Sir
I wish to thank you for having published a new item on the Sunday New Indian Express on Ms Chandra Lekha – the oxymoron – by Geetha Doctor. I wish to share the following.
MS CHANDRA LEKHA – THE LEGEND
It is hard to believe the diva of the neo Bharat natyam exponent is no more. I vividly remember exactly 26 years ago during November 1980 I and my friend Rita Rayan had gone to SKILLS – the organization where Ms Chandra Lekha stayed in Besant Nagar, Chennai. We had gone there to collect some posters on the women’s issues from SKILLS which had published many posters. We were greeted by Ms Chandra Lekha . Even though were total strangers to her, the moment she heard that we required posters for exhibition, she warmly appreciated us and invited us to be introduced to Mr Sadananda Menon.
I have been watching the lady growing in to a legend. She is an icon and an iconoclast. She is a legend and also the destroyer of the legend. The life and times of Ms Chandra Lekha are historical and path breaking. She broke down the traditional barriers and taboos linked to classical dance Bharat natyam.
Generally the dance form of Bharat natyam is to have religious and holy themes with traditional silk sarees, ornaments etc to be danced in the court of kings and nobles. In fact the form was almost high jacked bycertain community as the only proponents of this classical dance. Even the original teachers (“gurus”) were sidelined. Any change to the form and content was resented and treated as rebellion. When any change was considered as subversion against this great classical dance, Ms Chandra Lekha had the courage and bravery to stand up. Traditionally all the teachers (“gurus”) of classical dance followed the great tradition (“parampara”).
The Bharat natyam dance without silk saree, ornaments, holy and religious themes was an anathema. In art form the form and content are complementary and harmonizing. Chandra took the liberty which none dared in the long history of Bharat natyam dancing to introduce new look in terms of dress, ornaments, themes and “bahva”. In fact she democratized the form to hold ordinary and common place themes. However, it was not without opposition. She was ridiculed, derided, and laughed at by the majority of whom are “sabha” dancers.
Ms Chandra Lekha was also a feminist and it is rare to find feminists among classical dancers. For the very canvas of classical dance is conformity which Chandra Lekha fought relentlessly. Her death has created a greatest irrevocable vacuum among the feminists for she blended the classical and modern feminism with such ease and poise.
Ms Chandra Lekha is to be respected as one of the greatest artist who experimented the medium of Bharat natyam to introduce common place themes as against the traditional holy and religious themes. Probably her admirers should institute an award to encourage the path paved by Ms Chandra Lekha. She is to be counted with some of the archetypal legends like Tutankhamen, Prometheus, Spartacus, and others
Sincerely,
D Xavier Gnanaraj, Ayanavaram, Chennai 23 x_g_raj@yahoo.co.uk
I wish to thank you for having published a new item on the Sunday New Indian Express on Ms Chandra Lekha – the oxymoron – by Geetha Doctor. I wish to share the following.
MS CHANDRA LEKHA – THE LEGEND
It is hard to believe the diva of the neo Bharat natyam exponent is no more. I vividly remember exactly 26 years ago during November 1980 I and my friend Rita Rayan had gone to SKILLS – the organization where Ms Chandra Lekha stayed in Besant Nagar, Chennai. We had gone there to collect some posters on the women’s issues from SKILLS which had published many posters. We were greeted by Ms Chandra Lekha . Even though were total strangers to her, the moment she heard that we required posters for exhibition, she warmly appreciated us and invited us to be introduced to Mr Sadananda Menon.
I have been watching the lady growing in to a legend. She is an icon and an iconoclast. She is a legend and also the destroyer of the legend. The life and times of Ms Chandra Lekha are historical and path breaking. She broke down the traditional barriers and taboos linked to classical dance Bharat natyam.
Generally the dance form of Bharat natyam is to have religious and holy themes with traditional silk sarees, ornaments etc to be danced in the court of kings and nobles. In fact the form was almost high jacked bycertain community as the only proponents of this classical dance. Even the original teachers (“gurus”) were sidelined. Any change to the form and content was resented and treated as rebellion. When any change was considered as subversion against this great classical dance, Ms Chandra Lekha had the courage and bravery to stand up. Traditionally all the teachers (“gurus”) of classical dance followed the great tradition (“parampara”).
The Bharat natyam dance without silk saree, ornaments, holy and religious themes was an anathema. In art form the form and content are complementary and harmonizing. Chandra took the liberty which none dared in the long history of Bharat natyam dancing to introduce new look in terms of dress, ornaments, themes and “bahva”. In fact she democratized the form to hold ordinary and common place themes. However, it was not without opposition. She was ridiculed, derided, and laughed at by the majority of whom are “sabha” dancers.
Ms Chandra Lekha was also a feminist and it is rare to find feminists among classical dancers. For the very canvas of classical dance is conformity which Chandra Lekha fought relentlessly. Her death has created a greatest irrevocable vacuum among the feminists for she blended the classical and modern feminism with such ease and poise.
Ms Chandra Lekha is to be respected as one of the greatest artist who experimented the medium of Bharat natyam to introduce common place themes as against the traditional holy and religious themes. Probably her admirers should institute an award to encourage the path paved by Ms Chandra Lekha. She is to be counted with some of the archetypal legends like Tutankhamen, Prometheus, Spartacus, and others
Sincerely,
D Xavier Gnanaraj, Ayanavaram, Chennai 23 x_g_raj@yahoo.co.uk
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