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Padma Shri Guru Shovana Narayan, also a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award recipient, is poetry in motion and one of the greatest, exemplary performers of kathak. Shovana Narayan, who does not hesitate from experimenting and innovating on themes close to her heart, believes in maintaining the sanctity of the art form. In a candid tête-à-tête, post her Tryst with the Past ballet presentation on two powerful women of the past, Jehanara: the enigmatic Mughal princess and Kadambari: the poet’s muse, Guru Shovana Narayan talks about her perspective on art and matters close to her heart. Excerpts from the interview: Take us through behind-the-scenes selection process of themes for your performances I dance from within, from the heart, so whatever it is that touches my soul finds an outlet through my dance. I have done Sufi presentations based on inspirations such as Omar Khayyam, Rumi Khalil Gibran much before being Sufi was ‘in’ and crucial to be ‘with it’. So my themes are diverse and inspirations myriad but the one thing in common in them is that they touch me personally. Do you feel that collaborations with other dance forms dilute the purity of kathak? Among the many collaborations I did was the one with tap dance as there are a lot of similarities between the two forms so far as the importance of footwork is concerned. Nowhere did I compromise on the art form or perform a neo-kathak form. It is all done in pure kathak. I have been learning and performing kathak since the age of two-and-a-half years, so there is no question of compromising on the art. I have not started a new form of kathak, instead, carried on from where and what I have learnt. So there is no clash between tradition and innovation? What is tradition? Someone started a practice and that became a rage but at the same time, it withstood the test of time and was accepted by all and, therefore, it became a tradition. So, I feel, all tradition starts as an innovation. You have been known to associate yourself with social causes, especially women issues. Does art reflect life? Artistes do not live in a vacuum. I am impacted by my environment and I, too, impact mine. It is a two-way process. A perfect example would be this year’s festival of ballet, Tryst with the Past that reflects the social circumstances of the last centuries and the position of women therein. Both the ballets take a peep into the lives of two women from the past that went through similar experiences of non-fulfilment yet were powerful in their own respective ways. While Jehanara was a gifted poetess, Kadambari was well versed in classical Indian literature and was the critic and sounding board for her brother-in-law, Rabindranath Tagore’s literary efforts. Both stories reflect the social circumstances of the last few centuries and the position of women therein. So the questions being asked are: However, one may be, but is empowerment at hand to follow one’s heart? However ‘developed’ the world may be but is cruelty of society and of the powerful not visible at every step? Is this not happening even today? It is said, "Change is a constant" but equally true is, "More things change, more they remain the same." You have written books on dance. You sketch and are also a trained classical singer. How do you spend your leisure time? I like to travel. I am looking forward to being in Vienna with my husband, son, and close friends. Vienna, and the surrounding Austrian countryside, is absolutely beautiful. The invigorating walks in the snowy mountains and countryside, the sounds of the music waltzing through the air, the New Year’s Concert at the Vienna Musicverein’s Golden Grosser Saal with the enviable world renowned Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra and the various Viennese Balls are absolutely fairylike. You have your own dance school ‘Asavari’. What future do you see of the kathak or any other classical art forms in India? Many youngsters who perform with me on stage are my students; if you were to meet them outside somewhere, you would say Oh! how modern and irreverent of the traditions these people are whereas the truth is that these very young students are the future of this dance form and do it with aplomb when it is time for them to. A parent can push the child to a certain limit by making him or her go to a dance academy but ultimately it is all about dedication and one’s own motivation that sustains a disciple. So I am quite optimistic about the future of the dance form. Lastly, tell us about a fond memory of all these years of performing on stage. There are several but the one that stands out is September, 1982, when we were a part of the entourage to Russia, where I was to perform at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. With the top brass in attendance towards the end of my performance, a young Russian gentleman came running past the security cordon and spayed flower petals on my feet! How can one forget the standing ovation that I got post the performance that lasted for over 10 minutes!
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