[Ti-Kwew]

mamata niyogi-nakra wrote:

[Ti-Kwew]

9th January, 2005

My dear Mamata and Bans,

About a week back I received your new book, "Shishu Sadhana – Child-friendly Bharata Natya repertoire" as also a DVD which visually offers what you have written.

As you know I cannot read nowadays due to poor eyesight but I shall get the book read out to me either by my students or by my son Jayadev.

However I was able to see the DVD in its entirety and I am happy I saw it.

What you have attempted is a very new and perhaps an original concept. This is definitely worth giving a very serious look.

The repertoire is indeed quite innovative and covers the expanse of Bharata Natya which holds unlimited potential to anyone who desires to compose and choreograph newer items in the styles propounded by our ancestors.

I was particularly impressed by the discussions that took place during the various sessions and views expressed by your students. They seem to be a dedicated set of enthusiasts. May Lord Nataraja give them strength and ability to perform for years to come.

While the current trend among many dancers here in India is towards greater speed and attendant intricacies, you Mamata have done quite the opposite and made it simpler with a tempo better suited to children of ages up to early teens. This is indeed a laudable effort.

My one important comment is that I would have liked to have seen the same items being performed by a young child instead of a grown man. Also, the ideas though good, still seem to be viewed through the eyes of the adults and not real children.

In spite of these comments, the overall attempt by you to make Bharata Natya child-friendly is a wonderful idea.

May God bless you both and May Lord Nataraja bestow upon you his choices blessings.

With affectionate regards,

U. S. Krishna Rao
Bangalore

[Ti-Kwew]

Dear Aunty,

Namaskar! First of all let me thank you for involving me in the wonderful Child friendly project Sishu Sadhana. I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement when I received the book as well as the DVD. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and enjoyed watching the DVD, especially the comments by the Students after every item. It very clearly showcases the entire process of Sishu Sadhana. I am also very happy that our approach and conceiving of the ideas of each item has reached the students.

I now realize and have learnt from you aunty, how important, the documentation of the process of any project is. Kudos to you and Kalabharati for this masterpiece. I pray almighty that May Sishu Sadhana reach Children and Dance institutions all over the World. I shall do my best in propagating Sishu Sadhana through my tours and programmes.

I saw yet another child in my father when I gave him the book and the DVD. He was very touched to see his name as well as his letter in the book. He was further excited when I played the DVD. His immediate reaction was "Ava Eppadi itha Pnnina": How did she do this?

He asked me to convey his wishes as well as blessings to you.

Bye for now.

Lots of love,

Namaskar!

O. S. Arun

[renu_chitra]

I must express my sincere gratitude to Mamata Aunty for creating a masterpiece Shishu Sadhana. I am so honored and privileged to have been a part of this process. I realize from looking through the book that I have been a part of this as a young student who was involved in the projects assigned to make dance a fun experience and to help in the development.

The launch was a success and all compliments to Aunty. Her attention to details in the book and DVD are commendable and unique. I don’t think there are many in this world who can think through the subtleties to allow the reader/viewer/dancer/teacher such ease in absorbing the world of dance through the eyes of a child.

All the items had a child-friendly theme. This is very important as it makes the learning of dance for a child fun. It should not be thought by the teacher as accommodating the child;s maturity but rather accepting it and giving to the child what he/she can relate to. At the same time the elements that help a child’s development have been incorporated in the dance. Children need different venues in their life to enhance their learning and dance is a great medium that can provide both physical and mental challenges to a child and grow both physically and mentally. Knowing this for a teacher is one thing but to incorporate it when teaching a child is another and can be challenging. Mamata Aunty and Bans Uncle have been an integral source to guide the teachers at Kala Bharati what items and how to teach them. They have provided us with articles and information and reminding us that we have a tool to not only teach dance but to enhance the faculties in the mind.

As I watched the items yesterday I felt shivers throughout my body. It was like my body was telling me “What are you doing sitting and watching the items go, get up and start learning them so you can pass this gift to the children”.

I am so happy for Mamata Aunty and Bans Uncle. They are two who have shown us teachers at Kala Bharati what passion is all about. The work of Shishu Sadhana has reflected on many aspects that they have guided us to implement in our teachings and curriculum in the dance school. I am receiving this gift first hand and can hope and pray that I transmit Shishu Sadhana in its purest rendition when teaching it to the children.

