A priest of the Jesuit order, Fr. Saju George, a Jesuit priest, and his institution, Kalahridaya, paid their tribute to Prof. CV Chandrasekhar recently at Gyan Manch. The Calcutta Jesuit Provincial, Prof. Fr Arjen James Tete, S.J., was the chief guest. Fr James Tete is also the chairman of Kalahridya Trust, the creative art, music and dance centre at Raghabpur in Nepalganj. Kalahridaya, the Heart of Art and the Universal Home of Art and Culture, is a Jesuit institution dedicated to the artistic, cultural and spiritual development of children and young adults with a definite priority on the education of the rural and underprivileged girl children.
Kalahridaya is dedicated to promoting, propagating, popularising, preserving and perpetuating the life-promoting and life-enhancing arts, like the Indian classical dances, creative and modern dances, Rabindrik/Tagore style of music and dance, folk, tribal and semi-classical dances; theatre, classical vocal and instrumental music, painting and sculpture, martial arts, etc. It aims to bring the arts to the reach of the less privileged and backward communities, to utilise the arts and cultures for international understanding, human unity and social development, and to uplift the society through research-orientated performances and programmes.
Advertisement
Keeping in mind the Jesuit mission of the ‘Preferential option for the poor,’ this centre focuses on promoting peace and harmony in the world. It upholds the Divine as beauty and truth. Kalahridaya serves especially the Dalit communities in the surrounding areas. The motto of Kalahridaya is “Speak truth and live righteous.”.
Paying a rich tribute to late CV Chandrasekhar (22 May 1935–19 June 2024), the Jesuit Provincial of Bengal, Rev. Fr Arjen James Tete, S.J., spoke glowingly about the departed soul of Prof. Chandrashekhar, who was well read and well versed in music and dance. A Bharatanatyam exponent, an academician and a highly acclaimed guru. A senior member of the faculty of dance at Banaras Hindu University, he has served it in many capacities. He was also the dean of fine arts at M S University, Baroda, for a long period.
Prof. CV Chandrasekhar was a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, besides being awarded the prestigious Kalidas Samman and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.
Fr Saju George, S.J., has trained under Professor CV Chandrasekhar, among others.
Fr Saju George, who has made Kolkata his home, is certainly the pride of Bengal for his innovative talents in spreading dance and music to the Dalits. A true disciple of Jesus Christ in postmodern Bengal and in its rich cultural heritage.
Fr Saju George, S.J., paid rich tribute to Prof. Chandrasekhar with a rich fare of dance. Perfectly trained dancers were chosen to present Pushpanjali, Jatiswaram, Anandanatamidum Padam, Dance of the Holy Spirit, “Morbina othe kon sure baje-Rabindra Sangeet,” “Irukaram Koopi Iraiunnai Thozuthaal Varum,” and Thillana.
Parvati Ghoroi, Akansha Mondal, Subhechha Mondal, Pratiksha Sardar, Satyen Sur, Kalipada Mondal, Pritam Mondal and Dhrubajyoti Sarkar were epitomes of perfection. Patronage from the dance community and the religious communities will be of great help to them. Vocalists Sunanda Haldar and Paramita Choudhury commenced the evening with their melodious singing.
Those who were associated with late CV Chandrasekhar also paid their homage to him.
Odissi dancer Arpita Venkatesh performed the dance-drama ‘’SAMAY’—ETERNAL AND CHANGES WITH KARMA at Gyan Manch.
“na śvaḥ śvamupāsīta
ko hī manuṣyasya śvo veda”
“Do not wait for tomorrow; do your karma; who knows what the future of mankind holds?”
The theme was unfolded in a dance-drama in the Guru Kelucharan style of Odissi, drawing examples from Indian mythological stories.
As the saying goes, “Time and tide wait for no man.” So it is with us human beings. The time gone by never ever comes back. The dew drops that gather on lotus leaves are there momentarily to be replaced once again. Every moment of our existence on earth should be lived fully and happily.
Lord Shiva, who is Mahakaal, could not control his wife Sati’s death. Circumstances led Sita to perish in the sacrificial fire of her father Daksha’s Yagna. Time’s powerlessness to heal all that befalls one without the power of his patience and endurance was portrayed through the mythological story of Ahalya, who was cursed by her husband, Gautama Maharishi. The choreographer’s analysis and interpretations of Ahalya’s self-search to heal her wounds, along with Time, and then be subsequently hailed as one of the Pancha-Kanyas of Indian Mythology was quite a creative take. The story of Ahalya’s self-search as depicted in “SAMAY” was given much thought. Time heals.
Every moment we spend is important. Every second counts. Every day that passes by can be the last in our life and hence ought to be the most memorable one, the most valuable one, the most eventful one. Nothing should be left for the future.
Any work of passion needs time to be created. A poem cannot be written in a hurry. Music cannot be composed in haste. Like they say, “Rome was not built in a day.” Every creation is a fruit of passion, and a fruit takes time to ripen. Most of the time, though, one forgets the simple truth of life that there is no shortcut to success. Nothing happens by chance. Like Ratnakara, who was a dacoit to start with, also did hard penance to become sage Valmiki. Ratnakara, who was given to killing and looting from all passersby of the jungle for the sustenance of his family, was transformed on meeting a great sage who convinced Ratnakara to ask his family if they would share the punishment for his crimes. Their denial was a turning point in his life. Ratnakar then resolved to serve the lord and did severe penance to become Sage Valmiki. This was enacted in the presentation “SAMAY” to establish that time changes with good karma. A good analogy. If you do not have enough time, you do not have the passion, and you would not be able to create anything.
Concept and dance composition was by Arpita Venkatesh, while music composition was by Sukanta Kundu. Rhythms were composed by Satchidananda Das. Scriptwriter Braja Mishra searched the great epics to choose the stories selected. Light designs were by Uttiya Jana.
The characters of Shiva, Sati, Ahalya and Ratnakara were portrayed by Arpita Venkatesh.
Supporting performers were Maumita Dutta, Neetika Maitra, Indrajit Sarkar, Amrita Sarkar, Dipshikha Maity, Reedeeta Pal, Sagnika Sikdar and Vandita Venkatesh.
The writer is a senior dance critic
