Reflecting at THE ATTIC

Almost twenty days past the 19th of March. The day FROM THE ATTIC performance series got premiered. After all the buzz, hectic hours of work, endless phone calls, piles of paperwork and sleeplessness, there is a certain quiteous that has returned to my everyday life. Much has changed forever though after the March mid week. I have made many friends and some foes. Many many have come forward to appreciate my work. People I respect, shared the evening with me, spent time understanding my thoughts and showed respect to my work. An evening that in many ways introduced my pre -occupations to the world. I am being asked to speak, share my work at various forums and Attic has managed to interest everyone in history, art and performance.

As I return to a normal pace of everyday routine of work, classes, writing, my reading and the stillness of my life, I am reflecting. What is the one thing that stands great people apart. My Gurus, Sarasama, the Tiruvazaputhur Kalyani Grand daughters, TSP mama, TNR Sir, Ramachandran Sir, Raghu mama and the many others. The women dance gurus of mine, may not be women of letters but were/are certainly not illiterate. I recognize literacy as a quality that nurtures equanimity, a sense of neutrality and personal integrity.

Life to these women has not been too fair. Actually, life is not fair to anyone but it is how we face that adversity that makes us the people we are. I found my teacher Sarasama's  ability to talk with ease and humor always very fascinating. She would hardly speak about her personal life. She was always surrounded by her students. She found a good quality (albeit funny) in everyone and appreciated them for it. Her humor was in many ways her shield from the harsh realities of life.
Jeeva teacher too is a bundle of joy and fun. Their endless childish bickering and arguments would have me in splits. TSP mama managed through the years on his wheelchair with his gregarious sense of humor and jokes. TNR's one liners are my staples, while Ramachandran sir (a man one would consider to be more serious) would break into an unexpected joke or impression, much to our delight. As far ad Raghu Mama is concerned, I would sing in between peels of laughter.

The core of their art (all of theirs) is couched in a simple innocence. Even while the world burdens them with layers of misnomers, criticisms and betrayals, it is the sheer strength of their personal integrity that stands them high.

Their strength also is "உற்றது சிந்திக்கும் உணர்”. Their knowledge of people and the world was/ is not  "paasagyanam" but a deeply intense “patigyanam". They seem to interact with people and the world with the intense philosophy of "மேவாமல் மேவுதல்” that is to work the ways of life without letting it affect their deeply held personal value.

I am stunned into silence when I reflect upon these. The merit of a teacher's integrity upholds their ability to for ever create an impression of unattainable purity both of their art as well as their heart, in the minds of their pupils.

I am indeed a very fortunate disciple of such gurus of great merit. If you too are, believe me when I say, their breed are a rarity and you can feel quite chosen.

Dr.Swarnamalya Ganesh
Reflecting at the ATTIC (a reflection of my Gurus's shining integrity)

GYANAM (?!?) A Funny SIVAGYANAM at THE ATTIC

This is an experience I must share with my friends, readers, aspiring researchers and everyone. During my doctoral work one of the most important places of work for me was the Saraswati Mahal library, tanjavur. I still go there at least once in two months for all my continued work. It is a haven     for researchers. However, I always warn my friends and students that it's a place for precious primary sources and hence will be a tedious process. One must be familiar with the very elaborate cataloguing systems first. Learning to read through a catalogue is an art in itself. The TSSML has over 32000 manuscripts. That's right! The various subjects are catalogued and divided into languages, sections, type of manuscript, volumes etc. And then, there is the old catalogue and the newer eons that are in tandem with the GOML ( government oriental manuscript library) etc. So, if one needs to refer any work, they have to know where exactly it is, it's catalogue number etc to begin with. Then there is the issue of finding the right person to help you approach the section. I was lucky in the sense that as my initial work was a methodic understanding of my primary sources, the TSSML realised quite early that I was there as a serious scholar. I had to pour over several manuscript versions of even some published treatises in order to read the original of a reinterpretation, or the colophon.