Love,
Renu

[Sacha]

Namaste to all,

I would first like to extend my deepest gratitude to Mamata Aunty for giving me the opportunity to see Shishu Sadhana unfold, let alone take part in it. As a teacher at Kala Bharati, this repertoire is a wonderful gift which Aunty has bestowed upon us. Watching the whole process has truly been a momentous experience. For me, to be able to watch an artist at work, an artist lost in the creative process, is one of the most potent teaching and inspirational tools in the world. I have learned so much simply from watching Aunty work. Then to be handed the complete repertoire on DVD plus the book which outlines the creative process is to be given a truly priceless gift. In the end, I am sure that the gift of the Shishu Sadhana repertoire will prove to be inspirational and motivating for years to come.

In looking to comment upon the actual repertoire I will only mention a few general things as many of my comments can be found already on the DVD itself. Firstly, I would like to say that in watching the items it is incredible to see how the music and dance blend so effortlessly together. Throughout it seems as if the movements stimulate the music and vice versa. To see each element (dance and music) being stimulated and nourished by the other was so wonderful. Secondly, I wanted to mention my deep wonder at how versatile and commanding this repertoire is. While the repertoire is aimed at children, it is equally (if not more)challenging and inspirational for adult dancers. Each and every item presents a unique opportunity for an adult dancer to explore his/her abilities as well as his/her own creativity.

In terms of responding to the comments from those two very special individuals there is very little that I can say that would adequately thank them for their presence and contributions and their very kind words. Indeed, as a student and teacher I do not merit the kind words that Guruji and Arunji wrote as I know that there is so much more that I could be doing to serve the art form. I will, however, thank them deeply for their continued presence and their kind words. I must also mention that the continued support of Guruji means so much to all of us as he is such a extraordinary figure in dance and in life. Furthermore, I cannot imagine dance without Arunji's music. His music is so inspirational and moving that every time I hear him sing my heart starts to dance.

Finally, last but certainly not least, I would like to thank Bans Uncle for his continued presence and support. Indeed, both Mamata Aunty and Bans Uncle have been a continued source of guidance and learning. Indeed, the work that Aunty and he do in the field of dance has pushed us all to think beyond simply teaching the movements and really look at what we are teaching and how we are teaching. Thank you very much Bans Uncle for all that you do for us.

In any case, I have already gone on long enough and so I will part with the remark that I cannot wait to finish learning the repertoire and I cannot wait to start teaching the repertoire as I know that there are many many more things that I will learn from this repertoire and many things which will inspire me for years to come.

Thank you.
Sacha

[Bhava]

As I go through my emotions when thinking about Shishu Sadhana, I can see that I went from amazement to joy then to surprise, and finally to contentment. These feelings depict the pure happiness to have shared this moment and to have participated in a wonderful project created by an incomparable person whose capacity for the unthinkable came true.

Mamata aunty gave the world a true heritage of learning, but also a guide for the teachers and human beings in us. As humans, we do not tend to think about the simplest way of teaching a lesson or attracting the interest of a child. By creating a repertoire for the child within the context of Bharata Natya, and by keeping the intricacies and technicalities of the art form, Mamata aunty showed us that we should have dreams and work towards them.

When one thinks about the mind behind such a “chef d’oeuvre”, I feel lucky and grateful to have shared moments with Mamata aunty. She thought about all the details that this book could bring to a reader, a student, a teacher, but also to the person who will learn how to communicate to a kid. She thought about the themes relevant to the child world; the music is original depending on the items and the combination of these two makes all dances unique. I must say that I feel particularly impressed by the spirituality that Aradhana evokes. By sharing her creative process with us, Mamata aunty shows us that all things are possible when you have imagination.

I wish to thank Mamata aunty and Bans uncle for always guiding me and teaching me about life in various manners. By giving me the chance to participate in this project, they have showed me that the imaginary has no borders. I am sincerely touched and grateful for this opportunity.

With love,
Bhava

[JayaSC]

Greetings to all,

I would like to first offer my most heartfelt pranam and thanks to Mamata Aunty for continuously gifting us with her most inspirational creations. We are so fortunate as teachers of Kala Bharati to have been able to witness such a treasure in the creation of Shishu Sadhana. To have a guru like Mamata Aunty is truly a blessing, not only because of her brilliant artisitc mind but for the fact that she constantly finds ways to open our eyes to the great possibilities Bharata Natya has to offer.

