Says
danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, while inaugurating a poetry installation
at Kochi
By
Shevlin Sebastian
“I
am Bose,” said Bose Krishnamachari, the Kochi Biennale founder, and
held out his hand towards eminent danseuse Mallika Sarabhai at the
Durbar Hall, Kochi.
“Of
course I know who you are,” said a smiling Mallika. “The
Biennales have just been wonderful.”
Mallika
had come to inaugurate a unique poetry installation, which combined
literature, sound, art and culture. She is a striking woman, with
high cheekbones and flashing eyes, and with a fashion style of her
own: she wore a large earring on one ear and a smaller one in the
other, while a several- beaded necklace adorned her neck.
But
what she spoke struck at the heart of the state of present-day
society. “If you look at the history of any ancient civilization,
the arts did two things: the arts educated and it critiqued,” said
Mallika. “But somehow, because of the development of a capitalist
culture, there is a culture of giving awards, a culture of doling out
money, and giving freebies. As a result, the voice of artistes in
India has become the voice of advertising. More and more artistes
sing the song of the rulers, whether the rulers were kings earlier or
politicians now.”
The
greater part of the arts today has become uncritical and remains in
the realm of safety, she said. “We have lost our voice and have
been deafened by noise: intellectual, political and mercantile,”
said Mallika. “We study, but we don’t learn. We learn, but we
don’t become wiser. We listen but we don’t hear. We have
forgotten to listen to either our own truths or the sounds of
nature.”
For
the audience, who listened raptly, these were disturbing truths in an
era of fast living and little inner reflection.
(The
New Indian Express, Kochi)
No comments:
Post a Comment