Purandara Dasars
Ramanama payasake in
raga Ananda Bhairavi in an
emotive manner bringing the

lyrical values to the fore. He

moved once again to take up
a composition for detailed
rendition. Tyagarajas
Ramanannu brovara in the
raga Harikambhoji was
preceded by a fine alapana of
the raga in which he brought
to fore the features of the
raga and ended with detailed
kalpanaswaras rich in
creativity. He sang the fast
paced Tyagarajas Telisi
ramachintanato in the raga
Purnachandrika very
impressively. Abilashs
central item was Purandara
Dasas Nambi
Kettavarillavo in the raga
Kalyani, in which he
presented the raga alapana,
neraval of the phrase
Garuda gamana sree
purandara vithalana and the
kalpanaswaras.
Delhi-based V.S.K.
Chakrapani on the violin,
Kumbakonam N.
Padmanabhan on the

mridangam and N. Hari

Narayanan on ghatam
provided excellent support to
the youngster and
contributed significantly
throughout the concert.
Chakrapanis delineation of
the ragas Harikambhoji and
Kalyani were delightful. The
percussion support of
Padmanabhan and Hari
Narayanan was riveting and
the duo played an enjoyable
tani avartanam in the Misra
chappu tala.
Elsewhere at the
auditorium of Andhra
Pradesh Bhavan, though the
concert started after
considerable delay and long
inaugural ceremony,
seasoned Chennai-based
artist Neyveli
Santhanagopalan regaled
music lovers of the Capital
with his vocal concert.
The concert was held
under the aegis of Andhra
Cultural and Welfare Society

The rhyme and rhythm of criticism

Noted critic Leela Venkataramans book Indian Classical Dance:
The Renaissance and Beyond was released on World Dance Day.

he annual World
Dance Day (WDD)
celebration of Geeta
Chandrans Natyavriksha,
in collaboration with India
International Centre (IIC)
and the Ministry of Culture
held at the IIC auditorium,
offered a book launch, film
screening, talks and
discussion on the subject of
dance touching aspects
that have remained integral
to the classical arts, along
with their annual young
dancers festival. The
inaugural day opened with
the launch of Leela
Venkataramans book
Indian Classical Dance:
The Renaissance and
Beyond. The book release
CM
YK

function was organized

jointly by Geeta and the
Niyogi Books, the publisher.
Leela Venkataraman, a
regular contributor to dance
journals since 1989, is a
prolific writer who has
authored several books. Her
work and contribution have
earned her the prestigious
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award. The book Indian
Classical Dance: The
Renaissance and Beyond
traces the journey of
evolution of Indian classical
dance since the years of
independence to the
present day covering the
eight classical dance forms
Bharatnatyam, Kathak,
Kuchipudi, Kathakali,
Manipuri, Mohiniattam,
Odissi and Sattriya. Leela

seamlessly weaves together

the historical aspect along
with the contemporary
scenario, looking at the
changes in perspective and
presentation of Indian
classical dance.
Erudite scholars and
Gurus like Dr. Kapila
Vatsyaayan, Guru Singhjeet
Singh, Guru Jamuna
Krishnan, Pavan Varma,
Lakshmi Viswanathan and
Shanta Sarbjeet Singh
adorned the dais to unveil
the book along with Leela
and publisher Bikash
Niyogi. Speaking on the
occasion Dr. Vatsyaayan
joked, Is Indian classical
dance possible in English
only?, and then
ongratulated Leela on the
book. She then explained

that, as the name suggests,

the book is divided in two
sections. It is a narration in
time bound frame within a
certain context. It goes
beyond the description of
medium of the art that is
human body.
Pointing out the
mediocrity that is creeping
into classical dance, Pavan
Varma emphasized that
classical dance is not instant
coffee, it is a sadhana. He
praised critics like Leela for
guarding it through their
critical point of view,
insight, knowledge and
commentary. Singh
narrated the tale of twin
sister critics born on same
day, same year and under
the same raashi one in
Punjab and the other in

and the vocalist chose

predominantly Tyagarajas
compositions for renditions.
Santhanagopalan started his
concert with an adi tala
varnam in the raga Mohanam
in one speed only but a faster
one. The fast paced
kalpanaswaras towards the
end added briskness to his
proceedings.
Apart from singing
Tyagarajas Ramabhakti
samrajyame in raga
Suddhabangala, the fast
paced Sara sama dana in
raga Kapinarayani, Endaro
mahanubhavulu, the fifth
Pancharatna kriti in Sree
raga, and Dasarathi
nirunamu in raga Todi,
Santhanagopalan also took
up the legendary saints
Gnana mosaga rada in the
raga Poorvikalyani for
detailed renditions with
neraval of a phrase and
kalpanaswaras.
Muthuswami Dikshidars
Anandaamruta karshini in
raga Amrutavarshini was the
central item of the recital.
VSK Chakrapani on the
violin and P. Jayabhaskar on
the mridangam provided
good support to
Santhanagopalan. While
Chakrapanis take of the
ragas Poorvikalyani and
Amrutavarshini was
delightful, the taniavartanam
of the percussionist in the
Adi Tala was engaging.

