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POETIC DANCE: NAZRUL'S BIDROHI

Kavita, New Delhi
***The poem mirrors the inner turmoil that is within every person at all times. It was relevant in 1922, it is relevant today and will be relevant in all times to come.**
Rebel Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam symbolised rebellion against all forms of religious bigotry, social injustice and prejudice. His poem "Bidrohi" (“The Rebel") was recently narrated by Mahbub Hassan Saleh, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh, to the accompaniment of some fine Kathak dance presented by renowned Kathak danseuse Dr. Shovana Narayan. On the eve of the programme, Shovana spoke to Kavita about the unusual experiment:
What is the programme about?
Shovana: This programme celebrates the 90th anniversary of the publishing of the epic poem "Bidrohi by Kazi Nazrul Islam”. It also celebrates the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the governments of India and Bangladesh.
What is the aim?
Shovana: To me, the poem mirrors the inner turmoil that is within every person at all times. It was relevant in 1922, it is relevant today and will be relevant in all times to come. Each of us is beset with inner turmoil; be it hopes, desires, anguish, pain, a kind of rebellion emerging within against our own thoughts, our deeds, our desires, environment et al.
It is fascinating to see how several Indian mythologies and legends revolving around Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna, to name a few, are included in this poem. In fact, they form the basis of this poem. Therefore, the dance treatment found ample scope for expansion of thoughts and ideas of the poem.
I had already performed to this poem in the early '90s during my dance tour to Dhaka. However, the treatment of then and now is vastly different. Earlier, it was a straight rendering to the poem as in the 'kavitt' style of Kathak. This time, it is a visual operatic treatment in dance enactment involving all shades of choreography, be it solo, duet or group renderings emphasising all the three aspects of 'nritta', 'nritya' and 'natya' of the 'Natyashastra'.
What were the challenges of the project?
Shovana: The challenge was the choice of language. Bengali is understood by a small percentage of Delhi's population. Hence, in order to reach out to the vast majority of the audience, the choice of language became essential. Since Hindi translations were not
immediately available, English translation by the late Kabir Chowdhury, which was available, became the obvious choice.
As for me, working with English poetry was not new, as along with late Professor Ramchandra Gandhi, the eminent philosopher and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, we had pioneered the genre of dance enactment in English language (as he wrote his dance plays for me and recited them himself, in English) way back in 1991. You have done work on numerous other poets like Meerabai, Rumi, and Amir Khusro. How does Nazrul compare with them?
Shovana: Each of these great poets spoke about the inner quest of man, his aspirations and desires, in different terms. They all spoke the universal language of love, of the necessity to introspect, uplift ourselves and transcend ourselves. Together their poems provide a vast colourful canvas of emotions, imageries but with that one unifying factor of universal love and brotherhood — of compassion, sensitivity and consciousness.