[Nakrabm]

Dear Mamata-di,

What I especially appreciate about Shishu Sadhana is the fact that it is cognitively sound, as well as committed to the socio-cultural values that Canadians hold so dear, such as diversity, tolerance and community. “I felt that the lyrics of the accompanying songs should be in different Indian languages, exposing the child to the diversity of the multilingual Indian culture and thereby adding an enriching dimension to the context of training” (Shishu Sadhana, chapter two).

The project is so philosophically rich, methodologically sound and well-documented that I am not surprised it has been receiving kudos and international attention. This is not simply a congratulatory comment: in this short letter to you, I hope to be able to amplify my observations and highlight some of the specific pedagogical and philosophical aspects in which Shishu Sadhana is particularly -- and I believe uniquely -- strong.

I. PEDAGOGY: EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

In your compendium to Shishu Sadhana, you outline the pedagogical considerations that were seminal to the creation and development of this “child-friendly” repertoire, which I summarize as the following. A child-friendly repertoire should:

· be experientially based and appropriate to children’s developmental stages
· retain the essential ‘heart’ of the traditional form, while being flexible enough to adapt to skill and comprehension levels of children
· be interesting and enjoyable to children, by highlighting the kinds of psychological and imaginative states, like humour and surprise, best explored and most understandable to children.

That Shishu Sadhana has had the interest of children at heart is inspirational; that it has managed to actualize this inspiration is extraordinary. Perhaps most interesting for me is the fact that the premises of Shishu Sadhana are completely consistent with current pedagogical theories in the field of Education. For example, the pedagogical premises upon which Shishu Sadhana is based correspond to the prevalent idea that “learning is development and development is learning […]. The strategies that children use to memorize, conceptualize, reason and solve problems grow increasingly effective and flexible, and are applied more broadly, with age and experience” (How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School, 2000).
The themes that the repertoire of Shishu Sadhana explores such as play, friendship and nature, as well as the appropriateness of the physical movement of jumping, chasing, and emulating “the steps of hopscotch” seem to reflect a keen understanding of experiential learning, which has been described as “nature’s way of learning,” and has been defined as “education that occurs as a direct participation in the events of life” (Houle, Continuing Learning in the Professions, 1980). Shishu Sadhana, as such, is a great illustration of experiential education in which the curriculum emphasises the nature of the participants’ subjective experiences. This feature of Shishu Sadhana itself is an amazing innovation not only in the traditional pedagogical methods of Bharatanatya transmission, but in early childhood learning in general.

II. PHILOSOPHY: THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘BECOMING-CHILD’

As you know, my training is in western philosophy, and I have found Shishu Sadhana to be not only pedagogically rich, but also philosophically so. One thing that resounds through the pages of the Shishu Sadhana compendium and also in Srikanth’s performance of the repertoire is the fact that the spirit of the term “child-friendly” is carefully distinguished from the oft-mistaken term ‘childish’. In other words, to be “child-friendly” does not presume that the repertoire must be ‘dumbed-down’, but rather than the repertoire must capture what is most valuable and unique in the experiences of being a child, experiences that we have all gone through in some form and at some point in our lives.

And this brings to mind the crux of the wisdom of one of my favourite philosophers, and a great admirer of dance and dancers, Friedrich Nietzsche -- for whom ‘becoming-child’ was the pinnacle of human self-realization, the very psycho-physiological state in which cynical human beings could once again be reunited with nature and celebrate life. The redemptive potential of ‘becoming-child’, I believe, is aptly captured in the notes to Shishu Sadhana, and expressed beautifully by Srikanth in the performance of the repertoire.

I think it is appropriate, as such, to conclude my brief observations of Shishu Sadhana here with a quote from Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and I hope that these words will resound with you as strongly and palpably as they have with me.

“Of the three metamorphoses of the spirit I tell you: how the spirit becomes a camel; and the camel, a lion; and the lion, finally, a child.
All these most difficult things the spirit that would bear much takes upon itself: like the camel that, burdened, speeds into the desert, thus the spirit speeds into its desert.
In the loneliest desert, however, the second metamorphosis occurs: here the spirit becomes a lion who would conquer his freedom and be master in his own desert.
But say, my brothers, what can the child do that even the lion could not do?
Why must the preying lion still become a child? The child is innocence and forgetting, a new beginning, a game, a self-propelled wheel, a first movement, a sacred "Yes." [/i]For the game of creation, my brothers, a sacred "Yes" is needed: the spirit now wills his own will, and he who had been lost to the world now conquers the world.”

I hope these brief thoughts are able to communicate my feelings about Shishu Sadhana to you.
Affectionately yours,
Nandita

[Nakrabm]

In an age when market forces are driving childhood back into the shadows of history, it gives hope that there are still people determined to keep alive the perception of children's not being min-sized adults. That to teach them form, content and approach must be suited to their age. Mamata's canny weaving of both traditional and contemporary elements, speak to the child and naturally draw out the desired response. And she didn't neglect the teachers! Her stories are unadorned plots which they can shape and embroider according to class mood, group dynamic, season, festival period and so on. the creative scope offered the teacher is as valuable as the child-centred aspect of the work. So given the totality and integrity of her vision, Mamata's transformation for children, of the Bharata Natya repertoire is a brilliant coup! Which like the repertoire itself is not only of it's time but of all time.

