A Bharata-Natyam Star Is Born - Aneka Naidoo

OPENING ADDRESS BY COUNCILLOR LOGIE NAIDOO, DEPUTY
MAYOR OF THE ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY, AT THE BHARATHA
NATYAM ARANGETRAM OF NATYAMANNI ANEKA DIVYARUPA
NAIDOO AT THE COAST OF DREAMS, DURBAN EXHIBITION
CENTRE, ON SUNDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2008 AT 12H30.
THANK YOU, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR
GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND CHILDREN, DISTINGUISHED DIGNITARIES AND GUESTS OF HONOUR.
THIS WEEK HAS BEEN A MOMENTOUS WEEK IN POLITICS, BUT I CAN ASSURE ALL OF YOU THAT THESE CHANGES ARE AIMED AT PROVIDING A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL.
THIS AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY BRIEF IS TO FOCUS ON THE MOMENTOUS OCCASION OF AN EXTRAORDINARY DANCING CANDIDATE, OUR CENTRE OF ATTRACTION, NATYAMANNI ANEKA DIVYARUPA NAIDOO.
NATYAMANNI IS THE TITLE HER INIMITABLE DANCE TUTOR KUMARI AMBIGAY HAS CONFERRED ON HER AS THE DANCE INSTITUTE'S 97TH GRADUATE.
AS THE YOUNGEST CHILD, SHE WAS NAMED ANEKA DIVYARUPA BY HER PARENTS AND OUR HOSTS, DR LOCHAN NAIDOO AND MRS JULIE NAIDOO.
I HAVE JUST LEARNT THAT HER MIDDLE NAME 'DIVYARUPA' TRANSLATES INTO THE 'MANY DIVINE FORMS OF LORD VISHNU'.
AS MANY HINDUS IN THE AUDIENCE MAY KNOW THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LORD VISHNU, BUT KINDLY ALLOW ME TO HIGHLIGHT WHY OUR LATEST BHARATA-NATYAM GRADUATE WAS NAMED AFTER ONE OF THE GODS OF ANCIENT INDIA.
LORD VISHNU IS THE PRESERVER GOD OF THE TRINITY WITH FOUR HANDS.
THE FIRST HAND HOLDS A CONCH SHELL (SANKHA) INDICATING SPREAD OF THE DIVINE SOUND "OM"; ONE HOLDS A DISCUS (CHAKRA), A REMINDER OF THE WHEEL OF TIME, AND TO LEAD A GOOD LIFE; ONE HOLDS A LOTUS (PADMA) WHICH IS AN EXAMPLE OF GLORIOUS EXISTENCE AND THE FOURTH HANDS HOLDS A MACE (GADA) INDICATING THE POWER AND THE PUNISHING CAPACITY OF THE LORD IF DISCIPLINE IN LIFE IS IGNORED.
THE EQUALLY MULTI-DIMENSIONAL PERSONA AND PROFILE OF LORD VISHNU IS ALSO MIRRORED IN THE FACE OF OUR YOUNG GRADUATE AS SHE CONTINUES TO FASCINATE US WITH THE GRACE AND BEAUTY OF THE ART OF THIS DANCE FORM.
I HAVE ALSO LEARNT THAT LOCHAN AND JULIE NAIDOO FIRMLY BELIEVED THAT IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD OF CROSS-CULTURAL EXPLOSIONS THAT IMPACT ON OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT THE YOUNGEST SIBLING OF THEIR THREE CHILDREN SHOULD FOLLOW THE ANCIENT PATHWAY OF THE CENTURIES-OLD ART FORM OF BHARATA-NATYAM DANCING.
THEY BELIEVE THAT THIS INTRICATE AND TAXING DANCE FORM TEACHES YOUNG WOMEN LIFE-SKILLS AND CORE VALUES SUCH AS DISCIPLINE, FOCUS, DEDICATION, COURAGE, PERSEVERANCE, RESILIENCE, RIGHT LIVING, PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS.
I BELIEVE THAT HAVING SUCCESSFULLY UNDERGONE KUMARI AMBIGAY'S RIGOROUS TRAINING, TUTORING AND MENTORING, NATYAMANNI ANEKA DIVYARUPA NAIDOO HAS LEARNT TO PUT HER BEST FOOT FORWARD ON STAGE THIS AFTERNOON.
HENCE THIS WONDERFUL GATHERING OF WITNESSES AT THIS ARANGETRAM – AN OFFICIAL CEREMONY – IN WHICH THE GRADUATE MAKES HER BIG-STAGE DANCING DEBUT TO TEST HER SKILLS AND TECHNIQUE BEFORE ALL OF YOU AS WITNESSES.
