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 Dancer,
choreographer, painter, photographer and author, Komala Varadan
performed recently at the World Dance
Congress in Athens for third consecutive
year. One of 1000 artistes who participated
in the gala event organised by the International Dance Council -- an
umbrella organisation under UNESCO.
Talking about her experience in Athens, the Padma Shri awardee says:
"Such competitions widen your horizon. It is such a pleasure to
exchange notes with so many people. Some of the dances may not have
that classical or mystical touch, but there is so much of hard work
that goes into a performance. All this one realises only when you see
the dance."
Apart from Mrs. Varadan's, there were ten
other Bharatanatyam recitals and one Odissi dance performance during
the event. "Indian culture is so popular abroad. There was one
Bharatanatyam dancer from Greece. I did not even know that people in
Greece were aware of this Indian dance form!" she says.
Last year, when she was invited by the Indo-Hellenic Society of
Culture and Development (ELINEPA) to perform at the Cultural Center of
Cholargos Municipality, Ms. Varadan had also
given a lecture-demonstration on one of her renowned recitals titled "Prakritim
Vande" (A Salutation to Nature) where she combines her talent in dance
and photography in a tribute to Mother Nature. The video version of "Prakritim
Vande" had won a "Certificate of Special Merit" at the International
Film Festival on Nature organised by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
 Mrs.
Varadan, who was nine when she gave her maiden performance, has the
distinction of performing at the United Nations building in New York.
She was the first dancer to conceptualise and choreograph "Ram Charit
Manas" as a solo Bharatanatyam presentation that was later produced in
the form of a book. She has also been running an institute in Delhi --
Kalaikoodam -- for promotion of arts, literature and culture for the
past 23 years. While she herself teaches Bharatanatyam at the
institute, she has been instrumental in organising talks, seminars and
cultural programmes. "The art and culture of India is a treasure that
has endured onslaughts of many kinds. However, I wish the youth and
more so their parents feel more passionately about this and take dance
more seriously. They still give importance to academics over fine
arts," she rues.
Courtesy:
NEW FRONTIERS: Multi-faceted artiste Komala Varadan performing at the
World Dance Congress in Athens recently by
Parul Sharma.
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