Here is where my story begins. As I had written in one of my earlier blogs, TSSML became a home
away from home for me for over six years. Half a month there, every month meant I knew everyone by face and name. I would go in the morning at 9am and work till 5.30 when the clerk would ever so politely neck me out, only to return the next day. Many visitors to the gallery either presumed I had taken  permanent employment with  TSSML ir that there was a shooting going on there,

While everyone was always eager to find an opportunity to talk to me or converse with me, all I
wanted was to be left in peace as I wanted to work, un disturbed. But I could never avoid an occasional hi, an enquiry about my next film, the experience of having stood next to prabhudeva or something like that. I would usually give a very annotated answer and quickly return to the business
at hand. Thankfully, the pundits at TSSML were awesome, helpful and knew the gravity of my work and would give me the needed space.

While I began to believe all was going just fine as for my reference and notes taking at TSSML was
concerned, God decided to play a trick on me. Well that's the best reasonI can come up with for what am about to explain. All my references I would usually write down in a notebook, date wise. But
when I discovered an un copied, unnoticed most valuable Telugu manuscript of the dance repertoire  that I was searching for, I was elated! Overwhelmed, I ran to Big temple that evening, sat in a corner and studied the colophon that I had copied down and read it a hundred times. I was stunned at what
destiny had dropped on my lap!  The most treasured document that was the key to unlock my quest to  find all the preciousness that I later found at THE ATTIC.

The next day, I sat at my desk at TSSML and realised that it was a large manuscript and I was going
to need every page of it. Therefore a Notes taking wouldn't help. I wanted to microfilm the  manuscript and take a copy so that I can append it as pat of my work and will be useful for dance historians in the future, I thought. TSSML being a government library, has the posting of an AO (administrative  officer). I had to submit to him a request letter asking for the micro filming. The Telugu pandit who was helping me told me that it would be best if I spoke to the AO and handed over the letter In person for speedy process. I remember vividly the first day I walked up to his desk. A stalky, dark man, in white and white pants and shirt, chewing paan he gave me a toothy smile (laugh, gurgle if you may) at and said "Good afternoon maadaaam ! Pluleesh sit down" the Telugu pandit who came along and was sitting beside me for courtesy was a very clever man, he excused himself and slipped away. I, being the protagonist of this whole story, of course had to sit through from lunch break till the day's bell rang at 5 announcing the closure of the library. From that day on, everyday I would make a special morning prayer to Brihadeeswara that I should escape the sight of this AO,  lest my day would be spent at his desk answering questions that he would torrent at me. The torture of the experience is truly inexplicable but I am here going to give you a sample of a few question and answers. I urge you to imagine this with a generous interspersing of hearty, loud laughter ( something like heeeheeeeheee), completely tamizhaised English, a need to speak ONLY in English no matter how torturously hideous the grammar is,  constant shaking of the legs, cups of lukewarm tea and mosquito bites.

AO: maaadaaam, good morning. What, research aaa? Sit down sot down. So, what is this Mozhi
movie story all about?
Me: ( looking at my watch) hmmm what do u mean story sir, please watch the film.
AO: oh hoo!  I have no times to wa(r)tch all this movies and all. Tell me maaadaaam, how was you
working with Maniratnam ?
Me: it was good. So when will I get my requests for micro film approved sir?
AO: it's ok maaadaaam. What salary film stars get? I heard vijay gettings five crores. Ish it true aaa?!!!!!

Me: don't know sir. U have to ask vijay that.
AO: heheheheeh so how much do you get madam? At least say me that noooo!!!

Me: smiling and sipping the damn tea
AO: two years ago I arrange one dance program in Hyderabad, their dance super madam.

Me: ( relief that he is back to a subject) oh really! Whose dance sir?
AO: don't know name and all but they do spitting and all on stage and dance, very nice maaadaaam.

Me: spitting !!!
AO: yes yes bharadanatyam boring for me...but  madam this is like that korattti dance nooo....like that and all...

Me: sir,.. My request
AO: of course madam tomorw itself I will try and do it.


