04 September,2010 06:51 AM IST | | Aditi Sharma
The National Center for Performing Arts' annual project Living Traditions: Gujarat Gaurav celebrates the literary, music and folk heritage of Gujarat, while breaking a few notions created by Bollywood, right here in amchi Mumbai
We love our Gujarati neighbours for their ingenious spin on fusion cuisine, traditional silver trinkets and even, let's admit it, their vivacious dance and music during Navratri. But how many of us know that Gandhiji's favourite bhajan, Vaishnav Jan To Tene Re Kahiye was written by Gujarati saint-poet Narsinh Mehta?
It is little-known nuggets like this and more about Gujarat that NCPA's Indian Music department aims to reveal with a music and dance programme titled, Living Traditions: Gujarat Gaurav. This tribute to the sheer beauty and timeless quality of Gujarat's folk traditions also coincides with the state celebrating its golden jubilee year.
u00a0A cultural endeavour of this scale isn't something new for NCPA; in fact 2010 marks the third anniversary of this venture. In the past, the performing arts centre has played host to folk performances from Rajasthan, Bengal and Assam.
The two-day festival commenced yesterday with Garba and Raas performances, and a musical presentation of poems by Bhakti poets Narsinh Mehta (1415-1481), Premanand (1649-1714), Mirabai (1498-1547) and others. "What we see in the name of Gujarati traditions is a diluted version. For instance, our notion about Garba and Raas is merely Bollywood adaptation of they conceive as Gujarati culture," warns Dr Suvarnalata Rao, head, programming of the Indian Music at NCPA.
In order to present an authentic experience of Gujarati traditions, NCPA has tied up with musician-couple Ashit and Hema Desai, who will perform traditional poetry sans the jazz of modern musical instruments. "Today, a musical performance is incomplete without a synthesiser, an octapad and a guitar. But we are not going to use any of these instruments. Instead, we will stick to traditional musical instruments like tabla-dholak, manjira shehnai and flute. Our intention is to present the most traditional and pure form of music, dance and costume.
We want the audience to see the original art forms, identify their roots, and harbour fair amount of curiosity too," says Ashit Desai, a well-known Gujarati playback singer who sang in the Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning film Gandhi.
Authenticity is the keyword here, and the driving idea is to introduce the audience to genuine folk traditions. "In our urban set-up, we're so removed from nature and the folk culture that we seem to be losing sight of our traditions. We have become superficial even in terms of the classical art forms we patronise. Folk arts, on the other hand, articulate contemporary subjects and include native expressions of people too," concludes Dr Rao.
On: Today At 6.30 pm at Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point. Call: 22824567. Tickets Rs 300, Rs 200 and Rs 100
