To keep consciousness within a soul alive is a difficult task in today’s world. Especially when we as mortals are surrounded by so much of negativity around. But to arise from this vicious circle of cynicism and taking action against the issues that plague the society requires a huge leap of faith in oneself and the world. Adhering to this philosophy in some ways is renowned danseuse Dr Sonal Mansingh who is back with her latest offering Eco Puran, an Odissi dance production that brings relevance to modern day issues concerning ecology.
For Mansingh, whose holistic upbringing has ingrained aesthetic sensibilities into her life, dance was something she took to without any second thought or doubts about the future. “I am known to not tread the conventional path and often take off from the mundane. I have grown up in a family where social welfare meant a lot and I’ve lived in villages observing and studying different conditions. So living in my comfort zone was definitely not an option and there was always this desire to step out of it,” says Mansingh who has always pushed boundaries to bring forth something interesting and innovative to the audience.
Eco Puran highlights global warming issues, and reflects upon conservation of nature. She has carefully chosen three instances from our mythology, which very well relate to present day problems — crow, Kaliya Mardan and Shiva. “All of them stand as symbols, metaphors and allegories of human emotions,” she says. The story of the crow reflects upon a famous saying by Mahatma Gandhi, “There is enough for everybody’s need but there is not enough for everybody’s greed.” While Kaliya Mardan is a story about how Krishna takes upon himself to eliminate the undesirable elements in the world. The venomous serpent Kaliya spreads poisonous vapours, which dries up the trees and the river of Yamuna. Krishna fights with the snake and stops the poison that was emanating from the snake. Here, Mansingh addresses the issue of pollution.
“In contemporary times and these are the issues that concern everyone. A lot has been said and done about conservation of nature. But this a production that hits your psyche in a forceful manner. They are openly symbolised and are direct in their tone, which we often miss out in choreography since we tend to pay more attention to aesthetics and beauty,” says Mansingh. “There are parallel streams in my consciousness and these concepts develop over a period of time. So one can’t really pinpoint and say how and when the concept developed or materialised,” she adds.
Imagining the enormous possibilities is what excites Mansingh. “There are times when we wonder if a particular issue concerns us. But social responsibility is something I deeply feel about. Even our regular repertoire in Odissi, which has the pallavis and ashtapadis, can go beyond the aesthetics and beauty. For example, the river Yamuna in the ashtapadi Dheera Sameere is described so beautifully that at times it hits you hard and you realise the reality is far from the ideal situation. The river Yamuna is simply not the one you relate to from Dheera Sameere. So it is about looking beyond the regular and widening that realm of imagination,” says Mansingh.
Talking about imagination and aesthetics, contemporary dance is catching up among Indian classical dancers hugely. “I don’t have any issues with anyone doing contemporary dance. It is about their vision and capabilities. I have been around for quite some time and have seen the growth of contemporary dance right from its initial days to what it has grown into today. If it is beautiful, it stays and that is the basic truth for any dance form,” says Mansingh. Having said that, Mansingh adds that classical dance should evolve and develop with time.
“It cannot and should not remain static. What is more important is the methodology and intention of the dancer. If it is just about pleasing your audience through beauty and aesthetics then one needs to rethink. But if you are adding more value to aesthetic, then there is something worthwhile to look out for. Art needs to go deeper and mature where the essence is in going beyond the physical be-auty,” she says.