Social Scientist

Militant Origins of Indian Dance Author(s): Chandralekha Source: Social Scientist, Vol. 9, No. 2/3 (Sep. - Oct., 1980), pp. 80-85 Published by: Social Scientist Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3516927 . Accessed: 06/04/2013 12:46
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Militant Origins of Idian Dance

INDUSTRIAL societysurgesahead reducing the human body to in a mechanical appendage. It is almost as if various components the body are being slowlyphased out to be replaced by mechanical gadgets-"the dreamtofmetalizationof man", as WalterBenjamin quotes Marinettias havingsaid. Under the capitalist production system, people live at a distance fromtheir own bodies gettingno feedbackfromthemselves.This is as much an indicationof the as from his labour, besides being a alienationof man fromhimself and the to praxis. Neutralize theirphysicality, directimpediment need have no fear of any potentially revolutionaryclass. system The idea of active,physicalintervention replaced getsprogressively verbalism. by passive A briefsurvey of the material foundations of dance forms of India will give some insights into our present predicamentin widenwhichthe divide betweenidea and action is continuously Indian dance forms originating in primitive ing. All the primary and tribalsocieties are solidly linked with work activity.They were intimately related to functions of daily life like food gatherand harvesting.The early tribal cultivating ing, hunting, fishing, dances were particularly by their sources in rituals, distinguished in martial arts. and gymnastics Dancing these early communities was a means of expressionas well as a method of building up circuitswithinthe body and sharpeningthe senses. energy in India in having a material sub-culture We are fortunate retains forms of expression spanningseveral that simultaneously us evidences of Indian society,providing the of stages development formal for its tradition remarkable of a of the continuity purity. In the tribal belt,forexample,one still sees forms of dance that are clearlymodes of an elaborate attack/defence ritual, which are theenergy used primarily forcreatingin the participants necessary The regionalvariationsof the martial dances, for a confrontation.

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for example, are amazing for their grace and for their potential to generate militancy as well. The militancy of dance forms in India which remain popular even today is supplemented by the fact that even the classical dance forms, despite idealizing their content, have not been able to shed the martial and gymnastic poses of the early forms from which they originated. All tribal/folkdances were forms of collective expression specifically meant for creating a sense of fraternity and were invariably performed prior to a big hunt or a war. The whole intricate pattern of vigorous body movements they displayed was a method of energizing the body and mind for action. In fact, the best dancers in serveral tribal communities were also their best warriors. Every region in India seems to have its own variety of dances upholding the militant traditions. Among the Nagas in north-eastern India, there is an elaborate spear dance in which each dancer brandishes a spear above his head and simulates the various movements of attack and defence. The dance starts with leisurely movements and slowly builds up the tempo ending in a climax of swift,breath-taking leaps in the air, all in perfect rhythm and synchronization with drums and cymbals. Similar kinds of dances are common to other communities like the Semas, Changs, Rengmas, Maos, Aos and Konyaks in the area. In Bengal, the dances of Raibenshes and Dhalis are elaborate series of awe-inspiring physical exercises which are close to the traditions of unarmed combat. Orissa also has several forms of dances that are exceptional for their sheer power and militancy. The important varieties are the Paik, Gotipua and Garudabhan dances, from wllich the Chau dance originated. Every part of the country has its own dance forms using swords, shields and sticks which are all indicative of and preparations for combats. The sword and shield dances of Maharashtra, Rajsthan, Coorg and Kerala are well known. Dance forms with sticks are common to Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu (Kolattam) and Gujarat and Rajasthan (Daand). Kerala has also specific forms like Pulavarkali and Velvakali utilizing swords, shields or sticks. The Gonds, Bastar Marias and Bhils of the Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra and Bengal belt have exciting hunting dances which condition the human body for agility and control. The Irulas of Tamil Nadu also have a robust form of hunting dance called Elelakaradi. In the Kumaon region of Uttar Pradesh, the

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It will be seen that there is no dearth for millitant traditions among the backward classes, scheduled castes and tribals of India who are the most expoited sections forming the lowest strata of society. Almost all of them still retain their dances and martial art traditions, but only as formal rituals without being able to transformthem into real actions to change their condition of life. Progressive movements are guilty of overlooking this highly charged layer of material sub-culture in which militancy is integral to the various cultural forms in India and does not have to come through a verbal/mental process.

Chholia martial dances can be traced back to the Khasia warriors. Pairs of dancers with swords and shields make intricate formations coverning long distances; they almost act out a mock battle.

In the north, the cradle of these dance forms were the akhadas or community gymnasiunms,and in south, a variation of these gymnasiums called the kalari. Both the akhada and the kalari propagated a sophisticated, materialist philosophy of individual and collective wellbeing with focus on the human body itself. They promoted the ancient, pre-Hindu concept of body expression, lasyaltandava(militancy with grace), which later became a formal category in classical dance. With precise understanding of anatomy and human engineering like breath, stamina, tension, flexion and control, what the akhada or kalari basically tried to achieve was to harmonize the human body in space, thus bring it closer to itself. Thus, the verticality of the body was broken to a more compact and relaxing circularity in the akhada/kalari. The idea was to infuse the human body not only with the potential for extension and contractions, but also to convert every movement to an energizing exercise. These contractions of the body later got stylized in classical dance as "Bhanga," "Aramandi" and so on. For example, the "Aramandi", a kind of half-squatting which is the basic stance in Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathakali and Kuchipudi, is also the basic stance in wrestling (Indian and Japanese), Kalari Payattu, Silambam, Karate, Tai Chi Chuan and Thai boxing. It is abstracted as the mandala in classical dance, a continuous making and breaking of squares, circles and triangles to harmonize with the circular stage symbolizing the earth/cosmos. The dances taught one how to hold the body in order to make it steady like a rock, to make it as light as a feather, to leap, to pivot, to shift, to step forward, to retreat and to balance. Symphonies in duet and collective movements with sticks, swords,