Labour
of love

EVENT

MANJARI SINHA

added the ninth, shanta or

peace.
Shringar or love is known
as the king of rasas, said the
speaker, because of its
immense scope.
It is the rasa of beauty
and can make you respond
with every part of your body,
she said, and threw in, I
violently disagree. It is the
queen of rasas.
Quoting metaphors from
ancient texts that tell us how
close to nature the writers
were, she also hinted at the
complacency that has set in
over the last two centuries or
more.
The 19th and 20th
centuries have been very
disappointing. No new
shastras have been written,
she said, contrasting this lack
with the major developments
that have taken place in the
practice of dance.
The stimulating lecture
was followed up with a short
dance performance during
which the speaker allowed
her dance to do the talking.
With April 29, the day
demarcated by Unesco to
celebrate the artistic and
social value of dance, getting
busier and busier, Natya
Vriksha is among those
bodies that have started
shifting their dates, ensuring
that a single day does not get
clogged with events, and in
the process making it
possible to pull in audiences.
Punctuating performances
by young dancers with the
intimate lecture by Lakshmi
Viswanathan was a fine
tribute to the art.

MUSIC

Dance for happiness

loka Kanungo, a
well-known disciple
of Guru Kelucharan
Mohapatra, is not just a
dancer. She is a
choreographer, teacher and
scholar as well. On the
occasion of Shradhanjali
the annual dance festival
organised by her in the
memory of her gurus
Raghunath Dutta and
Kelucharan Mohapatra, we
spoke to the Kolkata-based
dancer. Here are some
excerpts from the interview.
Did dance happen to
you by chance or was it a
deliberate choice?
I grew up in a very
cultural atmosphere, in my
maternal grandfathers
house, where I started to
dance from the age of three.
I was also into acting and
was a child artiste in many
dramas. I was also an artiste
of All India Radio Cuttack.
What were some of
your memorable
performances?
In 1971 I danced at Tarun
Kalakar Samaroha held at
Sapru House, New Delhi. It
was memorable, because it
was organised by Sangeet
Natak Akademi. My dance
was noticed by Shri Jivan
Pani and Prof. Mohan
Khokar. 1986 was a lucky
year for me because I got to
dance at Khajuraho and I
also got Shiromoni award
from Asian Paints. But my
most memorable
performance was in 1988
with Guru Kelucharan
Mohapatra for the

SPELLBOUND
Lakshmi Viswanathan
at India International
Centre in New Delhi.

Ranjana
Gauhar
presents her
young dancers

South India, referring to

Shanta Sarbjeet Singh and
Leela Venkatraman. He
confessed that apart their
criticism helped him grow.
Lakshmi Vishwanathan,
who herself has authored
many books on dance,
remarked that the written
work is important and
pointed out that Leela was
married into a family of
great writers so it was
inevitable that she would
emerge as one. Shanta

Sarbjeet Singh further

added I not only share the
same date, year and raashi
of with Leela but also the
same concern about art in a
world where everything is
measured in terms of money
and economic power.
Speaking on the occasion,
Leela said, Dr. Kapila
Vatsyaayan has provided me
the glue of understanding
through her books that gave
me an idea of how all the
subjects are correlated.

At the book launch.

This book has been

tremendous hard work for
me. Many people may not
agree to certain
assessments that I have
reached.
What was inward looking
has become exhibitionism.
Change is inevitable but you
have to immerse yourself
wholeheartedly into
classical music and dance to
make a mark.

Noted Odissi exponent

Ranjana Gauhar is
celebrating the completion of
28 years of her organisation
Utsav. This Sunday she
places before the public the
fruit of her teaching work in
New Delhi , as Utsav presents
the Festival of Young
Dancers: Su-Tarang 2015.
The programme features a
large number of disciples of
Ranjana Gauhar.
Festival of Young
Dancers: Su-Tarang 2015,
May 3, Kamani
auditorium, Copernicus
Marg, New Delhi, 7 p.m.
ND-X

FRIDAY REVIEW

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THE HINDU Friday, May 1, 2015

History beyond black and white

K.S. Rajendrans Aurangzeb brings alive the rough edges of our past,
writes Swati Daftuar

ndira Parthasarthy
wrote Aurangzeb
in 1974 and his
script used material
from Sir Jadunath
Sarkars volumes on
Aurangzeb. Its been four
decades since then, and
there have been new
discoveries; more facts and
information on the Mughal
period uncovered by
scholars and historians. Its
interesting then, how
relevant the play still
remains, and how it
becomes, now, a study of
ideas, ideology and
psychology that almost
entirely transcends the
narrower ambit of date and
time.
Directed by K. S.
Rajendran and featuring
Mahendra Mewati as the
titular character,
Aurangzeb is a study of
human ambition, power
and aspiration, revolving
around the war of
succession that broke out
between Shah Jahans sons.
It is both a symbol and a
catalyst. As both Dara
Shikoh and Aurangzeb
emerge as the front runners
for the thrown, the clashes
become more and more
pronounced, and their
ideological stands clash,
dividing both loyalties and
opinions.
While Dara Shikoh
imagines a secular,
pluralistic nation,
Aurangzeb has plans to
establish a fundamentalist
Islamic state. Their father,
who has already placed his
loyalties with Dara Shikoh,
lives in a world populated
with dreams of a black
marble mahal for himself,
built on the other side of
the Yamuna from Mumtazs
Taj Mahal.
History books find it
easier to paint in black and
white, and attach qualities
to historical figures that are
hard to shake off. And so,

