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CULTURE |
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ARTSCAPE
Durga Puja celebrates our culture’s unity in diversity
Garima Pant
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The festivities during the Durga Puja included music, dance and cultural programmes by the young and the old.
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The Durga Puja celebration ended this week with the immersion of the idols of Goddess Durga. The Durga Puja celebration, a major festival of India, particularly in Bengal, is an integral part of Bengali culture and society. People of all communities actively involve themselves in the four-day long festival. Durga Puja pandals, which were erected all over the city, attracted large crowds who were amazed not only by the beautiful pandals but also by the contemporary themes sought to be depicted through them. The festivities included music, dance and cultural programmes, which continued throughout the day and late into the nights. Effectively, the beautiful pandals provided the people a close look at Indian culture and traditions. A positive trend in this year’s celebration was the fact that the younger generation took active interest and enthusiastically participated in the Durga Puja celebration. In one of the puja pandals at East End Apartments, it was fun and frolic to the hilt. Celebrations began early in the day and carried on well into the night. Bhoj was served to the residents during the duration of the puja. In the evenings, food stalls were put up, which attracted huge crowds. The people actively participated in cultural events ranging from musical nights to magic show, dance competitions and musical chairs. People from different regions and culture were seen mingling and enjoying the occasion. The Durga Puja also showcased the unity in diversity of multi-cultural India .
Book on Sai Baba ‘Shirdi Stories’, written by K Venkataraman, is a unique volume of facts and incidents relating to the life of Sai Baba. Since his death in 1918, his following has increased and his followers are present in different regions of India and abroad. Shirdi village, where he had lived for most of his life, has now become a place of pilgrimage. Shirdi is visited by millions of his followers throughout the year. The book has short stories and incidents relating to Baba’s life as seen from the viewpoint of devotees. Each story has a rich moral and the language is easy to understand. The choice of words is simple and keeps the reader engrossed in the story. The author, a Sai devotee, has also authored the novel, ‘The Hill’ and ‘Parables for the Soul’. The book is a perfect way to know various stories about Sai Baba and his miracles. The book has been published by Srishti publisher and is priced at Rs 145.
Dance drama on Ram A dance drama, ‘Ram-A Paragon of Exemplary Virtues’, is being staged by the Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra till October 31, 2002. Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra is a leading cultural organization in Delhi and was founded in 1947. Its underlying aim was to revive an era of dance and music and is now also involved in creating new art forms to facilitate the growth of art in India. This is the 46th year in succession when the annual event is being performed. Over the years, Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra has progressively grown into a large organization which provides a platform for art connoisseurs to learn music, dance, ballet and training in other musical instruments. Based on the great Indian epic Ramayana, changes have been brought into both the style and theme of the presentation so as to make it appealing for the contemporary audience. Over the years, thousands of people have been regular at the Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra and have watched this exemplary victory of good over evil.
‘The Essence of Life’  ‘Shakti-The Essence of Life’, was the theme of a Bharatnatyam recital on Durgashtami by Aarti Sriram, disciple of Guru V. Krishnamoorthi.
It was a thematic presentation based on the concept of divine goddesses in their various manifestations and forms. The three Goddesses, namely Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati together make everything happen and lead to a cosmic presence. She felt that the aspect of womanhood, held in high esteem in our scriptures, has come down. The woman seems to have lost her identity amongst all the chaos and changes that took place in society. She has questioned this decline in the status of women. She says, “Even the Navratras that we celebrate honour womanhood and bring out that traditional aspect. Everything in our life has female force in it. Man and woman are needed in equal tandem for things to happen, for peace in life. The concept of twosome is there in the smallest of creations. When the gods are incomplete without the goddesses, who are we humans to diminish each other? A woman can take any form and bring stability or instability.” The idea of femininity in the traditional Indian society was the underlying theme of her entire show. Born and brought up in Delhi, she has been learning dance for the past 14 years. Even though she began learning dance at the tender age of four, she gives all the credit for her present standings to her mother. She says, “Learning dance at such a young age can be pretty boring and confusing. But due to my mother’s persistent efforts, I am standing here.” She began dancing with her elder sister and the duo performed together for quite some time as the Sriram sisters. After the elder sister’s marriage, she decided to go solo. She feels that she was lucky to have been trained by exceptionally talented gurus who gave their heart and soul in teaching their students. Like Kathak, Bharatnatyam too has many styles and gharanas. She has trained under the gurus of different gharanas, which has provided versatility to her
dance. For some people dance is a source of entertainment or a way to keep fit. But for her dance is a passion. She holds it in high esteem. Classical dancing for her is being one with her own self. Her sense of honesty is the unique quality in her dance. She has never lacked the ‘Bhaktibhav’ in her dance. Dance means everything to her. For her, learning dance is an eternal process. She says that she feels humbled every time she dances and feels it is a vast ocean and one cannot stop learning.
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