Dancer's mission
P.K. AJITH KUMAR
|
Darshana Jhaveri continues her mission to popularise Manipuri dance all over India and the world.
|
PHOTOS: S. RAMESH KURUP
SMITTEN BY MANIPURI: Darshana Jhaveri has choreographed several new pieces in the Manipuri dance form.
Nayana is no more. Suvarna has quit. Ranjana performs rarely. But Darshana is determined to carry on the tradition of the Jhaveri sisters. She knows she has promises to keep and miles to go before she succeeds in her mission to popularise Manipuri dance. Darshana was in Kerala recently on one such mission when she performed and gave a lecture-demonstration for school students in Kozhikode. The programme was arranged by SPIC MACAY. "I hope at least a few of them would want to know more about the Manipuri dance form," she says.
Enchanted by Manipuri
Just as she herself did, when she was six. She had seen her two elder sisters, Nayana and Ranjana, being taught Manipuri dance by the legendary Guru Bipin Singh at their Mumbai home, and was enchanted. Little did the Jhaveri sisters know then that their passion would become the mission of their lives - to popularise Manipuri dance.
"I had learnt a little bit of Kathak and Nayana was into Kathakali, but we realised that it was Manipuri that we really wanted to do. Maybe we were destined to take Manipuri dance out of the temples to the world," she adds.
They did that with the help of Bipin Singh. "We travelled to Manipur many times, met the traditional dancers there, did research and choreographed new items."
The sisters started performing in the 1950's and presented shows in India and abroad.
Recently, Darshana choreographed `Krishna Sthuti' and `Radha Sthuti.' "A few years, back I had choreographed `Chitrangandha' which was very well received," she adds. She recalls that in the Fifties there was a misconception that the Manipuri dance form was more of a folk form rather than a classical dance. "Our Guruji was disappointed but, eventually, through our hard work we were able to remove those misconceptions by exploring the classical and literary base of the Manipuri dance. And we produced many dance dramas too," she recalls.
"We were also the first non-Manipuris to perform at the Govindajee Palace Temple in Imphal, in 1958," Darshana reminisces.
"It was an unforgettable experience, as all the four of us danced, with our guru playing the drum. It was great dancing in front of eminent musicians and a large number of devotees."
She admits there has been a decline in the number of girls at the Manipuri Nartanalaya in Mumbai, where she teaches along with Ranjana.
"Manipuri dance was more popular among the girls earlier, but I see a lot more boys coming to the institute. We still have many female students in our institutes in Kolkata and Manipur. I wish more girls, from different parts of India, come forward to learn Manipuri; it's one of the most graceful of our art forms," says the dancer who can mesmerise an audience at the age of 67.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
