Many Arts, Same Sky

The highs and lows of the Vasanthahabba at Nrityagram

Under the same sky, while the priority shifted from rescuing the trapped living to hauling out the dead, as India's biggest quake in Gujarat continued to shake the conscience of the nation, Bangalore celebrated the arrival of Spring, when the sun sunk over the eucalyptus skyline at Nrityagram. Dust and people settled down gently on the steps of the amphitheatre well before the start of the 11th Vasanthahabba, promising a 'dusk to dawn' extravaganza of dance and music. Though it was Lord Vishnu who was invocated in the early stages of the show by the young nubile dancers of Nrityagram, it was Shiva's Tandava energy that flew off the skins and sticks of the Dolu Kunita drummers in a frenzied blur of brown and yellow, as the casually sprawled audience huddled closer to each other to make room for the crowds who seemed to pour in at a steady stream.

It was clear right from the start, that the crowds could be sorted into two categories. Those that came for the fun of art And the others that came for the art of fun. And strangely, for the first time, as the show unfolded, the thin line that separated the two faded away gracefully into the night. The reason being, though, Vasanthahabba was conceived as a dance festival, this year it was the musicians who ruled the roost. And music, unlike dance, seemed to play on the heart strings of a patient and supportive audience. And this time at Vasanthahabba, it was with very good reason. Who could complain. Vishwamohan Bhatt, the Gundeja brothers, Dr.Suma Sudhindra, and Talvin Singh. The night was pregnant with promise. But, the staple diet was still dance.

Arundathi Roa, still conjuring dreams for her drama school, said it all as she mastered the ceremony. But what she didn't say, until she stumbled onto it, was the gratitude to the sponsors. It's heartening to note that it is still 'Vasanthahabba' and not 'Femina Vasanthahabba' or 'Tata Vasanthahabba'. Creativity is still shying away from marketing) But the sharks are closing in. If Protima Bedi, or ( 'Gauri Ma', as she is lovingly known and remembered were looking down on the stage tonight...her eyes would have clouded with tears like Basamma.

Sixty-five year old Basamma the oldest worker at Nrityagram, who was called onto the stage, to inaugurate the festival. Basamma, who couldn’t speak into the mike thrust into her weatherbeaten face, but planted the sapling in the soil beside the amphitheatre .One more plant to water.

The Kathak duo of Nirupama and Rajendra keep the audience going, with their theme of love in all possible variations, smiling and spinning all over the stage, skirts billowing and folding like flowers.

And just as everybody started taking things for granted, as the dancers came and went, Protima seemed to descend onto the stage again. This time in the guise of Shirumani...The same graceful lift of the palm, the slow tilt of the hip, and the mischievous curl of the lips. For 30 minutes, Odissi and Protima reigned again in Nrityagram. In the guise of Shirumani... And then, the only mishap happened.

Twenty five Veena players, in a Carnatic ensemble lead by Dr. Suma Sudhindra lay bare the skeletal sound arrangements for an event of such a magnitude. Dr.Suma, kept her calm. But more importantly, the audience kept theirs. Must have been the sight of all the confused women behind the veenas.

Just as the hum of the veenas died down, and the smells from the makeshift food stalls wafted up, classical dance gave way to motion. Fluid, smooth and different.

The Daksha Sheth troupe wiped away all traditional, classical and cliched moves in four awesome Stages, that had the crowd applauding every strange motion. For Daksha Seth and her musician husband Devassario, Nrityagram is old and familiar terrain. In the early days of Nrityagram, during the snakes, scorpions and tents scenario, they threw in their might. Devassario's hands still wear the tell tale mark of a fire hastily put out. And almost in defiance Daksha and her dancers set the amphitheatre on fire with live music support from John Varkey's bluesy guitar and Tony John's stand-up drumming.

The sleek, unsmiling, male dancers, stretching every muscle to the limit, while the unsmiling, female dancer Esha, Daksha's daughter keeping time in the true 'Kalaripayattu' martial art style of Kerala, where Daksha has made her home.

The much wanted break comes at 12.30 a.m..."We shall break off for 40 minutes...there's biriyani available in the stalls"...says Arundathi, as the huddled groups stretch their legs, but still reluctant to leave their seats. Outside the amphitheatre, the teens look lost.

Riding all the way to be part of 'Vasanthahabba'. Riding all the way to see Talvin Singh. "He's not coming..." say some. "He's here..."say the others. But for middle-aged music lovers gathered here, the showstealer, the person-to-look-out-for, is an unassuming, bearded, man who uses an instrument called the 'Mohana Veena'. For the initiated, this is a slide guitar. For the rest, this instrument brought home "India's only Grammy award". And for the initiated again..Pt. Vishwamohan Bhat is accompanied by his son.

One hundred and ten magical minutes later, when Bhat rises to go, the otherwise staid crowd, screams for more...They scream for "A meeting by the river"...The father obliges the crowd, while the son looks on in amazement....fingers frozen.

Now, for the restless youngsters, who have stayed awake all night, there is only one kind of salvation. They have drove, cycled, hitched a lift or tagged along to see one man. One man who has set the English Dance Club circuit on fire. With an age- old indian instrument. Talvin Singh and the tabla. With a little help from electronics. And he doesn't dissappoint them one bit.

As the sun rises over the skyline, spilling orange-yellow morning light over starry-eyed teens, Talvin"Trance Tabla" Singh, and the kids who came to see him, signal the new audience of the decade old 'Vasanthahabba'. Everything changes under one sky.