SHAFEY KIDWAI

SHAKING OFF THE STEREOTYPES A scene from a production of Aurangzeb; (below) Indira Parthasarthy.
The play builds on multiple threads, creating
well rounded characters who are believable,
almost familiar, despite their place in history.
It debates Aurangzebs dream of one nation,
one language, one religion, and it also throws
light on the possibilities of Dara Shikoh's
vision of a secular nation.

one of the most important

triumphs of the play is the
ease with which it portrays
human nature, in all its
gray, uncertain tones.
Mewatis Aurangzeb is
stringent and confident,
but also displays a severe
lack of trust, his suspicions
about spies and traitors

leaking into every move he

makes. Shah Jahans
gentle, aesthetically
inclined, almost
grandfatherly nature masks
a deep selfish vein, his
self-indulgence and
irrationality a bane upon
his already warring sons.
He is ill and weak, and
cannot disengage from the
dreams hes woven to live

in the present. Shah

Jahans world is in the
past, and he still resides
there.
Dara Shikoh too is a
fraught character, a
philosopher more than a
statesman, a man who can
envision the future but
cannot be pragmatic
enough to handle the
present.

The play builds on

multiple threads, creating
well rounded characters
who are believable, almost
familiar, despite their place
in history. It debates
Aurangzebs dream of one
nation, one language, one
religion, and it also throws
light on the possibilities of
Dara Shikoh's vision of a
secular nation.
While its content lays
emphasis on the universal
theme of human
psychology, Rajendran's
play is also true to its
context.
With costumes and sets
that ring true and
dialogues that paint the
period well, the entire
ambience the play creates
is authentic.

Komagata Maru-1914-Ik Zakhmi Parwaz relives the pain of one of the darkest
chapters of imperialism.
DIWAN SINGH BAJELI

CM
YK

For the poet in every

second man
There is much that is right with our world. For
proof just read Leela Dhar Jaguri.

The wound that rankles

he brutal violation of
fundamental human
rights of passengers
on board Komagata Maru
en route to Vancouver,
Canada in 1914 became the
rallying point of patriotic
forces to struggle against
the British in India. The
tragic incident represents
the darkest face of
imperialism in the early
20th Century. It is
heartening to watch
Komagata Maru-1914-Ik
Zakhmi Parwaz which was
presented by Punjabi
University, Patiala this past
week at Shri Ram Centre.
As a part of the centenary
celebration of Komagata
Maru, the stage enactment
of the suffering, struggle for
survival and finally their
growing political
consciousness to confront
the monstrous forces of
imperialism is one of the
most inspiring pieces of
theatrical art seeking to
enact history on the stage in
recent years.
Directed by Prof. Jaspal
Kaur Deol with remarkable
ingenuity, she gives the
production a revolutionary
interpretation, ensuring the
gradual transformation of
simple people going to
Canada to work into a
fearless force to confront
their mighty tormentors.
Prof. Deols production is
not a mere enactment of
facts of history but it is a
work of art that absorbs the
attention of the audience
from start to the close.
Gradually, the dramatic
thrust keeps on
intensifying. The
passengers facing the
ordeal, start resisting their
oppressors. On reaching the
Vancouver harbour, the
authorities refuse the
passengers to disembark
and the ship remained
anchored for two months.
The starving passengers are
not provided with drinking
water and food. Outside, the
Indian patriotic forces are

GOING NATIVE

uniting themselves to fight

for the human rights of these
passengers, legally and
politically. The passengers
are humiliated and branded
as revolutionaries and
sympathisers of the Ghadar
Party.
Finally, the ship is
ordered to leave for India
under the threats of bullets,
with passengers retaliating
with coal and materials kept
on the ship. To avenge their
insults and denial of human
rights to survive, some
Indians killed their British
and Canadian immigration
officers. The climactic scene
is unfolded in Kolkata where
the majority of emasculated
passengers are butchered
and only a few could manage
to escape.
The message of the
production is clear and
loud-only citizens of a free
country are able to live with
dignity and hence the
enslaved people of the world
unite to over throw their
alien rulers to attain
freedom.
The play is written by
Gurpreet Singh Ratol after
undertaking a great deal of
research in collaboration
with the director who took
nearly five months to
produce the play with

student cast. The playwright

also attended these
marathon rehearsals and
made the required necessary
changes as suggested by the
director and the cast. In fact,
there have been several
attempts to stage this saga
on the stage in the past. Ali
Kazimi's feature
documentary Continuous
Journey has won several
awards. It is time Komagata
Maru should be treated as a
symbol of enslaved peoples
struggle to protect their
honour being ruthlessly
trampled on by heartless
colonial powers. I
n the words of Ghadar
Party leader Sohan Singh
Josh, This was an earliest
chapter our freedom history
written with blood.
The action mostly takes
place on the ship. The set

designed by the director

consists of minimal
structure to reflect the right
ambience symbolically. On
the upstage there is a raised
platform with ramps and
steps to enable performers
move freely from one locale
to another and at the same
time to provide the audience
with a clear view of the vital
dramatic scenes.
To unfold the narrative,
the director has adopted the
device of conversation
between the writer and
Gurdit Singh, the
protagonist of the play and a
rich Sikh who chartered the
ship Komagata Maru to
carry people from Punjab to
work in Canada.
The audience watch the
unfolding of the events on
the ship through the eyes of
Gurdit Singh. As far as stage

As a part of the centenary celebration of

Komagata Maru, the stage enactment of the
suffering, struggle for survival and finally
their growing political consciousness to
confront the monstrous forces of
imperialism is one of the most inspiring
pieces of theatrical art seeking to enact
history on the stage in recent years.