2009,2010,2011 and 2012 came and went with hundreds of such dreadful encounters but the
microfilm request approval never  did. May be it was that AO's ticket to stall me and have inane chatters, maybe it was his way of showing me that no matter if I was a known face, he was in power there. I would have submitted atleast seven request letters in those years. But not without spending
hours hand coping the manuscript. By the beginning of 2012, I had fully hand written the entire palm leaf manuscript by myself. No more micro film needed. I appended my own hand written copy along with my doctoral work.

Thanks to AO sivagyanam (yes, that was his name) I was able to hand write and therefore thoroughly assimilate every word of the valuable manuscript that I had discovered as my most important source.

Thank to sivagyanam, when I look back today I realise he was the much needed comic interlude amidst long, tedious hours of pouring over palm leaves and paper treatises( even without lunch
breaks).
So, researchers who visit MSS libraries must be prepared not only with catalogue sieving skills but also for the onslaught of sivagyanam -s.

God bless him and good news, he is no more the AO at TSSML. See I told you, God was playing a trick on me. It is truly SIVA GYANAM!



Dr.Swarnamalya Ganesh
Gyanam at THE ATTIC
www.fromtheattic.in

Staring into the depth of the faces at the Attic

In South India one cannot ever talk of sculptures or paintings without speaking of the Cholas! They are the holy grail of South Indian fine arts. No doubt. But often we will hear modern scholars eulogize chola art by comparing them to the later works of art like that of the Nayaks or Marattas. The truth is Chola art is incomparable. Which not only means they are extremely fine and beautiful but also that arts of other periods can't be looked at from the same prism. 

The one thing I have often heard about Nayak art is how it has very garish colors and disproportionate structuring. While I am not a fine art student, I would always think there is more to the understanding of these paintings than just calling them poor cousins of their Chola counterparts etc. The Nayaks ruled the South of India for over a 150 years. They have left an identifiable mark in temple renovation, construction and specially frescoes. One look at the bright colors, large figures and the strokes one will be able to say they are "Nayak" frescoes. Therefore they must have had a method and an idealogy. 

The art of painting during the Cholas period was highly evolved. They had a great sense of proportion, symmetry, color and aesthetics. If the Nayaks painted over them on the inner walls of the Tanjore Big temple, they surely noticed these and yet had a reason to do what they did. So, an artiste/ painter who saw such marvellous works didn't paint over them to spoil the originals. If that was their mindset, one of destruction or discontinuation of past glory and tradition they would have done many changes to the structure of the temple in a more obvious way and place. Instead they only added pieces of structures to  accentuate the original's awe. 
So then what drove them to draw over? 

To answer this I kept looking at the paintings of the Nayaks. As if a deep, penetrating stare will give me the answers. When you do stare at them, the way I did, you will find the characters almost staring back at you. In the art of painting there is a technique called caricaturing. The modern understanding of caricature is that they are exaggerated for an element of humor. But the elemental quality of caricature is to evoke a life like portrait image using simplistic or exaggerated ways. With larger eyes and mouths, louder colors and motifs and out of proportion images the Nayaks perhaps were trying to say something? A caricature always is to convey. It was for the immediate audiences and consumption. It was a socio-political statement. It is a next step in evolution of painting technique were the characters even when not real, were portraits of humans of their times. Even the images of Gods and Goddesses perhaps drawn with a striking resemblance to human beings. 

This would also explain the use of natural characteristics in actual sizes like the big nose, eyes, stalky hands, legs etc. Portrayal of acquired characteristics like finer lines, a paunch (that is reflected in the Nayak sculpture at madurai temple of the King himself in middle age. See my earlier blog for this reference). And the depiction of real colors, costumes, textures, hair styles, moustaches, beards etc reveal their evolution into depicting real people on their paintings. This was a few steps before the picture portrait era and a few more steps before the photograph era. Every Nayak painting was a  a weighty portrait. It was to convey to the people of the immediate context about important people, characters, features around them. Hence they needed the spaces that were in use in the temples etc. And therefore perhaps the painting over the Cholas at Tanjore temple with  the exaggerated features and proportions perhaps. 