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Militant Functions

shieldsand spears developed slowly out of the primitive barehanded forms. The practice of thesedances was not some esotericexercise meantforpersonal satisfaction or forentertaininghordesof spectators.It had specificsocial applications. In Orissa, forexample, the Paik dancers were a particulargroup of unarmed foot soldiers who went much ahead of the main armyto demoralize with their speed and grace the externalforces bent upon aggression. In the Pandya period in Tamil Nadu, theSilamban stick dancers/fighters werethe unorganizedquerillas and mass leaders who terrorized thefeudal barons to controltheirrapacity.

These militant functions of dance are evident even today in different forms of dances, such as Chau, with its roots in Paika, and Kathakali, withits rootsin kalari. The word paika means infantry.The Paika soldiers were who wereused for facing external aggreshighlytrainedartistes sion. Though extinct today,theirbattle-dancesare still preserved in Orissa. Each village in the by theirdescendantsin Puri district has a Paika the akhada, region village gymnasium,where young assemble in the after the day's work. The primary people evening aim of thisdance was to develop physical excitement and consequently,courage among the dancing warriors. In ancient times this method was used unconsciouslyto keep them ready for battle. Kathakali too had its originin body conditioning involved in the martialart of Kalari Payattu. All the traditionalKathakali schools were called kalaris. Kalari Payattu is one of the most of attack/defence developed and effervescent systems and there is good reason to consider Karate and othersouth-eastAsian martialart systems as offsprings of Kalari. Besides being ritualistic and physical,Kalari, by virtueof its grace and stylization,is a dance formwhich generates energyin the individual. A studentof Kathakali has to undergorigorous exercises and long process of to condition his body to acquirc perfect flexibility and training
control.

The social existenceof all thesedance forms today is precarious. Their directreferences to life are moreor less truncated. Most folkdances are existingat the mercy of the state. They are promoted and preserved by state organizations to be annually as euphoricspectaclesof governmental presented during creativity in New Delhi. Republic Day celebrations

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One does not have to be a Marxist to apply Marxian aesthetics to this art form to criticize the situation of folk dances existing in the country. Apart from the obvious dislocation from the processes of life, the classical dance forms also exist as ideological vehicles for a class that thrives on nostalgia and mystification of the real content of history. Though one accepts that there is no mechanical relationship between ideology and cultural forms, it has to be said here that art, like religion, has a strong reactionary potential and this has been used as such very cansciously even today. The theory that we finally need to work towards is how to generate the creativity, self-expression, dignity and militancy of the people. Marxist aesthetic theory posits itseif against the basic formations of capitalist society like alienation, objectification, commodification and so on, which are all variations of the dehumanization of the essential man under capitalism. The problem arises when this is sought to be applied to traditional cultures which had already evolved sophisticated philosophies and theories of art and society long before European western societies pulled out of their Dark Ages. It becomes furthercomplex when we realize that almost all the significanthuman concepts in traditional cultures trace their origins historically to a time which Marx would call "primitive communism", when man was supposedly closer to nature, to himself and to his fellowmcn. This has important implications, for in their aesthetic manifestations one comes face to face with remarkably materialistic concepts predating Marx by centuries. The Indian system of aesthetics, for example, is formulated the centrality of man. Concepts like the pancha mahabuta upon maintained the primacy of the human body in all cultural configurations. The module for every objective projection was man himself. For example, all measurements were direct references to the human body and senses. This location of tlhehuman body in the environment was revealed abstractly in the concept of the mandala. The mandala was a dynamic consonance between tile cosmos, the community and the individual. The subject/object dialectics conceptualized in the mandala invaded the farthest reaches of material life to find expression to it as the basic conceptual model for every conceivable form of objects and daily activity. Further, the Indian concept of aesthetics negates inherently the formal and esoteric categories like "beauty", "style" and so

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As the object of perception by the sense of taste-rasana (emphasizing sensual relationship to arts). 2) As the essence of everything or any being-the earth is known as rasa as it holds the essence of life for all creatures (materialism). 3) As liquid or dynamic as opposed to solid or static (the inherent demand for movement, change, praxis). These are live concepts in our culture still capable of activating the people. The tragedy is that progressive movements have failed to go to our own sources of culture to tap all those areas charged with energy and harness them to build up vitality in pepole which, obviously, is important for changing conditions in life like any ot er revolutionary theory. This becomes all the more important when we see that cultural levels, at times, have the possibility of being far ahead of political levels and thus have the potential for initiating social change. But, of course, we sufferas much today from conceptual poverty as from economic poverty and it becomes a task for us to formulate a theory of revolution that integrates all these levels. 1)
CHANDRALEKHA

on and goes straight to the sensual content. The rasa concept of Indian aesthetics has three primary associations of meaning:

at theseminar on Marxism and Aesthetics, (This paper was presented held at Kasauli)

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