Celebration of Indian Classical Dances

About the Book Indian classical dances, rooted in deep traditions, came virtually into their own after the nation's Independence. The process, begun in the 1930's, gathered momentum soon and received ample revitalization within next half a century and count today Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, Manipuri, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi and Sattriya among eight recognized genres, with Vilasininatyam and Chhau rapidly claiming shares of recognition. Structure and spirit of these exciting dance-styles-as handed down by the gurus depend on their avowed practitioners whose collective corpus of work is seen here through an analytical eye, in dialogue with the dancers: so as not to miss their own creative viewpoints. To each critical survey's body- and-soul has been added the dancers' own voice, by including overviews by some prominent professionals of each genre.

This is an unusual stance, steering clear of high scholarship and capturing, instead, the aura and aroma of practice alongside personality. All in all, the book - lavishly illustrated tries to faithfully mirror the exciting times that Indian dance lives in today.

About the Author Dr Utpal K. Banerjee has been an adviser on Management and Information Technology for thirty-five years, after having studied on a doctoral programme in the UK as a Commonwealth Scholar from 1968-72. His formal exposure to visual and performing arts of the world was through courses conducted at Extra-Mural Department. University of Manchester, UK. He has been National Project Director for Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) relating to the UNDP project on Multimedia Database for Art and Culture Documentation and Computerization from 1990-92.

In the nineties. He was utilized by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to lecture on Indian Art and Culture in Canada in 1990 and in South America in 1998. He gave similar lectures for the IFS probationers and in the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) to the Afro-Asian diplomats. His comprehensive book on Indian Performing Arts has gone into several editions. His contribution on "Ruled by the Religion" has been included in the magnum opus Spectacular India, published from the USA in 2000.

He has been regularly writing on the arts and culture in several newspapers and journals, including India Perspective, the magazine from Ministry of External Affairs. He has a regular column on performing arts in The Pioneer every week. He has been a regular contributor on cultural and professional programmes to London BBC, All India Radio and Indian Television over last 32 years. His other two books, Indian Performing Arts: A Mosaic and Millennium Glimpses of Indian Performing Arts cover the scenario till the current decade. His latest book is Indian Theatre in 21st Century.

On Indian puppetry, his collaborative books (with Sampa Ghosh) are: Indian Puppets, Indian Puppetry and Puppet Stories, and Puppets of India and the World.

He Sr. Fellowship from Min. of Culture, Govt. of India, 2008-10, for working on Towards Maitreya: The Future Buddha. He has recently been awarded Padma Shri by President of India "in recognition of distinguished service in literature and education."

Preface There have been few civilisations whose mythic memory is redolent with dance, where principal gods are dancers: Shiva as Nataraj and Krishna as Natabar when whole heavens resonate with the ethereal music from the other deities like Saraswati and even sages like Narada. In the Greek mythology major gods are all evanescent and only Jupiter's daughters make the minor deities as Nine Muses for the performing arts. Bharata's Natya Shastra caries forward a litany of Margi and Desi that, in effect, is a consolidation of the then prevailing classical and regional forms of dance, among others, and the legacy is still much alive after over two millennia.

Around Independence, the resurrection and resuscitation of Indian classical and contemporary dances have been an extraordinary phenomenon. What was languishing especially in the previous century and just about surviving in the quarters of courtesans and in the temples in the hands of god's maids - the virtual torch-bearers of a decaying heritage - got a fresh lease of life and connoisseurs gave them flesh and blood. The major form of Bharatanatyam and an exhilarating form of contemporary dance were both given fresh energy simultaneously in the South by Rukmini Devi Arundale and in the north by Uday Shankar, while in the East, Tagore gave dulcet touch to his complete dance-dramas; and all these happened remarkably together in the time-frame of the 1930's. Post- Independence, while the momentum gathered for the other seven genres of classical dances, contemporary styles did not progress much after Shankar's passing away in the 70's. There has been enviable progress, on the whole, in the entire dance arena in the recent years and Gurukul traditions have continued to flourish. This book is an illustrative recapitulation of the throbbing dance- scene of today, with many glimpses provided and insights offered.

**Contents and Sample Pages**