Based on Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna’s song titled Poromboke, Bharatanatyam dancer Suhasini Koulagi’s path-breaking new video uses the stark background of dumping grounds to remind people that community land is meant to simply exist, naturally and unaltered, for the sustenance of human life. That we need to take responsibility for the condition of the world around us.
Suhasini Koulagi, who has a Masters in Bharatanatyam, points out, “There are many songs and short films that highlight environmental problems but there are seldom to no classical dance videos doing this. Poromboke refers to both, land that is reserved for communities to share, and also something that is useless.
Here, I tried combining both the meanings and said that the Mother Earth is not yours nor mine, rather it is everyone’s but we are making it useless,” explains the dancer, who developed this Bharatanatyam dance for the two-year old Poromboke song and shot it around dumping yards and drains with towering buildings in the background.
The urban ugliness emphasises the need for saving the environment drastically. Cinematographer Sumukh, who shot the video in those polluted compounds in and around the city, was as shocked as she was when they saw 100-150 huge vehicles with garbage from Bengaluru alone.
“Art is one of the most unbeatable communication channels to convey a message. Also, I did not want to add any beauty to my dance. I wanted it to be more realistic, about the pressing situation. That’s why I wanted the shoot to be done in those places. Those huge acres of garbage at Kengeri, Banashankari, Mavalli and the northern part of the city startled me. When I approached the officials for all the permissions from, they too encouraged me to plead for the cause,” she relates. With rapid developments in the habitat, she has seen a huge difference in the city. While it was heaven in the old days, it is entirely different now, say the city’s older residents.
The concept of the video has met with appreciation from young and old alike. Suhasini smiles, “I am grateful to those who understood the need of the hour for the city and put their money where their concern was. My father is a staunch Gandhian and his policies were smoothly followed in our family. With his helping hand and crowd funding, I could successfully complete my dream. Most of it was spent on the equipment and for travelling to various locations.” Carnatic vocalist and author TM Krishna himself appreciated her approach with this proposal. “He even guided me after I showed him what I was planning,” she says.
Suhasini believes that this is the power of dance. According to the progressive thinker, “The origin of Indian classical performance was attributed to Natyaveda.
The intention was to empower and uplift society through it. Most of the time, it has been seen as a performance about God and the ancient epics. This art follows the value system of age-old eras, while the generations have gone through a tremendous shift in every possible way. I feel an art form must also refer to the present and relate to it.”