The other important aspect is  the thicker lines or outer sketches that are starkly different to the other finer Ajanta or Cholas paintings. The pen as a brush or stylus for lines was adapted from the persian term "kalam". This concept of an inked pen to draw outlines filled with colors was employed from a persian influence both on cloth and walls. Just like painting on wet walls or damp walls was the fresco style of the Cholas, the Nayaks perhaps had the pen stylus painting. It was called "Kalamkaari" and was greatly patronized by the Vijayanagara Kings and therefore adapted by their feudatories, the Nayaks.  You will be surprised to know that Achuytappa Nayaka gave away villages near Tanjore to Kalamkari artistes as he realised the water (cauvery) in that rock bed had natural Alum (color fixing agent) in the water!! Kalamkari was traditionally used to also say/ convey stories, legends and myth.

Maybe the Nayaks who made these exaggerated frescoes had many stories and incidents to depict through their paintings (mythological and contemporary). The fact that these caricature like paintings may have been drawn with life like closeness and resemblance to actual people means, we are holding an entire visual documentation (like modern photos) into an era that we believe had not actually evolved to that stage. Their paintings of dancers and musicians means we are staring into the actual faces of our predecessors perhaps. WOW! 

This revelation allows me to take a closer look. And what do I see into the depths of those big eyes, fluttering pallus, bright fans, big maustaches and long breads....that's what you will find out at FROM THE ATTIC

follow us on: www.facebook.com/fromtheatticcomingsoon?ref=br_tf

and visit us at
www.fromtheattic.in

Dr.Swarnamalya Ganesh
Staring into the depth of the faces at the Attic

Covenant with the Attic

He was the most illustrious of his dynasty. The moment we hear his name our minds will wander to the temple city of the South- Madurai 

He ruled from Madurai between 1623-59. This mighty king was not just a great ruler but also a very keen connoisseur of the various arts. It was in his court that the legendary Nilakanda Dikshita, nephew of the celebrated advaitin, Sri Appaiyya Dikshita was. He was also patron to Sri Kumara Gurupara Swamigal who wrote the beautiful Maduraikalambakam describing the various lilas (acts of playful deliverance) of Lord Sundareshwara, the presiding deity of Madurai.

According to the traveler's accounts of Taylor in the Oriental Historical Manuscripts "He was seated on a the beautiful gem studded throne placed at the natakashala where he would spend his evenings watching dancers sing, dance and perform the various dances in the light that glows from the torches that would illuminate the room"

He was a great patron to Tamil scholars, painters and sculptures. Speaking of sculptures, did you know that there are several sculptures of this famous King in the Madurai temple which depict him as a young lad (as a Prince), a youthful king in his prime and then also as a middle aged man (with a paunch) and a beard! 

When you walk around the Aarukaal Pitham  of the Minakshi amman temple at Madurai do not forget to see Him standing majestically with his reigning Queens in tow!!!

When I was shooting for a production of Mr.Bharathiraja called "tekkatti ponnu" I was travelling every month for several days to Madurai, Dindugal and Theni. To me that was God sent time to spend with my "heroes" I would wander around these palaces and temples for hours in between my shoots, staring at each of the stones, sculptures and paintings. In my research, when ever I would have doubts, pauses in thought process, a hiatus, I would go back to stare at these faces, places and take a waft of the atmosphere in...and there I would somehow find an answer, a solution, some what like a covenant between them and me! Will tell you more in detail

watch out for more 

https://www.facebook.com/fromtheatticcomingsoon

Dr.Swarnamalya Ganesh

Covenant with the Attic

Tekkatti Ponnu stealing her moments with her
heroes

Nataka shala- covenant 

The Tales of From the attic- Fascinated with the fingers that sing!

This  blog is inspired by another blog written by the renowned Danseuse and scholar Lakshmi Viswanathan ji as part of her column "seen and heard" in Narthaki.com ( see below for the link to her blog). Her article is titled "hasta mudra".

