The Cloud Messenger Kalidasa’s imagination preceded Silicon Valley’s Vision

Arun Mathai. Photo Credit: Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi

The Cloud Messenger -Uday Dandavate

 The experience of intimate communication has taken on a new dimension in a

world of online dating. Thanks to the Cloud, we are now are able to upload

images, videos, and stories so that our dear ones can be a part of our meaningful

moments no matter how far they live. Geographic Positioning System (GPS)

based tools allow us to spot our loved ones based on their geographic

coordinates.

Almost 1600 years, before Cloud computing became a ubiquitous part of our

lives, Kalidasa penned the Megdhoot (literally meaning the cloud messenger)

wherein he describes how a Yaksha, a subject of King Kubera (the god of

wealth), convinces a passing cloud to take a message to his wife. In this poetry

Yakṣa describes the many beautiful landscapes the cloud will pass on its

northward course to the city of Alakā, where his wife is waiting for him to return.

The idea of a cloud carrying a message to someone very dear to one’s heart and

being able to incorporate details of geographic coordinates and visual information

to reach the right person was conceptualized by Kalidasa even before computing

became a part of human imagination.

Yesterday, I experienced the beauty of Kalidasa’s imagination through the

Bharatnatyam dance presentation of Meghdoot by “Nava Dance Theater” in San

Francisco. Nadhi Thekkek, Sophia Valath and Arun Mathai choreographed this

splendid performance with music composition by G S Rajan. The performance

was followed by a panel discussion.

Sophia  Valath    and  Nadhi  Thekkek.                                  Photo    Credit:  Shashank  Deshpande  

 

Lily Kharrazi, Program Manager at Alliance for California Traditional Arts, who

was moderating the panel asked, “To what extent does a traditional form like

Bharatnatyam allow deviation in its form?” She was provoking a response from

the assembled panel of traditional artists. In my view the Bharatnatyam artists did

a wonderful job of balancing the traditional vocabulary of the form with

contemporary elegance, while serving the aesthetic sensibilities of a

contemporary audience. The individual dancers’ gestures and body movements

maintained the authentic vocabulary of Bharatnatyam. The elaborate

ornamentation typically present in a traditional Indian dance costume was

simplified. This brought to the performance a balance between the intricacy of the

traditional form and minimalist style of modern dance. The result reminded me of

contemporary Japanese design, which preserves the core element of Japanese

craft traditions, while offering elegance, convenience and comfort of simplified

forms. The group choreography was refreshing and it was appealing to an

audience that is exposed to a wide range of contemporary dance forms.

Sophisticated use of space contributed to its overall appeal. The creativity and

expressivity of the choreographers and the performers found freedom, without

diluting the essence of the traditional form.

Music composition by G S Rajan provided another crucial link between the

traditional and contemporary elements. G. S. Rajan is a highly accomplished

classical flautist, whose work has been acknowledged by Pandit Ravi Shankar

and Zubin Mehta. While the Vocalist, percussionist and Natuvangam player

connected the performance to its traditional roots, Rajan’s masterly and playful

variations on flute transformed the performance into an eclectic experience.

While the Yaksha (Arun Mathai) and the Yakshi (Nadhi Thekkek), the main

characters of the story, delighted the audience with a perfectly synchronized

performance, the key feature was depiction of the movement of the cloud by a

group of accomplished dancers, led by Sophia Valath.

The  Cloud.      Photo  Credit:  Eli  Jacobs-­‐Fantauzzi

The presentation, “The Cloud Messenger” was an artistic representation of pure

Indian ethos that can inspire younger generation to experiment with their inner

urges for contemporary expression. Kudos to Nava Dance Theater and

CounterPulse for sponsoring the project.

_______________________________________________ Uday Dandavate is a Co-founder and CEO of SonicRim, a San Francisco based

global design research consulting firm.