KUALA LUMPUR, June 16: It is important to keep the traditions and ceremonies that come with Indian classical dance forms like Bharata Natyam alive, says Dato Seri Dr Sri Sukunthan, National Deputy President of Majlis Kebudayaan dan Warisan Nusantara (Cultural and Heritage Council of the Archipelago), a non governmental organisation that promotes arts and cultural activities in the country.
Sukunthan, who was the guest of honour at a recent Salangai Pooja (homage to ankle bells), a ceremony that marks a dance student’s adornment of the ankle bells for performance in public for the first time, said these practices would ensure the continuity of the art form and its rituals, besides training a new generation of dancers in the country.
Sukunthan said this in his opening address at the Salangai Pooja event organised by the Indrani Dance Academy at the Kalamandapam hall in Brickfields here.
He said creative and cultural activities in the country including performing arts – beside being in synch with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Malaysia Madani vision of a society built on the principles of values, culture, unity, and mutual respect meant to foster a compassionate society – will also raise the country’s attraction as a tourism destination.
He also commended the teachers and students of the dance academy for their dedication to the art form, particularly its artistic director and dance instructor Dr. Indrani Sugumar, for having successfully organised the academy’s 18th Salangai Pooja and for playing a part in promoting classical art forms in the country.
In Malaysia, this ancient art, which has been practiced along with other classical dances in India for more than two thousand years, has continued to flourish. Many dance schools and instituitions like the Indrani Dance Academy, besides offering the strenuous practical training, also provide theory lessons and school the students on the various traditions and rituals to observe.
A total of 10 students meanwhile participated at the Salangai Pooja event, performing for the first time with their new dance anklets, supported by an encouraging audience comprising community leaders, dance instructers, parents and other well wishers. Besides the traditional Bharata Natyam repertoire from Allarippu to Thillana, they also danced to Thevaram songs (Tamil devotional hymns in praise of Lord Shiva).
Among the notable performers were a teacher from SJKT Batu Caves, Aruna Devi Krishnan, 41, and Yogaselvi Baskaran, 45, who were praised for their dedication and successful completion of the initial learning and embarking into further training and a deeper understanding of Bharata Natyam.
Sukunthan also noted the ceremony for its significance in paying homage both to the dance form and to the dance guru after many years of rigorous practice, learning and the sacrifices made along the way.
He said the arts also had the capacity to unite communities and by preserving and nurturing traditional art forms like Bharatanatyam, Malaysians can continue to celebrate their multifaceted cultures and strengthen the national identity.
This is a sponsored press release.