The Adult Indian Dance Student My continuing journey of lifelong learning Dance and Identity My Voice by Preethi Sriram
Nataraja Pathu (Song to Lord Nataraja) Indha ulageerezhu men alithai chollu, ini unnai viduvathillai, Eesane, sivakami nesane, yenai eendra, thillai vaazh natarajane. Translation- Please tell me, why did you create these two times seven worlds, I am not going to leave you, Oh God, Oh darling of Parvathi, Oh Nataraja of Chidambaram who gave birth to me. The lines above are from a Tamil Song to Lord Nataraja (The Lord of the Dance) written by Muniswamy Mudaliar and translated by P.R Ramachandar. Music is one of the most integral parts of dance. At least for Indian classical dance, without poetry and music, it is hard to have dance. I wish to explain the importance of music in dance from my experience this past year. When I was sick for a day this past year, I became delirious. I was mad and upset and cursed the divinities for the pain. It was a completely vulnerable time, and at that moment, hurt and trying to find answers- I.e.- “why this pain? Why this creation? Why this suffering?” I was raging and burning (due to probably a high fever) and hurled my frustration at the creations. Like the poet who wrote the Nataraja Pathu (though not as beautiful, nor with any sort of poetry attached), I became the questioner, asking “why?” and “take pity on us” and “how cruel” and “give us reprieve.” Yet, one of the things that gave me solace was listening to mantras/slokas/bhajans. Strangely, I kept singing to myself all the mantras and slokas I knew. I could not recall much of it. All I wanted to do was listen to the devotional music. In the past, where would one have turned to in this moment? It would be hard to summon a priest to chant. Or it would be challenging to try and find a private musician at that very moment to sing the specific songs that one would desire to take us to a place closer to a greater consciousness. continued on page 82
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June 2021
