It has become a trend of sorts, for cultural shows to be connected with human day-to-day problems. Organised by Karunashraya to commemorate World Hospice Day, Karanamaham, a fundraiser, it gives us a glimpse of our responsibility towards nature. Combining art, and a social cause has become one of the best ways to send out a strong message. Mamatha Karanth, who has choreographed and conceptualised this show will be performing with her group Natyalahari. “I have always been concerned about the environment, which has made me more dutiful to contribute in making our surrounding better. I have an added advantage as an artiste, which is influencing people through my dance,” Mamatha Karanth explains. She feels that the intrinsic purpose of any artform is to take people to a higher consciousness, and convey a message to society. Nature is the focal point of this entire show. Elaborating on the theme, she adds, “Extreme circumstances make man abuse the environment. The cliched belief is that someone can correct the effects of our collective selfish actions. One can relate this to our religious belief of Kalki – an avatara of Sri Vishnu – who descends on earth to cleanse us.”
Through this show, Mamatha cautions the world not to wait for Kalki but to be the Kalki of change, themselves. If everyone follows this, the world will be a beautiful place to live in. The relevance of this theme in today’s world, she feels is that, “Our ancestors lived with nature, and it is important for us, and equally important for future generations to understand this relationship.” A Bharatanatyam dancer, she also restores the sanctity of the artform, adding, “It is a challenge to weave modern themes with traditional artforms, and still remain within the boundary of Bharatanatyam. My intention is to convey a message in the disguise of traditional Bharatanatyam, hence I have included certain epic characters too.” This show will also include glimpses of the Dashavatara.
A group of nine girls with their guru will emote this concept on stage. Dancer Mayuri Karanth explains, “The masculine side akin to commerce, economics has taken over the world, making us forget our feminine side. Through the show, I learnt how to be responsible for the environment we live in.” A city-based recruiter who aspired to fulfill her mother’s wishes, Navya has been dancing since the second grade, and she reveals, “This show is for a very beautiful cause. This is our attempt to send out a message and raise funds for Karunashraya. This is something that will stay with me my entire life. It is a small gesture to show people that we need to be the change rather than wait for someone else to do it.” Another dancer, inspired by her guru Mamatha Karanth, Vidushi Maneesha Parthasarathy has been dancing for over 16 years, and she adds, “Everyone can do something to protect and preserve what is left of our environment. Living in a city that has dumping grounds in every nook and cranny, if we take time out to clean our world, it will make a huge difference.” Mamatha also wants to explore a show on ‘Women Empowerment” next, which she has been working on.
— The show will be staged on October 28 at MLR Convention Centre.