Chris Richmond
Director, Pre-Ballet programme, Ballet Divertimento

[Nakrabm]

Dear Mamata ji,
Greetings to you from both of us.
We are interested in knowing more about your works and the inter-action with the universities you may have had.
We happened to see your Sishu sadhana and were very impressed.It was indeed very inspiring to read about your work. We would like the Chennai audience also to get a glimpse of the same.
As you may be knowing, we are the convenors of the Natya Kala Conference organized by the Krishna Gana Sabha in December every year. This year happens to be the Silver Jubilee year of the conference and the Sabha is planning to do it on a grand scale.
For one part of the conference we have planned to invite the participation of dancers settled abroad especially those who have been doing substantial good work. We will be happy if you can participate too!
Last year, the audience turn over has been very good and the programs too were very well received.
The conference is from the 14th of December to the 20th.
With warm regards,

Narasimhachari and Vasanthalakshmi
Chennai based well -known dance couple

[Nakrabm]

Hello Mamata,

I`m writing to just let you know that I was very happy to be present on Sunday afternoon`s colloque on Shishu Sadhana.It is always good to hear from other people to reinforce,what you also think.To witness and hear from persons like Vincent Warren, Sunil Kothari and others about Shishu Sadhana was kind of music to my ears. I also enjoyed the same item of dance done by all levels of Kala Bharati students.I went through the pages of "Its Impact and Implcations" and it was joy to read the comments of people from all walks of life. Congratulations on the success of this unique project.

With regards
Mira

[Nakrabm]

Dear Mamata,
I have enjoyed very much reading your book and learning about a universe that is very new to me – and how fascinating it is. I will look for Indian dance in Chile.
I wish you all the best as you continue the work.

My best regards to you,
Anja

[Nakrabm]

A review of Shishu Sadhana by Leela Venkataraman has been published in the Entertainment section of the Friday edition of The Hindu on the 24th June, entitled For the dancer in every child with the header: "Among the few efforts to create a corpus of items for children Mamata Niyogi - Nakra's Shishu Sadhana is unique."

Aditya Raj of Montreal, sent me the following link a few days back.
I had not hear of it or seen it earlier, so it was a complete surprise, pleasant, of course!

Here is the link for you to click on and find it.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2005/06/24/stories/2005062401150200.htm

[Nakrabm]

Dear Aunty,
Namaskar! It was wonderful talking to you the other day. On Monday morning I went to the Beasant Nagar Ganesh temple and offered prayers and did Archana(Pooja) for the Sani Peyarchi(Pooja for Saturn) for both myself as well as for you. Special Yagnas were being performed and it was a delight to watch.

I came back from my hectic but very successful trip toAustrallia and New Zealand. During my stay there, I distributed DVD’s and the book of Shishu Sadhana to various dance institutions and performers. I was overwhelmed with their immediate appreciation towards ‘ Shishu Sadhana’.

One of the dance teachers in Melbourne said to me…”Can you please do one DVD like this for me also’…I just smiled and said to myself, its like asking for a cup of tea or coffee…. Later I explained to her how the entire project evolved and the entire process etc.

In Sydney.Jeyendran’s family were thrilled while watching the DVD …and this was after my concert, which finished at 11.00pm. They were particularly mentioning about the Commentary by you aunty while each item of the repertoire is being performed.

In Auckland (New Zealand) People loved the aradhana the most. B’cause the family with whom I stayed had their daughter’s Rangapravesh a few years back and they said, she did exactly the same….forgot to do Namaskar to the audience. This is a student of a teacher called Kalichelvi in Auckland. The girl (then Child) now says how much dance has taught her and had disciplined her life so much. She said, Art could contribute to make a wholesome personality. Yes! I agree with her…Art is greater than Artiste…’Shishu Sadhana’ will remain forever. Shishu Sadhana will be a reference for dance teachers for generations to come…Thanks so much for making me a part of ‘Shishu Sadhana’

Warm regards
Namaskar!
O.S.Arun

[Nakrabm]

Dear Mamata:

Congratulations on Shishu Sadhana, it is truly an invaluable resource for all dance teachers and students. The new dance compositions are very innovative and will inspire and resonate for every dance student with a curious and imaginative mind. I am fascinated by the repertoire that has been designed around themes and narratives that children can relate to and identify with; it is such an effective way of endearing them to this beautiful art form.

With warm regards to you and Bans, and I look forward to speaking with you
soon.
Lata

[Nakrabm]

Dear Mamata,
I am presently reading your book and watching your wonderful DVD.What a gift to me and to all the children of the world! I have also read your husband’s speech on multiple intelligence. Very interesting and thought provoking. I feel so privileged to know you both.
Much love ,
Marie

In a later e-mail

I have read and watched Shishu Sadhana with great joy. What an amazing work you have done. Many congratulations. Bravo! Many bravos!

When I was on a Canada Arts Council jury (dance and television) I met a very interesting woman, Eileen Thalenberg. She is a producer for Stormy Nights Production in Toronto and is very much interested in dance and children! So I took the liberty of sending her one of the extra copies of Shishu Sadhana that you have given me. I am sending you (in attachment) a project which she is working on which gives you a good ideas of subject matters that interests her. She is now in production in Brazil but will be back in Toronto by the end of this month. I have spoken of your work to her and she was very interested in seeing it. You can get more information on her production company on their web site: www.stormynights.ca.

Hope this finds you well and happy. My warmest regards to you both.
Much love,
marie

[Nakrabm]

Dear Mamata,
The other day I was telling a friend about your latest project, Shishu Sadhana. Since the friend had little knowledge of any dance form, European or Asian, I found myself explaining your work in some detail, using phrases from your beautifully written book.

Yes, you have produced a “child-friendly Bharata Natya repertoire”, but in so doing you have also quite dramatically extended this art form to involve an entirely new public. I am thinking not only of the young interpreters of this repertoire, but also of their newly-specialized teachers. There will also undoubtably be enthusiastic support from their families, friends and other members of the audiences attracted to this new dimension in the ancient art of bharata natyam.

I am pleased to share in the excitement created by your accomplishment.

Best wishes,
Brian