INTENSE MOMENTS A
scene from the play.

properties are concerned

there are three flags
representing three
communities Sikhs,
Muslims and Hindus on
board and Kesari Nishan
Sahib is hosted on one side,
symbolising communal
harmony.
Music score by Gurjeet
Singh play an important role
in the production. The
opening lyric is written by
the playwright himself who
begins Ik Zakhmi Parwaz,
Masoomo Ki Awaz Hai. The
production concludes with
the same lyric rendered by
the chorus. Folk songs and
Gurbani Gayan are rendered
at dramatically tense
moments to enhance
dramatic impact.
Set to heroic tunes, these
songs become the source of
determination of the
oppressed to challenge their
oppressors.
Such oppression raises
the ordinary peoples
suffering and death to the
stature of martyrdom-this
heroic power inherent of the
common man in the
moments of crisis is brought
alive on the stage with force.
Now in the centenary
celebration year of the
Komagata Maru, the
production should be staged
in different parts of the
country to acquaint new
generation with one of our
chapters from freedom
history written with blood.
The large cast of students
of the department of theatre
and television of the Punjabi
University, Patiala give
spirited performances, truly
living their characters
passing through crisis of
their very survival. Sandeep
Singh as Gurdit Singh, the
protagonist, gives an
outstanding performance,
making desperate efforts to
protect his passengers from
the heartless and racist
colonial oppressors.

ords, once known

for their obstinacy
with ideas of
sublimity, purity, aesthetic
sensitivity and tranquillity
of several emotions, now are
used even by exponents of
creative dexterity for
painting trivialities of life as
whiter than white.
Superabundance of words
gets on ones nerve and
there is a multitude of
words that say nothing. In a
world where profuselyillustrated text has gained
acceptability, people always
look for rib-tickling fun and
words not layered with any
complexity are much in
demand and this leaves
many wordsmiths
exasperated. Widespread
putrefaction of word is
meticulously articulated by
eminent Hindu poet Leela
Dhar Jaguri in his latest
poems and perceptive
introduction which
appeared recently.
He is clearly miffed at the
tendency of using words
that are intended to subvert
their meaning. Words no
longer betray a close affinity
with several emotional ties
that constitute what human
life is all about.
Leela Dhar Jaguri, a
Sahitya Akademi awardee in
his introduction, On the
doorstep of poetry, regrets
that words are hardly used
to map the terrain of human
consciousness. The march
of globalisation and neocapitalism has completely
altered dialectics of life and
even literature is being used
as a recipe for stagnation
and corruption. For Jaguri,
principles, ideologies and
rationalism have deserted
us and money power has
emerged as the most
significant ethical force
which is downright
harrowing as it will fill the
whole world with dread. It
is time for introspection
and we need genuine and
forthright words. We
continue to falter and

WELL DESERVED Leela Dhar Jaguri with

APJ
Abdul Kalam.

constant privation on this

count will lead us nowhere.
This can only be achieved if
we look for an alternative to
what the contemporary
society offers, Leela Dhar
Jaguri eloquently
delineates.
What is the relevance of
poetry and why do we need
to go beyond entertainment
dished out by the comedy
circus? Turning to these
questions, he makes a
strong plea for poetry as
whenever an event worth
remembering takes place
one recalls an old poem or it
paves the way for a new
poem. It is the domain of
poetry to acquaint man with
what he tends to forget.
Poetry wipes out the
miasma of opulence that
takes a heavy toll on the
creativity of man. Quest for
worldly affairs hardly
enables us to fathom what
the good poetry suggests:
poetry caters to elemental
emotional need and it
requires no formulated
phrase or visible label.
Collapse of language does
result in new words and
their music can be made
audible by poets as they
juxtapose new experiences
with little known words and
music.
Explaining the emotional
outlay of his poetry, the
accomplished poet says that

he composes poetry because

he wants his soul to be a
part of universal
consciousness. For Octavo
Pazz every reader is the
second poet and Jaguri
strives for creating an urge
for poetry in the mind of his
reader and he never writes
poems on the demand of the
reader.
This brilliant
introduction aside,
Samkaleen Bhartiya
Sahitya, a reputed quarterly
of Sahitya Akademi in its
recent issue carried his five
poems that clearly manifest
his ability to produce a
creative antithesis of the
dominant poetic discourse
that always harps on
fragmentation and
subversion. His poems
portray grim situation and
sometime seem despondent
with marked flirtation with
hope. His creative world is
not a microcosm of all our
wickedness and dirty
thoughts. Both meditative
and spontaneous methods
of exploring a new
possibility of lived reality
with a certain rigour
deserve appreciation and
his poems do not perpetuate
the stereotype that not
much seems going right in
the world today. His poems
can never be reckoned as
regurgitation of the
stalwarts of Hindi poetry.