The concept of using finger signs for communication is age old. Man, from his most primitive times must have identified this as a very effective method to communicate with the world. I distinctly remember my teacher, S.Ramachandran sir teaching me on the first day of my chola tamil epigraphy class some of the symbols that were used by early man before he created the first Brahmi letter.

He was a trader and was importing/exporting cows and products of a cow. In Aramaic a cow is called Aalif. To denote a cow he created a symbol that had two "U" inverted towards each other. The upper U denoting the horns and the lower U denoting the body of a cow. I was so fascinated by this. It was from this symbol that the Brahmi "A" and later the Nagari "A" developed. The term Aalif lending it's first phonetic Aa. It is this very same concept we hold even today in dance while showing a cow. The simhamukha mudra ( middle and ring finger showing the body, index and little finger the horns).

As a dancer, even as a child, I was taught to think of everything as gestures. All my thoughts had to be communicated without words, just as effectively. After a bit of training, this starts coming naturally to most dancers. We begin to use our hands and eyes to speak. In fact they speak sooner than our words, most often. Simple words like go, come, sit, me, you etc start getting complex layering through what I call as intonation or dhvani. Now, one may wonder what intonation can gestures have, after all intonation is associated with words. But, it does. What kind of a go, whom are
 you asking to come, when are you asking them to come, are you ordering that they sit, or
are you begging them to sit down a moment, are u addressing yourself arrogantly, pitiably, sweetly,
sensuously, is the person your addressing a man, woman, man who is your lover, secret lover,
husband, human husband, God-husband, friend, your mother so on and so forth lend this complexity
of intonation to the gestures. The more experience one gains, they will be able to differentiate and delineate these subtle changes through simple gestures. The brilliance of dance gestures are that, apart from the ones that are used for decorative purposes (Nritta or pure dance) gestures, we use mostly gestures that are drawn from everyday life for abhinaya. illangoadigal in silappadikaram calls them ezil (beautiful) Kai (gestures) and tozil (meaningful or used in depiction) Kai. It is the appropriateness of the gesture for the particular emotion combined with the artistic flourish with which a dancer uses them that makes it look exotic and dance-like. This beautification is also perhaps why we often hear commoners say that they can't seem to understand the gestures and what we are communicating with it. I think, if the gestures are not merely done with flourish or simply reproduced as taught but are done with the appropriate intonation, it will surely communicate itself without
explanation to even a novice.

Having said that, I must write about what Lakshmi ji has raised and spoken about in her blog. The
importance of dancers holding the mudras clearly. Using proper, well held mudras is considered
almost unfashionable and un-senior like by many dancers off late. Infact, in the name of abhinaya exclusives several have dispensed with well held out gestures and resort to loosely held hands in positions of easy ( hardly any difference between a pataka saying come/go, to a say a Chatura which can mean little or konjam in tamil) or folded/cupped together near the navel. It is wonderful to read a lovely blog on the importance of hasta mudras in dance (BN), a need of the hour. I say so because, abhinaya is not merely mukhaja (facial) alone. Neither is it just Angika ( body) alone. Resorting to too much of eyes alone or just a lot of body language while simply not using hands or minimal usage of hands is a new trend.

I wish to recall a performance of this same senior dancer (Lakshmi Viswanathan ji) at The MusicAcademy well over a decade ago. I was there as a mere teenager in the audience. She presented a Kshetrayya padam. It was about the devotee being witness to the Goddess, walking
back to her apartments in the wee hours of the morning after a night long union with The Lord at His
bed chamber. She was tired, she was weak in the knees, she wore a crumpled saree, disheveled hair
and needed the help of her sakis to walk back. I remember all this, not from the descriptions that were announced but from the gestures of the dancer. She did use her body language, her facial expressions
and move languidly across the stage. But, it was the subtle gestures that captured the essence of this most erotic poem that lent it beauty and piety,  all at once. The rati mudras she used, the mudras for Union, for kissing, for making love, for heavy eyelids, the heavy breasts of the heroine that made her walk slowly, underscored the erotic so gracefully yet allowing no room for unwanted overdoing that could have easily led to vulgarity.