THEREFORE YOUR APPROVAL, ENDORSEMENT AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS DISPLAY OF DANCING ARE CRUCIAL TO THE DANCER'S FUTURE CAREER-PATHING.
ONCE THIS MONUMENTAL CHALLENGE OF BEING CERTIFIED AS AN EXPONENT OF BHARATA-NATYAM IS OVER, I UNDERSTAND NATYAMANNI ANEKA DIVYARUPA NAIDOO WILL SOON TAKE THE QUANTUM LEAP OF UNDERGOING A SIX-MONTH COURSE WITH THE KUMARI AMBIGAY DANCE INSTITUTE TOWARDS FULFILLING HER DREAM OF BECOMING A FULLY-FLEDGED DANCE TEACHER.
IMAGINE HOW MANY OTHER STARRY-EYED GIRLS ARE GOING TO BENEFIT FROM A NEWLY-QUALIFIED TUTOR?
SINCE BEING IN OFFICE FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS, I HAVE BEEN INVITED TO MANY ARANGETRAMS AND I OFTEN MARVEL AT THE PASSION AND DEDICATION THE GRADUATES DISPLAY ON STAGE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT IS OFTEN A JOY WATCHING THIS VISUALLY STRIKING AND YET ELEGANT DANCE POSES TO SOUND OF LILTING MUSIC AND TUNES.
FOR ALMOST 148 YEARS SINCE WE HAD INHERITED THIS ANCIENT DANCE FROM THE 1860 INDIAN INDENTURED LABOURERS, THE INDIAN COMMUNITY HAS ADDED A SPLASH OF COLOUR AND CULTURAL HERITAGE TO THE CITY OF DURBAN.
THERE ARE MANY CITIES ON CONTINENTAL AFRICA OR THE REST OF THE WORLD THAT ENJOYS THIS MULTICULTURAL DIMENSION.
AS DEPUTY MAYOR OF A GROWING AFRICAN CITY, I AM PROUD OF OUR CULTURAL DIVERSITY THAT HAS ENHANCED OUR STATUS AS A LANDMARK TOURIST DESTINATION WHERE EAST MEETS WEST AGAINST THE TAPESTRY OF AFRICAN AND ISIZULU CULTURE, HISTORY AND LEGACY.
SINCE 1994, MORE AND MORE NON-HINDU DANCERS AND SINGERS HAVE FOUND CULTURAL HOMES IN INDIAN CULTURE AND I TRUST THAT THIS TREND TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE WITH OUR PREVIOUSLY DISADVANTAGED BLACK AFRICAN COMPATRIOTS WILL CONTINUE TO PORTRAY A CROSS-CULTURAL CHOREOGRAPHY OF OUR CULTURAL ASSETS AND HUMAN CAPITAL.
I TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY OF ENCOURAGING PARENTS TO INVEST IN YOUR CHILDREN'S EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES BECAUSE IN ORDER TO DEVELOP FUTURE LEADERS THERE HAS TO BE THE COMPONENT OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND PROWESS IN ARTS AND CULTURE AND SPORTS.
ON THIS GRAND AND JOYOUS OCCASION OF NATYAMANNI ANEKA DIVYARUPA'S PUBLIC DANCE DEBUT, I AM REMINDED ABOUT A PAPER DELIVERED BY RENOWNED SCHOLAR AND EXPONENT NIRMALA RAMACHANDRAN ON 'CLASSICAL DANCE OF ANCIENT TAMILS' AT THE MUSIC & DANCE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SEMINAR OF TAMIL STUDIES
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, IN 1966.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, SHE TOLD HER AUDIENCE: "BHARATANATYAM IS A CLASSICAL DANCE FORM ORIGINATING IN TAMIL NADU, A STATE IN SOUTH INDIA. THIS POPULAR SOUTH INDIAN DANCE FORM IS A 20TH CENTURY RECONSTRUCTION OF CATHIR, THE ART OF TEMPLE DANCERS. CATHIR IN TURN, IS DERIVED FROM ANCIENT DANCE FORMS. BHARATANATYAM IS USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY THE CLASSICAL CARNATIC MUSIC."
FINALLY, I EXTEND MY BEST WISHES ON BEHALF OF THE ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF DURBAN TO OUR NEW GRADUATE AND MAY YOU DANCE AND DANCE AS IF NO ONE IS LOOKING AT YOU.
I THANK ALL OF YOU AND ESPECIALLY LOCHAN AND JULIE NAIDO OF GIVING ME THE HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE OF GRACING THIS CULTURALLY ENRICHING AND COLOURFUL DEMONSTRATION OF CLASSICAL DANCING.
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