Singing praises
Sujit Sanyal, a soft skills trainer and an admirer
of Pandi Ravi Shankar, pays tribute to the legend.
DHANANJAY ATREAYA

egendary musician
Pandit Ravi Shankar is
still alive in the hearts
of his fans. As he said in his
books, he never liked the
style of American musicians
and singers, who broke their
instruments after the show
or made love to their guitars.
Yet he played at concerts
across the world and people
enjoyed his music and loved
him wherever he went. Sujit
Sanyal, a soft skills trainer
and an admirer of Pandit
Ravi Shankar paid tribute to
the legend sharing incidents
from the musicians life.
The first reason why I
made this video on Pandit
Ravi Shankar is because I am
a Bengali and he is someone
that all Bengalis are proud of.
The second reason was that
when I saw his concert for
the first time in 1964 in
Kolkata, something
happened and I became fida
on Pandit Ravi Shankar.
Since then, I have been
following him in his concerts
and collecting information
about him. Not only his
music but books, articles and
videos as well, reveals
Sanyal. He runs Sujit Sanyal
workshops, a training clinic
on soft skills on the art of
presentations, leadership
values, intellectual grooming
and brand communication.
The video titled
Remembering Ravi
Shankar took the viewers to
the time when the musician
started his career. The video
was a collection of songs,
short-videos and pictures of
the artist with Baba
Allauddin Khan, Alla Rakha,
George Harrisson and

IN THE MEMORY OF THE MAESTRO Sujit Sanyal

Satyajit Ray among others.
There was this time when
Marie Dressler wanted to
adopt Ravi Shankar and even
he wanted to be adopted. He
believed that this could give
him a chance in Hollywood.
But thankfully she couldnt
because his parents didn't
allow that to happen, says
Sanyal.
At the age of 10, Ravi
Shankar was a part of his
brother, Uday Shankar's
ballet group which

performed in Paris, Europe

and other parts of the world.
He used to dance and also he
learned to play instruments
during this time. Sanyal gives
credit to his son who helped
him to do the video editing.
Sanyal shared his study
about the artist and his
achievements. In 1971,
Pandit Ravi Shankar took the
initiative to organize the A
Concert for Bangladesh
during the civil war. That was
one of the major reasons why
every newspaper in
Bangladesh had full page
news about his death. I
remember I was in
Chittagong in Bangladesh
that time with my wife, he
said.
The show was hosted by
the Oxford Bookstore,
Connaught Place in
association with Delhi Diary
magazine on April 23, 2015.
I have a 90-minute video
which I present usually. My
son has helped me a lot for
this one. We spent hours
editing this together to make
it a 30-minute video, shares
Sanyal.
ND-X

FRIDAY REVIEW

MIXED BAG P4

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THE HINDU Friday, May 1, 2015

QUICK FIVE

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Close to real

Amir Garib (1974)

DHANANJAY ATREAYA

ohan
Kumars
Amir
Garib
brings to
fore the age difference
between the male and
female leads in Hindi films.
Here one gets to see a 50plus Dev romancing Hema
Malini almost half his age.
What is amazing is the
continuation of this
phenomenon in the present
age. Despite changes in
public taste and the type of
films being made one still
gets to see likes of Salman
Khan and Shah Rukh Khan
among others being cast
opposite much younger
heroines.
Besides this Amir Garib
occupies a significant point
on Dev Anands career
graph. It was one of the last
films made outside Anands
Navketan banner in which
he acted and wielded the
baton. Also, after the
phenomenal success of
Hare Rama Hare Krishna
in 1971, in which he directed
and acted, his career
witnessed a steady
downward trend. Amir
Garib was probably one of
the last, if not the last, film
to have done good business
at box-office.
Here, Anands acting style
looks jaded and outdated,
with the same mannerisms
which catapulted him to the
top echelons of stardom,
seeming a bit tedious and
tiresome especially with his
pairing with a fresh faced
and effervescent Hema
Malini. She with her
beautiful screen presence

FOR A CAUSE Hema Malini, Prem Nath and Dev

Anand
played the main parts in Amir Garib; a
still from the film.

does a commendable job,

despite her limited
histrionic prowess. The film
certainly benefitted from
Johnny Mera Naam
released in 1970, in which
Hema Malini was cast for
the first time opposite Dev
Anand and which did
exceptional business at the
box-office. Seasoned
watchers felt that though
not launched by Anand,
Hema Malinis career
moved upward considerably
because of Johnny Mera
Naam.
Die-hard fans of Dev
Anand have a lot to cheer in
the film, in which he holds
centre stage playing a the
character of a modern day
Robin Hood. The film starts
with Mumbai police officials
deliberating how to crack a
spate of robberies targeting
the rich in the city by a
masked thief called Bagula
Bhagat. Inspector Anand

