Taking Sattriya to the World

Guru Indira PP Bora is an internationally renowned Indian classical dance exponent specialising in Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi and Sattriya dance. She has extensively performed in India and abroad.

She is an awardee ofPadma Shri, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Guru Gopinath DesiyaNatyaPuraskaram by the Kerela Government and was nominated by Akademi Ratna Fellowship which is the highest fellowship from Sangeet Natak Akademi, the national body of art, culture and music. As one of the first female pioneers, she has revived and developed theSattriya traditional dance form of monasteries into a recognised Indian classical dance form and gave exposure nationally and internationally over the last four decades. She is also a fitness enthusiast. It is an inspiration for us that even at this age, when people care that age has become a hindrance to them, she has been able to remain fit and has been promoting wellness. In her words, exercise is very important and by the grace of God she is fit even at the age of 75 and still loves to play football. She says, everybody gets old, but that should not become a hindrance in caring for your fitness. Excerpts from an interview:

Tell us about yourself and your childhood. How did you get interested in Sattriya dance. Tell us about your first endeavour with dance and how it got started.

My childhood was a very happy one. My father Kamakhya Prasad Baruah was a tea planter in Sonari, Sivasagar District. My childhood was very free and nice and was full of fun filled times. I did not like to study and loved to dance. I used to play football a lot and play it till today. My maternal uncle Pradip Chaliha wanted to take me to Golaghatwhere his dance school Ajanta Kala Mandali is located. My mother happily agreed to this, and it was the turning point of my life. In 1961 I left for Chennai to learn Bharat Natyam under the guidance of Guru Rukmini Devi Arundale at the world renowned Kalakshetra. For 15 years I learned Bharatnatyam dance dedicatedly under her guidance. After completing my post-graduation in Bharat Natyam, I learned Kuchipudi dance from Guru VempatiChina Satyam. My childhood was very beautiful and free. I was never put under any pressure unlike the children of today.

How did you get into Sattriya dance?

As a young performer I participated in All Assam Music Conferences that were held in the late 50s and was organised by the legendry RG Baruah. I participated for three consecutive years and won. My judges were great legendries like Bishnu Rabha and Pradip Chaliha who encouraged me to take up dance as my profession. I used to dance all the forms Gopi Nritya andNatbhangi. I was mad for dancing and still am. I got a lot of encouragement from my parents. After that I got married to the great engineer, entrepreneur and Head of Electrical department of Oil IndiaLimited Prafulla Prasad Bora. He was like a rock for me and and my daughter,Meneka. He encouraged me 24 x 7 to follow my passion. He used to say, anybody can work in the kitchen, but this is not for you. You do what you are good at. After my parents, he stood by me like a strong pillar. In 1982, my husband PP Bora established the centre called Kalabhumi, which is considered to be the first centre for dance, art and culture. The Centre created awareness about classical dance and sowed the seeds for dance talent promotion in north east India. The centre was inaugurated by late Dr Bhupen Hazarika and in the function Bhupen Hazarika sang, where I also danced. From that time onward we researched on theXattriya dance form with the great gurus. Prafulla Prasad Bora gave me the national platform. I am ever grateful to him, because without his encouragement I would have been a housewife.

In Kalabhumi I had so many talented students, some of whom are doing very good today. My daughter, Meneka is a born artist. When I was pregnant with her and in my first trimester, I danced at Banga Sahitya Sabha, Tinsukia. It was Jayanta Hazarika Night. I am very proud to tell that my daughter is very intelligent and I did not have to teach her much, she learned by watching my moves.

As a brand ambassador of Sattriya dance form how did you promote it in India and abroad?

I have performed in top venues in India and in all major cities of India. I was also touring as a soloist in all the dance repertoires of Rukmini Devi and in many countries of Europe where I performed lead roles in dance dramas and introduced Sattriya as a “major national dance form” way back in the 1960s and 1970s as part of Kalakshetra dance company.In the global exposure of Sattriya dance I was the first dancer to perform Sattriya and Devadasi dance on BBC TV in London in 1985, andthe first Indian dancer to archive my Sattriya dance compositions in the world-renowned Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts in New York City, USA in 1985. My father encouraged me a lot, and I was lucky that I got to meet such a great guru.

