I was attending the same conference in Copenhagen where Mrinalini presented Shakuntala. Her early productions like Maya and disciple, Matsya Kanya, The Song of Creation, Shakuntala (titled as Curse of Durvasa) drew attention for the use of excellent technique.Choreographing Ganga, Mrinalini recalled the horror of seeing dirt, the burnings on the ghats, the throwing of dirt, chemicals in Ganga. She choreographed with brevity her works and allowed audience to ask questions, interact with her principle dancers Minal Daftari, Purnima Bhagavati, Rupande Shah and Darshini.The story was of a man born, as a child he looks into mirror and wonders about how he moves.
I travelled with her in Kerala when Silent Valley issue came up. Because her parents had not given dowry money. After moving to Ahmedabad she established Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in 1949 and since then she never looked back. Once the audience received understanding to what was presented, she also followed up encouraging audience to ask questions. From childhood to youth, family, old age and final journey. She believed that she was born to dance.Few Gujarati young women joined Darpana to train in Bharatanatyam and Kathakali. It had received rave reviews. It was received with appreciation. These dowry deaths were depicted symbolically to bring attention of audience to the evil of dowry. . On returning to India, Ammu, her mother sent her to Kalakshetra, where she studied for a while and asked her mother to send her to traditional gurus. It took quite some time to establish in an alien state.Mrinalini had studied Kathakali under the great asan Kunju Kurup. She presented Kathakali and Bharatanatyam forms in Ahmedabad inviting local dancers interested in classical dances. She was much influenced by Tagore’s philosophy and humanitarian approach towards untouchablity. Ram Gopal and she partnered for some time. There she studied Dalcroze style of Western dancing. Vikram and Mrinalini got married. Shakuntala questioned him if the ring was not with her then where King had kept it? She called him ‘Anarya’ for his behavior and questioned Kanva rishi, Anasuya and Priyamvada if they knew why they did not tell her? She made it clear to Dushyanta that as a woman she would not accept his behavior. She studied under Chokkalingam Pillai and went to Pandanallur to further study under the great guru Meenakshisund-aram Pillai.
A young bride is tortured by her husband’s people, she is frightened, could not understand why they snatched away everything from her, demanding money, ornaments, and also beating her, and finally she committed suicide. When she came to learn about the social evil of dowry in Gujarat, she choreographed the theme Memory in which without using libretto, she used sollus, mnemonic syllables, effectively like dialogue which people could follow. Thus she came as a bride to Ahmedabad.Born in an aristocratic family of Keralite lawyer Swaminathan and his wife a Member of Parliament Ammu Swaminathan in Chennai, Mrinalini was at a very young age sent to Switzerland for health reasons. She had invited Chatunni Panicker https://www.chinarenren.com/product/grab-bar/ China Safety Grab Bars from Kerala and together they choreographed several dance dramas. This was the twist that turned her production feminist, though the term was then not known. The galaxy of gurus, dancers, writers, critics all were stunned at the use of Kathakali technique to such an advantage to tell story of a man. We went to London from Copenhagen and at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan we presented lecture demonstrations when young Mallika also took part.
Mrinalini’s depiction of women was of dignity. Also her own interpretation of classic like Shakuntala, where she interpreted Shakuntala as not a meek young woman who King Dushyanta had married according to Gandharva vivaha tradition. When the ring fell in river and Shakuntala could not show it, Dushyanta rejected her. Mrinalini had produced it in 1949. Both Mrinalini and I believed firmly that classical dance forms need to be explained and also how age old tradition can metamorphose into contemporary dance. Presenting it at the dance seminar, she drove her point home that classical dance techniques can be used to tell contemporary issues. Ammu her mother sent her to Shantiniketan where for three years she studied dance and participated in dance-dramas of Gurudev Tagore. She performed in Chandalika and many years later choreographed dance-drama about atrocities committed upon untouchable class. What is outstanding about Mrinalini Sarabhai’s several works is that they address several issues: social, environmental, untouchables, care for trees, pollution, even science and mathematics. When Durvasa assured Priyamvada and Anasuya that once the King will see the ring he had given to Shakuntala, his curse would end.
When in Bangalore, she met Ram Gopal, the brilliant exponent of Bharatanat-yam and Kathakali. She was warmly welcomed by her parents-in-law Ambalal and Saralaben Sarabhai. As a self respecting woman she rejected him. Her choreography based in mythological story of Ganga’s descent on earth and later on how people threw all sorts of things, polluting the waters was performed with such clarity that audiences everywhere saw how dance can be an agent of change in hands of Mrinalini. She had a keen sense of focusing on issue using mythological themes and resonate them with contemporary sensibilities. At that time she met Vikram Sarabhai who was studying under Prof C V Raman. She joined his troupe and studied under Guru Kattumannar Muthukumar Pillai.