(Sujeet Kumar) is given

charge of the case.
Meanwhile, one gets to
see musician and singer,
Manmohan, alias Moni,
working in a hotel owned by
Seth Daulatram (Premnath
in his trademark acting
style, suave and polished
dialogue delivery) who is
pursued by Sunita aka Soni,
a pickpocket, who lives with
her foster mother
(Sulochana). In fact Sunitas
rich businessman father
Genre: Social drama
Director: Mohan Kumar
Cast: Dev Anand, Hema
Malini, Prem Nath, Ranjeet,
Sujit Kumar, Sulochana,
Birbal, Mohan Chhoti
Screenplay and story: K.A.
Narayan
Dialogue: Ehsan Rizvi
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Music director: LaxmikantPyarelal
Box office status: Hit

died when he was duped by

his treacherous manager,
Daulatram.
Actually, Bagula Bhagat is
Moni in disguise, whose
informers (including Birbal
and Tuntun) garner
information about the
misdeeds of unscrupulous
traders and businessmen.
These then become the
target of Bagula Bhagat, who
robs them of their riches
only to distribute among the
poor and the needy. Monis
heart beats for the ill
trodden after a childhood
incident, in which his
grandfather was killed by a
ruthless landowner, who
not only belittles him for his
poverty, and mocks him
about Monis mother having
been duped by a rich man.
After a series of
incidents-some interesting,
others outright boring and
outlandish (like Anand
acting as a hypnotist), Moni

and Soni agree to teach Seth

Daulatram a lesson for his
misdeeds. But before that,
Moni comes to know that
Sonis foster mother is
actually his mother and that
inspector Sujeet Kumar is
the fianc of his foster
sister. The film ends after a
courtroom drama, in which
the judge tries Bagula
Bhagat for his
misdemeanours. Does the
judge take a lenient view of
Monis plea for rights of the
poor? Or is he delivered a
harsh punishment?
Whatever the final
denouement, the audience
is bedevilled with a lot of
confusion due to the
plethora of tracks and sub
tracks making the story a
meandering rigmarole of
close to two and a half
hours. Several minutes and
some characters like that of
Tanuja in a cameo as

Ranjeets sister, who

himself has nothing much to
do other than get repeatedly
slapped) could have been
chopped to make the script
(written by KA Narayan)
taut and job of editing by
Pratap Bhatt and Pratap
Dave that much easier.
Music by LaxmikantPyarelal, set to lyrics by
Anand Bakshi, is good,
especially the hummable
Kishore Kumar-Lata
Mangeshkar duet, Soni aur
Moni ki hai jodi ajeeb and
the Kishore Kumar solo
Main aaya hoon.
However, Mohan Kumar,
who contributed to cinema
with films such as Anpadh,
Avtaar and Aap Aaye
Bahar Aayi could have
certainly offered a better
film.
APS MALHOTRA

TELLING VOICES

How he got his name

On a TED talk Kailash Satyarthi, the winner of Nobel Peace Prize of 2014, speaks about his
initiation to fight against social evils. Sudhamahi Regunathan reports...

hen I was 11,

seeing some of
my friends
leaving school because their
parents could not afford
textbooks made me angry.
When I was 27, hearing the
plight of a desperate slave
father whose daughter was
about to be sold to a brothel
made me angry. At the age of
50, lying on the street, in a
pool of blood, along with my
own son, made me angry
for centuries we were taught
anger is bad. Our parents,
teachers, priests everyone
taught us how to control and
suppress our anger. But I ask
why? Why cant we convert
our anger for the larger good
of society? Why cant we use
our anger to challenge and
change the evils of the world?
That I tried to do, says
Kailash Satyarthi on TED
talks and begins to tell his
story.
The recipient of the Nobel
Peace Award says, I had
been a big admirer of
Mahatma Gandhi since my
childhood. Gandhi fought
and led Indias freedom
movement when I was 15
an idea came to my mind.
I was very impressed with
the leaders of my town who

were speaking very highly

against the caste system and
untouchability and talking of
Gandhian ideals. So, inspired
by thatI went to some
low-caste, so-called
untouchable, people, tried to
convince them Satyarthi
wanted them to cook and
invite the leaders of the
village to partake of the food.
Continues Satyarthi,
They said, No, no. Its not
possible. It has never
happened. My friends and I
took our bicycles and went to
invite political leaders. And I
was so thrilled, rather,
empowered to see that each
one of them agreed to come. I
thought, Great idea. We can
set an example. We can bring
about change in the society.
The day has come. All these
untouchables, three women
and two men, they agreed to
come. I could recall that they

I was barred from

entering into my own
kitchen and my own
dining room, my utensils
were separated
Z

had used the best of their

clothes. They brought new
utensils. They had taken
baths hundreds of times
because it was unthinkable
for them to cook for people of
the higher caste It was the
moment of change. They
gathered. Food was cooked.
It was 7 oclock8 oclock, we
kept on waiting, because it is
not very uncommon that the
leaders become late, for an
hour or so. After 8 oclock, we
went to these leaders homes,
just to remind them. One of
the leaders wives told me,
Sorry, he is having some
headache, perhaps he cannot
come. I went to another
leader and his wife told me,
Okay, you go, he will
definitely join. So I thought
that the dinner will take
place, though not at that
large a scale.but none of the
leaders showed up.
Satyarthi partook of the
food. I came back home, a
little after midnight, shocked
to see that several high-caste
elderly people were sitting in
my courtyard. I saw my
mother and elderly women
were crying and they were
pleading to these elderly
people because they had
threatened to outcaste my

