NRITYARAMBH CONCERT: A COLLAGE OF REBELLION, ROMANCE AND RABINDRA NRITYA

ARTICLE BY PARAG BISWAS

Political satire, burlesque, and banter have traditionally been very popular in Bengal.

Be it the notorious joke about a stout guard dog from East Germany narrating its plight under the totalitarian rule in its country, across the Berlin Wall, to a sick and lean hound from West Germany—hungry but happy in its democratic homeland—or the 1980 Satyajit Ray film, Hirak Rajar Deshe, in which the two magically gifted musician friends, Goopy Gayen and Bagha Bayen, help an exiled teacher overthrow a ruthless tyrant, political satire and allegory—especially against fascism, dictatorship, and authoritarian rule—have always been immensely popular in Bengal.

So, when Nrityarambh, an 18-year-old dance institute of the state, opened its two-day annual programme with Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s famous satirical dance-drama, Tasher Desh (The Land of Cards), it was readily lapped up by the large crowd gathered at the Dinabandhu Mancha in Siliguri on August 27.

Unlike modern productions of the dance-drama, which frequently incorporate regional and classical movements, including Manipuri mudras, martial Purulia Chhau steps, and contemporary Western styles, the Samaveda presentation, choreographed by the Nrityarambh supremo, Jataveda Sen, chose to stick to the original lyrical and interpretive dance language of Rabindra Nritya—the fluid dance form in which Tagore first performed the dance-drama.

Based on the original work of the maestro, in which a prince and his trader friend arrive in a land ruled by rigid cards and strict laws and inspire the people with their rebellious spirit to embrace freedom, the choreography very adeptly contrasted the stiff, two-dimensional, mechanical steps of the card characters with the free-flowing, energetic movements of the visiting prince.

The captivating presentation brought out to the full the imagination in Tagore’s masterpiece, which runs wild, and the reality that takes on a surreal twist through the use of a fantasy kingdom of playing cards to satirise societal rigidity, regimentation, and lifeless conformity.

The other production, which stole the show, was one of Tagore’s most celebrated romantic dance-dramas, Chitrangada (The Warrior Princess), which tells the story of a warrior princess who transforms herself to win Arjuna’s love, but ultimately learns to seek acceptance for her true self.

One of the most exquisite lyrical dance-dramas of Bengal, this Tagore creation, which most eloquently represents the inner conflict between societal expectations of beauty and authentic self-worth, has been performed innumerable times across the globe. But the one staged at the Dinabandhu Mancha in Siliguri on August 27 was special, as it was presented in the traditional style that Tagore had used to transform a brief episode from the Mahabharata into a profound exploration of identity, feminism, and true love.

The multi-scene drama, choreographed by Jataveda Sen and presented under the tutelage of Dr Ashmita Ghosh Adhikari and Akash Karmakar by the Bharatanatyam students of the Nrityanjali dance school in Raiganj, took the story and spirit of Tagore’s immortal work as its springboard for a full-length performance featuring a huge, talented cast, gorgeous costumes, and impressive dancing.

Though in the play Tagore chose to break away from rigid mythological tropes to champion gender equality and inner worth over physical embellishment, Sen decided to stick to the traditional form as she mesmerised the audience with her incredible choreography.

The rest of the two-day programme, the second day of which was held at a major cultural nerve-centre of northeastern India—the Cosmos Atrium in Siliguri—featured over 80 selected dancers of various age groups, as well as ten renowned groups from all over North Bengal.

The objective of the two-day dance extravaganza, Sen said, was to offer a platform to aspiring performers of Bharatanatyam, folk dance, Rabindra Nritya, Narul Nritya, Bollywood, and creative dance forms to showcase their talents.

“Our main aim was to promote and popularise both traditional and modern dancing. Our programme featured different dance forms, but our main purpose was to acquaint youngsters with our traditional dance forms and their rich heritage,” she said.

The chief guest of the programme, noted Indian philanthropist and social activist Mr Ravindra Kumar Jain, who spoke in superlatives about the dancers’ precision, alignment, footwork, and mastery of specific styles, especially Bharatanatyam, during the two-day-long programme, felt that renowned dancing schools in different parts of the country should also come up with similar shows in their respective regions.

E.O.M.