Bhawana Somaaya

Yesterday was Gurupurnima. On television all the spiritual channels were full of devotees paying obeisance to their gurus. It is a day all artistes pay tribute to their masters.

When I was working on the biography of Hema Malini, she explained that there are three kinds of gurus. The first, the teacher who imparts vidya in school days…The second, in her case a dance guru who helps her accomplish as a dancer. “I had many teachers from who I learnt dance but I revere just to as my gurus. The third is a spiritual guru who leads you through the right path of life and they come into your life only when you are ready to receive the guru…Just in the way a shishya is in search of the right guru so is a guru on the look out for the right shishya…And when that happens it is magic…”

I never believed it but was witness to a magical evening when I was invited on the Gurupurnima day for a dance recital by Pt Birju Maharaj. The emperor of Kathak nritya makes it a point to celebrate the special day with different students in different city every year. Last year it was in Mumbai.

Held at the picturesque Sardar Patel Sabhagrah in Mumbai, Kalashram Academy in association with Bhavan’s Cultural Centre, Andheri hosted a unique three-day Kathak work shop cum festival to celebrate the special day.

Titled Panch-Tatva (Five Elements), the first Paavak meaning Fire was performed by Sandeep Mahavir’s disciples of Mumbai and another group from Kolkata. The evening was concluded by Maharaj’s staunch devotee Shaswati Sen who performed natya abhinaya based on Chitra Banerjee Deevakaruni’s English poem

The following day was Gagan portrayed through an interactive seminar participated by the maestro himself. Later in the evening was Neer Jal performed by the renowned Nidya Deshpande and Uma Shankar’s disciples. On the final day were Kshiti, which emphasized that art is eternal… and Sameer or Vayu, that art is exotic… performed by Asha Joglekar and Parvati Dutta’s disciples.

It was a humbling experience to watch skillful, devoted disciples offer dances like prayer to the Almighty…. The evening was a reinforcement of the ancient guru-shishya tradition that is almost extinct today.
The magical moment of course was a cameo by Birju Maharaj demonstrating the nava rasas… He was simply magnificent! When it was time for him to make his concluding speech, the auditorium echoed with a thunderous applause and by the time he finished everybody was overwhelmed.

To reproduce the golden words of the maestro, he said “Our Academy is not just a school for students to learn dance but it is an institution to teach you a way of life. Our effort is to make them not just great artistes but also great individuals. We impart values of life. As their guru I would like to see them blossom into accomplished artistes but it would bring me a greater joy if they blossomed into evolved souls…

“At Kalashram we have emphasized on virtues of simplicity and purity… I have inspired my students to dance with a passion and to follow their heart… For the audiences these performances may be just another entertainment show but to the performers, the podium is a lesson of life…! Very early in their career they learn to value their space and the space of their co-artistes. No art form can blossom in isolation…Every sur, taal, mudra, abhinaya and step has to be in place only then it can spell magic.

“All performing mediums have to be a healthy mix of give-and-take. Every beat, every pause, every finger and hand movement, every footstep and phera has a role to play, a message to deliver and if you miss even a single expression the meaning alters. All art forms are conceived to spread peace and happiness. I sometimes feel that God created artistes so that the world can be a better place…Artistes ensure enrichment…”

“On this special day let make a confession. Today, the world reveres me as a legend but I know that I’m nothing without my ghungroos. It’s the blessings of my Lord that in all these years my ghungroos have never let me down. I’m always anxious and excited before a performance be it a small mehfil or a grand recital in India or abroad. But every time I have tied the bells on my ankles a strange calmness comes over me. My ghungroos have never let me down; they have come to my aid whenever I have beckoned them…

“On this special day I acknowledge my gratitude to my ghungroos…to all my disciples for bestowing me with so much love, devotion and faith…”

It was the best gurupunima function I have ever visited. Thank you Panditji for who you are and blessing us with so much grace and art.

Bhawana Somaaya
www.bhawanasomaaya.com