whole family. Somehow they

agreed to punish only me,
and the punishment was
purification. That means I
had to go to the river Ganges
to take a holy dip. And after
that, I should organize a feast
for priests, 101 priests, wash
their feet and drink that
water. It was total nonsense,
and I refused to accept that
punishment.
Satyarthi continues to say
they did punish him, I was
barred from entering into my
own kitchen and my own
dining room, my utensils
were separatedthe night
when I was angry, they
wanted to outcaste me. But I
decided to outcaste the
entire caste systemAnd that
was possible. The beginning
would have been to change
the family name, or surname,
because in India, most of the
family names are caste
names. So I decided to drop
my name. And then, later on,
I gave a new name to myself:
Satyarthi, that means, seeker
of truth.
sudhamahi@gmail.com

fter receiving
appreciation for
essaying the role of
Raghuvendra Pratap Rathore
in the serial Uttaran which
wound up in January, actor
Gaurav Chopra will be back
on television with his new
show Gulmohar Grand. In
this he essays the role of
Anirudh Dutta, Managing
Director of a five-star hotel
Gulmohar Grand. The 26
episode television show will
be aired every Sunday on Star
Plus and is a family drama
highlighting the glamorous
world of five star hotels. Each
episode will feature a new
guest of the hotel around
whom the story will revolve.
He has also played a
French journalist in the
much acclaimed English film
Blood Diamond, starring
Leonardo DiCaprio.
In the Capital recently for
the promotion of Gulmohar
Grand donning the dress he
appears in the serial he
shared his experience of
working in the show,
different genres and his
upcoming projects.
Excerpts from the
interview:
Tell us something about
your character Anirudh in
Gulmohar Grand.
Anirudh Dutt is the
managing director of the
hotel. He has devoted his
entire life to the hotel. He
has pretty much sacrificed
everything for the hotel. He
is basically the backbone of
whatever happens. He takes
care of the recruits. He also
takes care of the owner of the
hotel. He is a go-getter. He
smiles when faced with
problems while assuring
others main hoon na. There
is nothing filmy about him. A
very nice character to play.
So, it being relatively real is
what makes Anirudh a
challenging character to play.
He will have the dilemmas
that you or your friends will
have. That is why people will
relate to him. He is inspiring
because he stands up and
takes it to himself. But at the
same time his approach to
life is simple. I believe that
the show is beautifully
written. If you really want to
watch good television, this is
it.
What was the reason for
limiting the series to 26
episodes?
This is how the television
has been always all around
the world. There were shows
on Doordarshan which used
to end with specific number
of episodes. Before the saas-

bahu revolution, the

television was like this only.
Now people don't even
remember it. When a season
of Grey's Anatomy or
Game of Thrones comes it
is ten episodes. The reason
behind this is that, if you
watch the show and you like
it, it is going to be back with a
new season. It is another step
to get that trend back and
also to be in line with how
the television is all around
the world. According to me
it's in the same bracket as
Grey's Anatomy.
What do you plan now
after having worked in
television shows, Hindi
and English movies?
I am becoming a producer
now. It is a Marathi film. It is
a beautiful and simple story
and I thought that it should
be made. I will produce it.
Two films have been signed
as well this year. So, by next
year you shall see them. I
have also started working for
a show on Channel V called
Sadda Haq. I have done
three episodes and when you
see it, you will realize that
how randomly crazy that
character is. I have never
done anything like it before.
When you say that I am
doing these different roles, I
would say that I am just
being lucky. Somebody gets a
role for me they just call me.
I take it and just go for it.
Tell us about the
favourite character you
have played till now.
Its very difficult to choose
my favourite role. But to say
the role I enjoyed the most
till now was Abhay Singh
Ranavat. It is something that
I have never done before. In
fact, when we are shooting, I
at times went like What the
hell are we doing? He is so
complicated that I cannot
compare it with anything
that I have done before. I was
more filmy in Uttaran than
any other. He was an iconic
character. It would take me
two days to tell you what
kind of instances that I had
to face while doing that role.
Was there any character
that you have played in
reel life which wanted to
play in real life too?
It is been the other way
round. Rathore (Uttaran)
became Gaurav. Ranavat is
getting out the hidden
craziness that people don't
know that I have inside me.
My very close friends know
that I have a crazy side. So
there is no particular role
but, towards the end,
Rathore comes very close to
who I am.

Web link:
http://goo.gl/uyDlmh

GOING GREAT GUNS Gaurav Chopra

FROM THE DIARY

Manch, 20, Lodhi Institutional Area,
Lodhi Road, ND, 7 p.m. Tickets:
Rs.300, 200 and 100. Available on
bookmyshow.com

Gajendra Kumar Panda and Archita

Sahu, followed by Kuchipudi recital
by Jayarama Rao and Vanashree
and Kathak recital by Uma Sharma.
May 1, Habitat World, India Habitat
Centre, Lodhi Road, ND, 7 p.m.
onwards.