I travelled with her in Kerala when Silent Valley issue came up. Because her parents had not given dowry money. After moving to Ahmedabad she established Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in 1949 and since then she never looked back. Once the audience received understanding to what was presented, she also followed up encouraging audience to ask questions. From childhood to youth, family, old age and final journey. She believed that she was born to dance.Few Gujarati young women joined Darpana to train in Bharatanatyam and Kathakali. It had received rave reviews. It was received with appreciation. These dowry deaths were depicted symbolically to bring attention of audience to the evil of dowry. . On returning to India, Ammu, her mother sent her to Kalakshetra, where she studied for a while and asked her mother to send her to traditional gurus. It took quite some time to establish in an alien state.Mrinalini had studied Kathakali under the great asan Kunju Kurup. She presented Kathakali and Bharatanatyam forms in Ahmedabad inviting local dancers interested in classical dances. She was much influenced by Tagore’s philosophy and humanitarian approach towards untouchablity. Ram Gopal and she partnered for some time. There she studied Dalcroze style of Western dancing. Vikram and Mrinalini got married. Shakuntala questioned him if the ring was not with her then where King had kept it? She called him ‘Anarya’ for his behavior and questioned Kanva rishi, Anasuya and Priyamvada if they knew why they did not tell her? She made it clear to Dushyanta that as a woman she would not accept his behavior. She studied under Chokkalingam Pillai and went to Pandanallur to further study under the great guru Meenakshisund-aram Pillai.
A young bride is tortured by her husband’s people, she is frightened, could not understand why they snatched away everything from her, demanding money, ornaments, and also beating her, and finally she committed suicide. When she came to learn about the social evil of dowry in Gujarat, she choreographed the theme Memory in which without using libretto, she used sollus, mnemonic syllables, effectively like dialogue which people could follow. Thus she came as a bride to Ahmedabad.Born in an aristocratic family of Keralite lawyer Swaminathan and his wife a Member of Parliament Ammu Swaminathan in Chennai, Mrinalini was at a very young age sent to Switzerland for health reasons. She had invited Chatunni Panicker https://www.chinarenren.com/product/grab-bar/ China Safety Grab Bars from Kerala and together they choreographed several dance dramas. This was the twist that turned her production feminist, though the term was then not known. The galaxy of gurus, dancers, writers, critics all were stunned at the use of Kathakali technique to such an advantage to tell story of a man. We went to London from Copenhagen and at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan we presented lecture demonstrations when young Mallika also took part.
Mrinalini’s depiction of women was of dignity. Also her own interpretation of classic like Shakuntala, where she interpreted Shakuntala as not a meek young woman who King Dushyanta had married according to Gandharva vivaha tradition. When the ring fell in river and Shakuntala could not show it, Dushyanta rejected her. Mrinalini had produced it in 1949. Both Mrinalini and I believed firmly that classical dance forms need to be explained and also how age old tradition can metamorphose into contemporary dance. Presenting it at the dance seminar, she drove her point home that classical dance techniques can be used to tell contemporary issues. Ammu her mother sent her to Shantiniketan where for three years she studied dance and participated in dance-dramas of Gurudev Tagore. She performed in Chandalika and many years later choreographed dance-drama about atrocities committed upon untouchable class. What is outstanding about Mrinalini Sarabhai’s several works is that they address several issues: social, environmental, untouchables, care for trees, pollution, even science and mathematics. When Durvasa assured Priyamvada and Anasuya that once the King will see the ring he had given to Shakuntala, his curse would end.
When in Bangalore, she met Ram Gopal, the brilliant exponent of Bharatanat-yam and Kathakali. She was warmly welcomed by her parents-in-law Ambalal and Saralaben Sarabhai. As a self respecting woman she rejected him. Her choreography based in mythological story of Ganga’s descent on earth and later on how people threw all sorts of things, polluting the waters was performed with such clarity that audiences everywhere saw how dance can be an agent of change in hands of Mrinalini. She had a keen sense of focusing on issue using mythological themes and resonate them with contemporary sensibilities. At that time she met Vikram Sarabhai who was studying under Prof C V Raman. She joined his troupe and studied under Guru Kattumannar Muthukumar Pillai.
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