The on going debate as to whether erotic padams/javalis etc are approtriate for concert stage, respectable audiences, can they be taught to young girls etc can be effectively addressed with proper understanding of the significance of hastas in the delineation of such compositions. Many modern Dancers do away with much of the traditionally used mudras and adopt body movements to express the erotic sentiments for example: some twirls instead of say an alapadma that can be rounded above the head to show the same intoxication in love.They also use strategic lighting to heighten the effect. They add more intimate details (not thought through gestures) in the name of sancharis with long drawn pre-story and after story which go often beyond the purview of the actual poem at hand, addt to this the word for word English explanation- we have successfully effected a culture shock in some, distaste in some others of the audience. They are are all torn between judmental gander, appreciation for the portrayal and  admission to mild tickling of the senses.

Using strong mudras Was the technique that the devadasis used in their  abhinayam.  a very strong set of mudras, hasta that represented all poetry, including the most erotic of sentiments. They never did away with it. Even while they sang, they have held their mudras perfectly. what makes for good abhinayam is not these mudras alone. It is the aforesaid intonation that the dancer lends to each hasta that will allow the fingers to speak a language that everyone can understand. Her eyes, body etc are only aiding this process. A very good textual example of what am saying can be seen in the documentation of the hastas for padams done by some devadasis in a work titled abhinaya navaneetam. This documentstion is a mere capture of what can be apparently noted but in performance these mudras, along with music would transform into real emotions at the deft hands of each of the dasi, each time !

The contrary of lack of clear mudras is also a dangerous trend. Over rigidity in the name of
perfection, cleansing of the system without any space for the the body and mind to speak is an over simplificatio of this very complex, intelligent system of communication. Some institutions and schools do tend to do that as they are learning by the book and hence are devoted to the system.

When K.P.Kittapa Pillai restructed the navasandhi kautuvams, he has used simple Adavus (movements) and hasta to denote esoteric dances like the kamala nrittam, urdhva nrittam. Simple as they are, deviating from the treatises and sculptures that elaborate on the various karanas (
units of dance ) involving the entire use of the limbs, these Adavus and the kamala mudra (lotus)
hand gestures etc do effectively communicate the dance form of that particular deity symbolically, albeit as a eulogy.

Recently in one of my lectures, someone asked me about the performance of Ajapa Natanam. It is
such an esoteric dance concept that is cosmic in nature and so sukshma that a sthula representation of
it, using music, movement etc would be an enthusiastic attempt but never in its entirety. I have several times enjoyed portraying this Ajapa Natanam in my Varnam (mohamana en meedil) as my imagination of Tygaraja dancing on the chest of Narayana upon his Pranan of inhalation and exhalation. But after a few minutes of this portrayal, I would come back to the gesticulation of dancing as it would render a completion to my thought process.
I also distinctly remember what Nandhini Ramani ji said about the padams of Balamma. She said, while Balamma improvised every time, she did have clear mudras for each line that she performed and taught. It was again the intonation that perhaps gave it it's depth every time and that's what made each performance of the same composition unique.

Dancers are taught to speak through our hands. Lakshmi ji ' s understanding of the importance of hastas has made her talk to us about it. It is imperative to assimilate the importance of hasta abhinaya
 and hasta dhvani (my coinage) before we loose a little more of it to trends and fads. I second her.

The Italians are known to be by nature highly articulate with their gestures. They are loud in their hand movements and therefore theatrical. We dancers, are better Italians! we sing poems with our fingers! If we speak it with clarity, conviction and commitment, all of us can hear it and enjoy it!

thanks to Lakshmi ji for mooting this inspiration to share my thoughts about hastas through her writings.

Dr.Swarnamalya Ganesh
Fascinated with the fingers that sing!

This the link to Lakshmi Viswanathan ji's blog
http://narthaki.com/info/sh/sh6.html