Artiste par excellence
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For Chitra Visweswaran, classical art is not mere entertainment. The entire process of learning is like yoga and meditation.
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Photo: V. Ganesan
DANCING DIVA Chitra Visweswaran is lured by the timeless appeal of the sacred art.
She belongs to that classical tribe of dancers who scaled the summit on their own terms — unyielding in terms of cultural, and commercial considerations. A beauty left untouched by time, perhaps years have added composure, Chitra Visweswaran no wonder ruled the Chennai art field of her day where stalwarts like Padma Subramaniam, Alarmel Valli were forces to reckon with.
One is struck by the unassuming demeanour of the lady as she opens the door of her suite letting you in with a warm smile . She strikes an instant rapport putting you at ease, taking the lead herself. En route, questions pop up — what do you think of the present day youngsters against the backdrop of dance?
"My heart goes out to these young girls," says Chitra,"the social structure is no longer conducive to sustain on classical dance alone. There has to be another channel to fulfil the economic needs. Hence though a lot of youngsters are into learning dance seriously, they are unable to make it a full-time profession."
Chitra muses about her own attitude towards Bharatanatyam. "When I was young, there were a lot of classical art shows sponsored by corporates. I used to perform for such evenings to small elite gatherings but on my own terms. I used to insist that my audience take me seriously and not look at me through their drinks. It may sound silly to today's artistes. To me dance is sacred and its sanctity should be maintained at all costs. The only compromise I made was to edit a lengthy dance to suit the occasion. Also I was brought up on traditional and moral values coming as I was from an intellectually sound background."
Married to Visweswaran, a chartered accountant to start with and nephew of the redoubtable GNB, Chitra says she never considered the fall in finances when her husband decided to give up a lucrative career to settle down to singing and composing music for films and later gave that up to take to santoor and research in the gamaka system of music. On her part, given her looks and artistic abilities, the lure of films was constantly there. "It is for the dancer to make a personal choice. Classical art is not mere entertainment, it carries a message not just because it is of gods and mythology but the entire process of learning is like yoga and meditation. As you evolve, you find that ananda (bliss) that becomes an end unto itself."
Looking at her own young students, Chitra feels sad. "They work their bodies out at business processing outsourcing centres nights after nights, wrecking their health in the long run all because it means big money. Fair enough. But why have we become merely service oriented without project centres. Why are we so proud of serving the West, dressing like the westerner, trying to eat what they eat and do what they do. It's tragic that we are no longer proud of being Indians the way Americans are proud of being themselves," she states.
Quoting her own instance at a Middle East performance, where she had to choose a non-religious theme for an international audience, "the appreciation I got was unbelievable. There was a burst of interest in Indian culture, its ancient traditions and heritage. The bottom line is that we should have conviction in our art form. Respect will flow automatically," she observes. That is true artist for you.
RANEE KUMAR
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