BHARATANATYAM RECITAL BY PRIYA

VENKATARAMAN'S DISCIPLES, MAY 2,
EPICENTRE, GURGAON

DANCE
Arpanam
Bharatanatyam recital by the
disciples of Priya Venkataraman.
May 2, Epicentre, Apparel House,
Sector 44, Gurgaon, 7.30 p.m.

FESTIVAL
Indian Classical
Dances

the last day of the festival

features solo Odissi recitals by
CM
YK

MUSIC
Ghazals

Puja Mehra Gupta renders

ghazals and poetry of Meer Taqi
Meer, Jigar Moradabadi, Shakeel
Badayuni, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ahmed
Faraz and Mirza Ghalib. May 1,
Amaltas Hall, India Habitat Centre,
Lodhi Road, ND, 7 p.m.

photo exhibition of Jozsef

Mesterhazi. On till May 8,
Hungarian Information and Cultural
Centre, 1A, Janpath, ND, 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. on weekdays only.

Forbidden Fruit
Zorian Cross production
presents English play written and
directed by Zorian Cross with
performance by Eesha Singh,
Himanshi Karol, Nargis Nandal
among others. May 2 and 3,
Akshara Theatre, 11-12 B, Baba
Kharak Singh Marg, ND, 6 p.m. and
8 p.m. Tickets: Rs.500 available on
bookmyshow.com

Debadhara Dance &

Music Festival
festival in memory of late Guru
Debaprasad Das featuring
Hindustani vocal recital by Pandit A.
Maheshwar Rao, followed by violin
recital by Biswajit Roychowdhury,
sarod recital by Chandrima
Majumdar, Hindustani vocal recital
by Rosey Brahma. May 2, C.D.
Deshmukh Auditorium, Main
Building, India International Centre,
40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Road,
ND, 6.30 p.m. onwards.

to 7 p.m.

Glimpses Of
Hungarian Wildlife

The Kambatta Case

POT OF GOLD, PLAY DIRECTED BY SUNIL RAWAT, MAY 2, VASUKI AUDITORIUM

THEATRE
Koi Baat Chale
Hindi romantic comedy play
directed by Ramji Bali. May 1, Shri
Ram Centre for Performing Arts, 4,
Safdar Hashmi Marg, Mandi House,
ND. First show at 4 p.m. followed by
the second show at 7.30 p.m.
Ticket: Rs.500.

Love In The Park

Akshara presents English
comedy play directed by Nisa

Shetty with actors Dhruv Shetty,

Shaily Priya Pandey, Yashna
Shetty, Ankur Anand, Vijay S.
Kumar and others. May 1, Akshara
Theatre, 11-12 B, Baba Kharak
Singh Marg, ND, 7.45 p.m. Ticket:
Rs.200.

Pot Of Gold

Saksham Theatre presents Hindi

comedy play directed by Sunil
Rawat. The cast includes
Vikramaditya, Aryan Chaudhary,
Pooja Pathak, Anubhava Dixit,
Prem Prakash, among others. May
2, Vasuki Auditorium, Lok Kala

Ruchika Theatre Group presents

Hinglish play loosely based on the
sensational Nanavati murder case
of 1959 written and directed by
Feisal Alkazi. May 2 and 3, the
Stein Auditorium, India Habitat
Centre, Lodhi Road, ND, 7 p.m.
Tickets: Rs.350, 250 and 150
available at programme desk.

VISUAL ART
Exhibition

group show of paintings by

Ambika Nanda, Kamal Nath and

Creative Six

exhibition featuring artists

Manas Ranjan Jena, Sidharth
Pansari, Sujata, Vijay Sharma,
Jitender Dangi and Sanjay
Chakraborty. On till May 7,
Creativity Art Gallery, 6, GF, Hauz
Khas Village, ND, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
GHAZALS BY PUJA MEHRA GUPTA, MAY 1, IHC

Simmi Rishi. On till May 4,

Convention Centre Foyer, IHC,
Lodhi Road, ND, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Spandan Art...Way
To Soul

part of the 3rd Spandan National

Art Festival featuring artists
including Arvind Vaidankar, Babu
Hussain, D. Dharmalingam,
Naveen Verma, P. Hanumantha
Rao, Shrikant Kumar, Sonia Kumar,
Swapnil Arvind Vaidankar among
others. On till May 5, Artizen Art
Gallery, Pearey Lal Bhavan, 2,
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, ND, 11

Kal Ke Kuch Pal

a.m. to 7 p.m.

Enlighment Of The
Buddha
an exhibition of paintings by
Prince Chand. On till May 7, Gold
Souk Mall, Block C, Sector 43,
Sushank Lok, Phase I, Gurgaon, 11
a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tales From The Soul

Marrow

solo exhibition of Vikash Kalra.

On till May 7, Art Indus, 37
Santushti Shopping Complex, Opp.
Ashok Samrat Hotel, Race Course
Road, Chanakyapuri, ND, 11 a.m.

exhibition of photographs by
Aadil Jamal. On till May 31, Delhi O
Delhi Foyer, IHC, Lodhi Road, ND,
10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Museum Of
Unknown Memories

an exhibition of Manish
Pushkales recent works depicting
his visual interpretation of past
which he has developed on paper
and canvas. On till June 6, Akar
Prakar Gallery, Hauz Khas Village,
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

ND-X