The story of Nandanar or overcoming limitations

I was going through my books this morning and found the notebook from my bharata natyam dance classes in India back in the early 1990s. From 1993 to 1994 I lived in Madras (now called Chennai) and had the opportunity to study dance with a well known master. I went to dance classes everyday - it was affordable to do so. My dance teacher practised a softer style of bharata natyam, full of beautiful movements reconstructed from temple sculptures, very elegant and sensuous. The choreography  was superb.

Photographer: Nick Savy

When I was not dancing myself I used to watch the seniors in their  class, learning an abhinaya piece. Abhinaya  pieces are based on  a combination of dance movements with no narrative and dance movements with a denotative meaning, utilised to tell a story through gestures.

There are several such compositions. The one that was being taught during the time of my visit was the story of Nanadanar. I started learning some sections but never completed it. It is such a moving piece, reading the lyrics brought tears to my eyes.

Photographer: Paul Viant

Nandanar was an untouchable by birth and as such he was not allowed to worship in a Hindu temple, which is only open to caste Hindus.  He was a devotee of the god Shiva and wanted to have a glimpse of the Lord in the beautiful temple of Chidambaram where the Lord is enshrined in his form as the Lord of the cosmic dance (Nataraja).  Nandanar  greatly feared that the Brahmin priests in charge of the temple  would prevent him from entering, but his devotion overcame this obstacle, he stood outside the temple and the Lord granted his wish, revealing himself to him. Nandanar became physically merged with Siva in a blaze of light.

I have seen beautiful renditions of this story and one of its best interpreters is the amazing Dominique Delorme a French dancer who has been practising bharata natyam for decades and is one of the best dancers of the genre - this surely proves that bharata natyam is an international and  cosmopolitan dance genre, no longer limited to Indian practitioners and to India alone.

Photographer: David J. Green

 The story  never fails to have an impact on me. It still has relevance in contemporary India where caste prejudice, especially in rural areas, has not been overcome. It is also relevant as a metaphor in relation to one's own life. Perseverance, the power and strength of one's convictions, overcoming prejudice and pettiness: all this can be read into the story, as well as the notion that beauty, truth and light will reveal themselves to those who seek it.

Photographer: Gina King

(All photos modelled by Alex B.)

Comments

  1. well, hindhu is so impression...
    i have 4 years in bali (did you know about bali?) there are hindhu island in indonesia....
    i learn about it, yeah... so cool....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh Bali. Yes I have been there, beautiful island, great dance, great gamelan

    ReplyDelete
  3. well, but i stay in jakarta now...

    ReplyDelete

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