Bharatha Natyam for peace and harmony

by Panchamee HEWAVISSENTI

Subashini Pathmanadan is a veteran Bharatha Natyam Guru in Sri Lanka who started the dance career in Jaffna under Kalapushanam Smt. Thiripurasundari Yoganatham at the age of two and a half. She was trained in classical Bharatha Natyam by the renowned Bharatha Natyam Guru, the late Padmashree Vazhuvoor Ramiahpillai who conferred on her the title "Natya Kala Sikhamani". She obtained her diplomas in Bharatha Natyam from Vazhuvool classical Bharatha Natya Art Centre, Madras (Chennai) and from the Bharathidasan University, Thiruchirappalli. Pathmanadan is a product of Chundikuli Girls' College, Jaffna and the Government College for Women Chandigarh and graduated from the Punjab University.

Below are the excerpts from the interview the Sunday Observer had with her.

Though Bharatha Natyam is the main source of dance of Hindus, Jaffna people are said to be conservative that they would hardly allow females to engage in outdoor activities. Born to a typical Jaffna Hindu family, how did you came so far as a Bharatha dancer?

Though the situation in then Jaffna was that, my mother was very much interested in teaching me the Art. I was about two and a half years when I was sent to a Bharatha Natyam Guru. Certain families in Jaffna didn't allow females to study dancing, but I think I'm very lucky since I received the blessings from my parents to pursue Bharatha Natyam.

I further studied Bharatha Natyam in India and on my return I formed a centre for Bharatha Natyam studies.

Could you tell us about that dance academy?

I founded a dance school in 1991 in Dehiwala. I started the school with a single student and now I have a large number of students studying under me. That is for the off campus degree programme in Bharatha Natyam affiliated to the Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, Thiruchirappalli in collaboration with Bharathidasan University (Business Development Centre) in India.

What is the reason to form a study centre for Indian classical dance?

During my 16 years stay in Colombo, I realised that some Sri Lankan non-Tamil speaking people were very much keen in studying Bharatha Natyam. They are very much dedicated and interested in learning Indian Classical art forms. And the number of students enroling to study Bharatha Natyam seemed to be increasing and that's the reason why I opened a centre for Bharatha Natyam studies.

How does Bharatha Natyam help in spreading peace and harmony in Sri Lanka?

Songs in Bharatha Natyam are sung in Tamil language and students are required to know the meaning of those devotional songs in order to understand and dance according to that. Therefore the language ability helps to communicate between non-Tamil speaking people and Tamils which will result in a good communication process and understanding. It will strengthen the understanding and appreciation between the two communities in Sri Lanka. It is also a socio-cultural bridge which connects the two communities and also the neighbouring country India. Thus it helps spreading peace and harmony.

Where and how had the origin of Bharatha Natyam been? And why does it call the 5th Veda in Hinduism?

Bharatha Natyam in its full sense depicts that its origin has been in Bharath (India). And is believed to be formed by an ascetic called Bharatha Muni - a mystic figure who lived in India between the 4th century BC and 4th century AD. According to ancient epics, that period was known as Thirayothitha period. There was an upheaval on earth as well as in the world of deities. In order to quell the upheaval, the deity Indra was believed to have sought assistance from the king of deities-Brahma. As a solution, Brahma created the fifth Veda in Hinduism which is the Natya Veda.

The fifth Veda is a combination of other four Vedas. Brahma extracted verses from Rig Veda, movements and expressions from the Yasoor Veda, music from Saama Veda, and Rasa from Atharvan Veda.

Brahma ordered deity Indra to teach the Veda to the other deities but he refused to do so producing a reason before Brahma that teaching the fifth Veda to deities would be an inexpedient task because, they were not competent enough to comprehend. Deity Indra then suggested the Brahma to impart the knowledge among the sages. Thus Brahma taught the fifth Veda to his disciple ascetic Bharatha and he popularised the art in the world.

Bharatha Natyam is an ancient type of dance. Is the Bharatha Natyam which is performed today the original form or has it been altered?

Changes in any dance form are inevitable. In any dance form as time passes by some parts are excluded and some are included. In Bharatha Natyam too certain traditional items were excluded and modern items are included. Although some items remain intact such as neck and eye movements, body posture, foot position, hand gesture (Murthras) and Abhinas. All Indian traditional dance forms are subject to local, regional, linguistic, cultural and religious influence and eventually fall into classical dance, adopting their own music.

Many innovations are made mostly based on the imaginations of individual Gurus. Yet fundamental aspects of the classical Bharatha Natyam have not been changed. Some items have been borrowed from other Indian Classical dances like gypsy dance, peacock dance, cobra dance and poetic compositions and religious hymns to be mentioned. Even some folk dances are used in classical Bharatha Natyam recitals.

Bharatha Natyam conjures visions of attractive costumes and glittering ornaments. And the dancers look almost like brides. Why do they clad in such rich dresses when performing Bharatha Natyam?

The dress of a Bharatha Natyam dancer resembles almost the dress of a temple dancer. In ancient times there was a group of temple dancers called Devadasis (slaves of the Lord) who were proficient in music and dance. The females were dedicated for the service of the God. The female children were expected to sing and dance in temple rituals and processions and festivals. The ancient Devadasis considered themselves as brides of Gods. Therefore they bedecked themselves like brides. In Bharatha Natyam, dancers still clad in as ancient Devadasis. In early days dancers wore pure gold jewellery but due to financial difficulties today they use gold gilt jewellery.

What are the instruments used in Bharatha Natyam?

The tendency today is to use a particular instrument to portray a particular emotion in between the song lines. The Veena is used to depict contemplative moods, violin is used to depict sorrow or grief, flute to portray happiness and affection. These can be considered as recent innovations.

Are there any similarities between Bharatha Natyam and kandyan dance?

Yes. There are significant similarities because, India and Sri Lanka are closely bound by the knot of social, cultural, linguistic and geographical factors. Both Bharatha Natyam and Kandyan dance are performed in temples and temple functions and the practice continues to the present day. Kandyan dance is performed in Peraheras (processions) and sometimes in social functions. Both dances enjoyed Royal patronage.

As in Bharatha Natyam, female dancers play a significant role in Kandyan dance as well.Some key similarities are the half sitting position, separation of feet (though the gap between the two legs are wider in Kandyan dance than in Bharatha dance), knees facing two different directions, stretching the arms at shoulder level, neck movements following the hand movements.