This past weekend when Shishu Sadhana was introduced, not only was it received with such excitement but it generated so much joy in the children as well as in the adults. The most touching moment for me was when I overheard a woman telling Aunty how moved she was that tears came to her eyes. I felt her joy and said to myself, how lucky we at Kala Bharati are to be part of what I call a revolution in Bharata Natya by none other than our guru.

As a young teacher at Kala Bharati, I appreciate the passion that Aunty has transmitted through her work. Not only does the Shishu Sadha exude artistic brilliance but it reveals a sensitivity that Aunty has to the educational aspect of a child's learning as she has found ways for children to explore their various intelligences, be it spatial, mind-body or simply creative. Each item has a uniqueness to it. The entrances and exits to each item are quite varied so as to keep the mind of the child engaged in the dance while sustaining the interest of the audience. When I first watched this masterpiece, I found myself saying, "what will she come up with next?" and I was pleasantly surprised with a "participatory ending" or an innocent playful ending or a "hop-scotch" ending...sheer delight.
To add to the uniqueness of this repertoire for children, the languages explored also showed how innovative one can be simply by allowing the diversity of the Indian languages to be known through dance...Bangla, Hindi, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil... something for everyone to enjoy.

Even though the whole creation has opened up my mind, the aspect that strikes me the most is Aunty's ability to capture the joy and innocence of a child through the movements, the emotions, the storyline and the themes, each item reflecting a child living in his or her own world, experiencing the pure joy of dance, not as interpreted by an adult but as felt by a child. How did she do it? It is a divine gift which she possesses and all I can say is that I am truly honored to be among the privileged few who continue to have the opportunity to work with such a guru.

Thank you Aunty for inspiring us through your brilliance and passion for dance. Thank you to Bans Uncle also for starting the ball rolling often with discussions on the multiple intelligences and for sharing so much of your own wisdom which is also reflected in this work of art.
I look forward to learning and transmitting these pieces to the students at Kala Bharati but equally my wish is that the Shishu Sadhana be shared with children all over the globe so that they too can have the chance to experience the magic of this beautiful creation in dance.

pranam,
Jaya

[Ti-Kwew]

Dear Mamata,

Forgive my delay in writing as I was felled by a bad flu shortly after your wonderful afternoon Sunday.

What a delight to have had your little book beside me these last days. I was very much impressed by Sunday's presentation and the scope of your project and this dear little book reinforces my enthusiasm for what you have done.

Not only does it fetchingly describe the process of realization of your dream with warmth and heartfelt memories, it does so with great allure reflecting the child-friendly Shishu Sadhana that you have created in similar style and grace.

You know I loved the presentation. You must have heard me giggling. Somehow with this new repertoire, you transcended your adulthood to become a child again. You teased classical dance ideas in such a way that they entered and enriched the child in each of us, reawakening the joys of universal childhood. I am sure it will delight children of today and tomorrow as much as those of yesterday.

Thank you Mamata. Would that other choreographers show such sensitivity.

Much love,

Linde

[Ti-Kwew]

Comment will be translated later on into English :

[Ti-Kwew]

Dear Mamata and Bans,

Both Parvathi and myself enjoyed the presentation of Shishu Sadhana last Sunday. True to the motto of Kalabharati, "In alien soil, sprouting amidst maple leaves, age-old tradition", Mamata's years of sadhana on developing a child friendly Bharata Natya, has sprouted now amidst the maple leaves! Of course it is an evolution and if I tie the process to any point in time stating that "it sprouted", it does not do justice to the hard work that went in bringing it to this stage.

We had watched with joy the four items presented last Sunday, Tillana, Amar Putul, Varna and Shabda. Later on we watched at home from the DVD that you gave, the remaining items, Jatiswara, aradhana, Meri Chitti, and the Alarippu. It is a complete repertoire that can be presented by a child where emotions natural to a child are incorporated. A child showing adult emotions will be completely unnatural, and hence the freshness and the novelty of this repertoire. Whether it is the dolls, or the animals, or the musical sound from various instruments, they have been very aptly infused into the traditional fabric of the Bharata Natya.

Shishu Sadhana is a unique sadhana, and you have let it sprout. We do hope that it will grow to become a tree amidst the maple trees, and catch the imagination of the art lovers.

Sincerely,

Rama