The Hindu : New Delhi News : Maker of a cultural kaleidoscope

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Monday, Jan 07, 2008
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New Delhi

Maker of a cultural kaleidoscope

Photo: V.V. Krishnan

Making a point: Prathibha Prahlad, the organiser of Delhi International Arts Festival in New Delhi.

The multi-talented organiser of the Delhi International Arts Festival, Prathibha Prahlad shares with Madhur Tankha the innovative journey towards her successful venture.

A danseuse, choreographer and cultural organiser all rolled into one, Bharatanatyam exponent Prathibha Prahlad would rather be known as a creative person who successfully organised the Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF) in the Capital this past December.

Representing the new generation of classical dancers, Prathibha says: “I have had the good fortune of getting trained under some of the best dance gurus of the country like V. S. Muthuswamy Pillai, Kalanidhi Narayanan, U. S. Krishna Rao and Vempatti Chinna Satyam. I have performed extensively in the country and abroad and won many honours both at the State and the national level. Dance opened my world view and is an expression of my personality and inner-self. God gives you talent and you should explore it to the maximum. I strongly feel that Indian art is unparalleled.”

In a freewheeling conversation here in the Capital this past week, Prathibha said she organised DIAF as a holistic event to show her gratitude to traditional Indian dance forms.

Pointing out that the country is emerging as a global economic power, the danseuse says it is time to project ourselves as a cultural power. “Lot of international cities like Amsterdam and Singapore have festivals named after them. So I designed DIAF as a signature festival of the city organised at different venues over 15 days. Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai already have a number of cultural festivals.”

Organising the DIAF as a multi-arts and multi-venue festival was an arduous task as it required an innovative model. “It was an untested model and I had a lot of apprehensions. With 900 artistes and 45 venues it had logistical problems. But everything went without a hitch. After the festival, cultural impresarios are showing interest in collaborating with me for future events. The festival was aimed at bridging the ever widening gap between performers, State funding agencies and the private sector. Envisioned as a public-private partnership endeavour, DIAF under one umbrella had many streams such as festival of classical dance and music, theatre, folk dance, art exhibition, film festival, handicrafts and handloom exhibition and a youth festival.”

Recalling her stint in television as a dancer-heroine, Prathibha says: “I got a chance to work with noted theatre personality M.S. Sathyu in his serial ‘Shruti’ on DD1. I played the protagonist who gives up dance for her marriage. I also acted alongside Hema Malini in ‘Nupur’ in which I performed a temple dance. Hema and Vyajantimala Bali did a number of classical Indian dances in Hindi films but these days Bollywood movies with traditional Indian dance forms are rare. Of course, ‘Aaja Nach Le’ was an exception as actor Madhuri Dikshit Nene, who is a trained dancer, delivered an impeccable performance.”

Besides directing a documentary titled ‘Natyakriti’ on 50 years of dance in Karnataka, Prathibha has also organised two dance festivals – ‘Sharad Vaibhav’ and ‘Eka Aneka’ in Bangalore.

Prathibha feels dance is the best ambassador of Indian culture. “It synthesises our country’s literature, philosophy, sculpture and aesthetics. Even today the best education is in classical dance forms. We need sensitivity to appreciate our traditional dance forms. We know only Bollywood for entertainment, but there are other beautiful things as well.”

Speaking about DIAF, Prathibha says discussions, workshops and allied activities that triggered debates and new thought processes will be included in subsequent festivals to project a serious and forward thinking India, while our rich cultural traditions in the arts will serve as its foundation.

Having received training in dance at the tender age of four, Prathibha did her post-graduation in mass communications, an M. Phil in English literature and is now heading a non-government organisation ‘Prasiddha Foundation’.

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