New Parliament
It does not behove well on the part of the Opposition parties to have skipped the ground breaking ceremony for the new Parliament building. Though the new project was thought of by the Prime Minister, its expenditure will be using tax-payers’ money alone. As such, everyone should welcome the new temple of democracy if it is to be executed in an honourable way without the ghost of corruption. Some of the Opposition’s remarks, that the new building will rest on the ruins of liberal democracy, is nothing but mendacity. Have they forgotten the Emergency era of the Congress?
K. Chellappan,
Chennai
It gladdened one’s heart to hear the Prime Minister speak about the spirit of democracy. But one was also left wondering why governance under his watch has failed to reflect the democratic and constitutional spirit he so eloquently captured on the occasion. Unless a spirit of accommodation prevails inside, the new building may reflect the ego of rulers but definitely not the democratic aspirations of people.
Manohar Alembath
Kannur, Kerala
A new Parliament building is meaningless unless and until our politicians make a solemn pledge to cleanse politics of criminal elements, follow ideology and not hop from one party to another every few weeks, ensure that there are more women parliamentarians, engage in purposeful debate and ensure complete sittings of each parliamentary session. We, the people, do not want old wine in a new bottle, especially when the provision has been made in the new building for more seats for our MPs.
Baru Rajendra Prasad,
Hyderabad
On the fast track
One finds a Wasim Akram in T. Natarajan, as his pace and bounce off the wicket mirror those of the Pakistani great. One waits for more action from the Salem sensation, who is the find of 2020.
K. Pradeep
Chennai
Astad Deboo
Late afternoon, on a day in the early 1990s, a visitor arrived in Rishi Valley (RV) School, without any prior information. Since he had no guest house booking, he was ushered into my room by the office manager. The visitor was obviously tired. His face looked familiar to me but I could not place him. He introduced himself as Astad Deboo and as a dancer. Immediately I could connect his face with the news items I had read about him. He said his dance could be termed contemporary or modern.
He said he had heard a lot about the school from Sunil Shanbaug, who was his friend. Sunil was a former student of the school who was also well known in the art and stage circles in Mumbai. Sunil had suggested that he should visit RV as the school students would very much appreciate aspects of modern dance. He happened to be in Bangalore/Bengaluru for two days and decided to make an impromptu visit to the school. He did not even have the time to make a phone call. He just went to the Bangalore bus stand in the morning and caught a bus to Madanapalle and then took an auto from Madanapalle to the school. The bus was crowded as usual and he had to stand for most of the three-hour bone-shaking journey.
I do not recall what happened next except that we gave him a guest room so that he could rest after lunch. In the evening a dance recital was organised in the school auditorium.
The school had a strong tradition of classical music and dance. The auditorium was packed. The audience of teachers and students was really not sure as to what to expect from a modern dance performance and were waiting expectantly.
Astad used some benches as props and presented a few items. It is a tradition in the school that the students do not applaud during a performance. They show their appreciation by applauding at the end of the performance.
The way appreciation is shown in the Indian musical tradition is different from what is the norm in the western musical tradition. Possibly since the school had performances from both the traditions, the school authorities may have taken the decision many years ago, to err on the side of caution and not applaud during a performance and possibly disturb the performer!
But I could see that the lack of visible response from the audience made Astad a little uncomfortable and a little worried.
He took some time to get into his rhythm and soon enough the students and teachers were engrossed in his performance. At the end of the performance, there was a thunderous ovation. Students crowded around him with many questions and words and gestures of appreciation. Astad was obviously happy.
I did explain to Astad this tradition of not applauding when we had dinner together in the dining hall after the performance.
There was a scene during one of his performances, where Astad turned a low, broad table on its side and used it as a prop. It looked like a wall about a meter high. He was crouching behind the wall and was not visible. Then very slowly we saw his head emerging. The expression on his face and eyes was a exquisite mix of wonder, anticipation and fear. The effect was mesmerising. A middle-aged man, with a balding pate, could make us believe that we were seeing a small child looking cautiously and curiously over a wall into a mysterious adjacent compound for the first time. That image has stayed with me till today.
Here was an artist searching for an appreciative audience and not minding the physical strain involved in reaching it. A true artist who believed in himself, the validity of his ideas and his ability to convey it to others.
S. Sundaram,
Chennai
