Speaking tree: Bharatanatyam dancer Malavika Sarukkai’s ‘Beeja’

For her, the impulse to create new work comes from observations of the world around her. When she is stirred to speak, she does that through Bharatanatyam — the language of her dance.

As Padma Shri awardee Malavika Sarukkai showcased ‘Beeja — Earth Seed’ in Delhi a few days ago, the production had to resonate — considering the fact that media headlines have been dominated by floods, cloudbursts and landslides in the northern part of the country lately. The artiste recalls that for the past 50 years, one has been witnessing a catastrophic destruction of the environment at the cost of ‘production’, with alarming results from all over the world, including India. She says it was important for her to reflect that and more in her artistic expression.

The production witnessed recorded music amalgamated with two live musicians on stage. Despite Bharatanatyam being structured and rooted in tradition, she effortlessly ‘used’ it to convey the contemporary concern of climate change. The dancer did not have to show trees or animals on stage — years of improvisation and working on minute details of her craft have led her to embody a technique called ‘DanceSpeak’.

The environment has been a recurring theme in her body of work, in which trees have continued to appear and reappear, reminding her of their generosity, dignity and the gift they represent to the planet. In ‘Beeja — Earth Seed’, the main protagonist is the subaltern voice of the tree.

“I believe this voice needs to be heard other than always centring narratives from the human perspective,” says Sarukkai, who started learning the dance form at the age of seven. For this Sangeet Natak Akademi award-winning artiste, the inspiration for themes to work on comes from both internal and external factors. She insists that the language of Bharatanatyam involves many levels — physical, emotional and spiritual.

“In this holistic approach, there is no compartmentalisation, no division. Each aspect flows into the other, enhancing, complementing and adding intensity to one another. When the body becomes the instrument of communication, both external and internal spaces around and within the artiste become energised to live in the ‘present’ — to create attentive moments of awareness,” she stresses.

The last few years have witnessed an overdose of literature festivals across the country with backing from major corporates. She says the world of classical dance can benefit immensely from sponsors and philanthropists. “We need informed corporates (this performance was supported by HCL) to come forward to support serious work in the performing arts. Partnering this, we need artistes to create imaginative, meaningful, and well-conceived productions with high production values. A sustained coming together of the two will then create an ecosystem where classical dance is valued for the enrichment it brings to society. This in turn will raise the bar for the audience to bring a quality of discernment,” adds the dancer and choreographer.

Pointing out that Indian dance is a very disorganised sector, and many more grants and fellowships are needed keeping in mind the cultural diversity and richness the performing arts represent in India, she feels that meritocracy and transparency must be the deciding factors; and it is only then that more genuine artistes could benefit from government support.

More and more artistes are breaking silos and collaborating with those from other genres — like vocalist TM Krishna working with filmmakers, rock bands and authors like Perumal Murugan. Sarukkai points out that while this shift might not be obvious to an untrained eye as it represents inner shifts in accent, balance and choice of themes within an art form, it is important that they are duly acknowledged as these are the unseen ways in which traditional art forms refresh themselves in a changing world.

“But also remember, in India, the arts have always been seen as interconnected and drawing inspiration from each other. The question that needs to be raised is, how do the art forms benefit when artistes collaborate? Is it deepening the experience of the form, or is it simply a ‘jugaad’ that is appealing to the senses of the general public? Also, let us not forget that questioning a traditional art form and its presentation is not a ‘new phenomenon’. Artistes have and will continue questioning their respective art forms, as it is part of the creative process, a part of how an artist evolves.”

Sarukkai is all for incorporating art appreciation classes at the school level that will not just enrich their lives, but also make the young more empathetic. Talking about expensive performance arts courses introduced by several new private universities, she says, “We must bring about an awareness of the arts in every possible way, and inclusivity needs to be highlighted. Every path should be encouraged, especially in the world we are living in when information and knowledge have, for the most part, taken away the quality of empathy.”

And what is next for her? She smiles, “There is no destination. It is flow.”

— The writer is a freelance contributor based in Chandigarh