Chennai :

In the field of performing arts for more than two decades now, Ajith Bhaskaran has travelled far and wide with shows — solos, group and collaborative works.

However, performing Chennai and across India can be both a challenge and a different experience for the same reason. Talking to City Express, Ajith who has trained under Adyar Lakshman and the Dhananjayans, both from Chennai, says that organisations still prefer women dancers. “Abroad, they seek out male dancers for the very reason that they are men,” he strikes a quick contrast. “I find more work outside with theatre and dance companies, who are very interested. Here, going by my experience, the thought process is still traditional.”

Many still prefer to see female dancers or find their work more interesting,” he says. Ajith says that apart from being a male dancer, there are other obstacles or challenges that even women dancers have to cope with. “It takes longer to establish, compared to other professions, and not many think dance is a serious profession,” he lets on.

Training from a young age under a host of gurus like Bhanumathi Krishnan, Shanta Ponnudurai, Shanta Bhaskar in bharathanatyam, Ramli Ibrahim and Gajendra Kumar Panda in Odissi, Ajith began touring with Ibrahim on the latter’s production. Soon after completing a degree in law and pursuing it for two years, Ajith chose to get back to dance professionally.

“Despite pursuing law as a filial son, for almost two years, I found my ultimate calling in dance and decided to get back to it,” he says.

Establishing his own dance company Suvarna Fine Arts based in Johor Bahru, where today close to 300 Malaysian-born Indians are trained, there is also a performance wing which frequently tours around the world. Travelling across South East Asia, India, the US, Canada and Europe, Ajith also conducts lecture demonstrations and workshops. He regularly visits renowned dancer Viji Prakash’s school in California as a camp instructor in summer every year.

With a working knowledge in several languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Sanskrit, Ajit says that while he trained in the Kalakshetra style over the years, he has developed his own body language. “My work is not restricted to the traditional repertoire. I would say bharathanatyam is the language I work with. It is about using classical dance as a powerful medium. There are diverse topics that I have worked on — for example, brahmakalpa, which was about the Big Bang Theory, with Rama Vaidyanathan, and there are bharathanatyam works like the one on Sufi poetry and the tree (Vriksha),” he says

Ajith will be participating at the Esplanade Theatre’s programme which will mark Singapore’s 5oth Year of Independence next year.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Janani Sampath / February 18th, 2015

Chennai  :

How does an organisation try to make a public space under its control vibrant and add character to a space frequented daily by lakhs of people, whilst addressing concerns of   cleanliness? In the case of Southern Railways, they have opened their doors to any professional artists willing to exude creativity on the many walls of their stations across the Chennai division, as well as a special inspection coach.

Walls at terminal stations like Chennai Central, Egmore and MRTS stations at Greenways Road and Kotturpuram became canvases for painters participating in the Max Mueller Bhavan’s ‘Conquer the Concrete — Chennai’s First Street Art Festival.’ In addition, a Spanish painter sprayed the Divisional Railway Managar’s inspection coach with psychedelic colours as part of the festival.

“We were looking for people for this as we had linked it to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Fortunately, the institute contacted us at the same time,” said Gayathri, the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Chennai Division, Southern Railway.

Railway walls, traditionally, are utilised for either sticking posters, attaching banners or worse, as spots for people to relieve themselves of urine or paan-laced spit. Art on walls would at least discourage such activities and help in keeping the premises clean, Gayathri felt. Colourful walls with depictions would also come as a welcome change for the passengers as compared to those with a single hue.

According to Samyukta, project manager of the Street Art festival, painting in railway stations which are frequented by all sections of society worked to the advantage of the artists. “Many strangers would come up to the artists and give suggestions; a folktale narrated by a commuter was the inspiration for the giant cat painting at Egmore station,” she said.

Another artist portrayed his interpretation of the railway station as a place where only parts of the human body like legs and hands, and not faces, were visible, Samyukta said.

The official website of the festival says that the rationale behind the festival was to make art accessible by showcasing it in the heart of the city as opposed to a closed art gallery and thereby reaching a broader section of the public. The goal was to not only portray urban development and its associated challenges in Chennai but also to enlighten the need for public participation. Railway stations are probably the only public spaces which fulfill both the conditions, as well as give the visibility to the artists’ output.

An additional shot in the arm came in the form of interest shown by station-level railway officials. Seema Kumar, a professor at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) who has painted one wall at Chennai Central, says that the station managers are very attached to the buildings and see it as their personal space. “They understood the importance of this exercise and enthusiastically gave a lot of suggestions as well,” she said.

The Chennai division wants to take this movement forward and Gayathri said that they were willing to give out spaces to any interested artists.  Already, students of NIFT are in talks to paint another wall at Central. “We were also wondering if any paint company would come forward and sponsors the cost of the paint,” she said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Siddharth Prabhakar / February 19th, 2015