“It is meditation and penance,” he declares. “Unlike jazz, salsa or hip hop where a few dance sessions will teach you the tricks of the trade, Bharatnatyam can only be practiced with “angasuddhi” –purification of the body – and requires years of training.”
Bharatnatyam students must compulsorily study the dance form as a course alongside attending the practice sessions. Its history can be traced to more than 2,000 years when it was performed in front of the Hindu temple deities by Devadasis.
“In those times, the teachers were mainly male but with time, the dancers and teachers started being predominantly female,” the teacher informs, adding, “But I believe that Bharatnatyam is also a man’s dance.”
The dance form has been described in the Naatya Veda written by Bharata Muni and is also translated as the composition of ‘Bhava,’ ‘Raga’ and ‘Tala.’ The ornaments used by the performers are strictly made of gold or gold-plated unlike Kathak where the ornaments are made up of silver or are silver-plated.
“Most people are confused with Kathak, Kathakali, Bharatnatyam and Odissi,” shares Chakraborty. “All these ancient dance forms might appear similar to a layman but they are different. From the music to its postures, they have their own distinctive identity,” he explains.
Trained under the renowned Bharatnatyam gurus Sonal Mansingh, Geeta Chandran, and V. Krishnamoorthi, Chakraborty is proud to be practicing and teaching the art form.
“In India too we have a dearth of male Bharatnatyam dancers. Here in Nepal, I’m proud to be teaching ten male students. I continuously tell them, times have changed. One can now make a living by performing Bharatnayam.”
When he started out, he was practicing the dance form and continuing his work as an artist. Having graduated from the College of Art in Delhi, he was exhibiting his paintings and utilizing the money to fund his Bharatnatyam studies.
Now, after 22 years of performing the art form, Chakraborty looks back with satisfaction at the years gone by. He has traveled all over the world performing in front of varied audiences.
“Bharatnatyam can’t be performed in front of anyone. It’s to be showcased in front of the rasikas – the ones who are knowledgeable in arts and literature,” he stresses.
Each act in Bharatnatyam relates the myths and stories of Hindu gods and goddesses. Dancers are not allowed to lip-sync; it’s the hands, feet and eyes that tell the stories. The hymns are chanted by a trained classical singer in Sanskrit, accompanied by the accompaniment of mridangam, violin, flute and the Carnatic veena. Dancers with ghungru tied to their feet dance to the rhythm of the musicians.
“It’s a timeless art. A hundred years ago, dancers were conveying the stories of the scriptures on the same music and even today we’re doing the same.” He mentions Bollywood dance numbers as being transient.
“Two years ago, a different song was popular and now it’s been brushed away by a new one. But the music and postures of Bharatnatyam will stand the test of time. It’ll always be celebrated with the same regard.”
Today, on the occasion of Shiva Ratri, Chakraborty, 46, and his student Matina Manandhar, 24, will be performing as Shiva and Parvati on the banks of the Bagamati River at the Pashupati Aryaghat before the arati ceremony.
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