Sattriya dance has now spread across Assam and it is a very good news, but sadly nobody has been able to rise. I am not saying I am great, but I am just stating the facts. Besides, in various districts of Assam I have performed and taught classical Bharat Natyam to younger generation of Assamese youths through popular songs of Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla and Bishnu Rabha.

You have performed in many international and national stages. Can you tell us about your most memorable performance.

I have performed in so many places. I started learning at a young age of 13 or 14 years. If you ask me about a memorable performance, I will tell it was after I came back to Assam after learning Bharat Natyam. I was performing at Tezpur around 1960s. At that time the great Bishnu Prasad Rabha felicitated me with a floral garland after my performance and praised me. That was a memorable day for me. I am lucky that I got his blessings. I had so many gurus, and without their blessings I would not have been here where I am now.

You were also awarded the Guru Gopinath DesiyaNatyaPuraskaram by the Kerela Government for popularising Sattriya dance. What is the significance of this award?

This award is the highest award from the Kerala Government. Guru Gopinath was a great Kathakali guru. Guru Gopinath made Kathakali famous all over the world by simplifying the dance form. The most significant thing about this honour is that Kerala Government has given me and my state of Assam the highest award for my contribution to popularising Sattriya dance as a classical solo art form nationally and globally. Sattriya is a very old form of dance dating back to more than 500 years old. Sattriya, which started under the patronage of SrimantaSankaradeva, was brought out to a larger audience in the late 1955. The structure of the dance repertoire was strengthened through my initiatives with the introduction of solo choreographies, encompassing spatial dimensions, visual design and classical body language suitable for modern day proscenium and cosmopolitan audiences without altering the fundamental framework of the dance form and thus conforming to the Assamese arts. Maybe they understood that I have taken the dance form globally, maybe that is why I got the award. I was very happy and accepted it readily. When I got Padma Shri award, I accepted it readily. Our Prime Minister is a very great man. I am thankful to our Prime Minister because he is such a good leader and under his able guidance many good people who stay in the remotest parts of our country are doing good for their communities and are getting recognised for their efforts. I pray to God for his well-being.

You have been performimg together with your daughter Meneka PP Bora, who herself is an acclaimed Sattriya dancer. How do you feel performing together

She is so intelligent. Until last year we were performing together. If I say she is mad for dance, it will not be wrong and I am very proud of her. Sometimes I made mistakes in my dance, and she would come and complain to my husband that I had made mistakes..She is a great artist and my words fall short if I have to talk about her.

What advice would you give to aspiring dancers

What I feel is that dancecould be a career choice now, but people are not showing much interest. I do not know why this is happening but maybe the world has changed. In our times, dance as a career was very successful. But now, I will say that apart from dance they should have a good education. They should go and learn from the good gurus. Now a days, people look at the institution and not the guru. They should know about the abilities and expertise of the guru, and how well he or shecan teach. In education people are very conscious about this. Along with dance if they have a good education, they can continue running their family. It is very sad to know that in various functions, the remuneration is very less and it is only in India. If you go to the US or any European country, if you are talented, they will take you from your home. In our country, for culture there is no money. That is why I will advise not to take up only dance, but continue with your education as well. Whenever you want, you can go to dance, and other times you can be aprofessional or an entrepreneur or do anything you want. If you ask me what advice I would give to the younger generation, I would say in today’s world a boy or a girl should have money. I am not saying this in a negative sense. Without money nobody can become an artist in today’s age. Secondly, they should have interest and dedication. And the parents must fully encourage the talent of the boy or the girl. There is no shortcut in art and culture. By learning for just two months and thinking of performing on the stage is very wrong. If they do everything with dedication, it not only helps them move forward, but also helps their community. And then world will know them and recognise their talent. But very sadly, the younger generation does not have the patience. They have to go to a good Guru to learn and India has so many Gurus, due to which the art and culture of India is still alive.. I am not blaming anyone, maybe our culture is like that. And at present, I would encourage the younger generation to dance, not only in India, but outside India. Now a days the Bihu tolis are providing a very good platform for performance of this folk dance of ours. The classical dances, on the other hand, do not have this kind of platform. There are some learners, who want to perform outside the state and the country, but sadly they are not getting the platform. And we are not giving them the platform that they deserve. So I have made up my mind that the younger generation should get a bigger platform. Dance should be encouraged. Once your hope dies, everything will die – art, culture and everything.