THE DANCE OF GODESS KALI
N. Nandhivarman : New Indian Express: 25th June 2005
When
nations emerged out of societies of strife, the concept of Motherland and
Fatherland emerged, denoting the two trends of social living. In matriarchal
societies, women warriors were common. They fought forces of evil. These
warriors were later personified as goddesses. We can see such goddesses in
almost all primitive societies. In India the goddess Kali has a nationwide
appeal. In Tamil villages we have Kali temples everywhere. Mari Amman temples
and Kali temples are most common places of worship in our society.
Maari in
Tamil means rain, thus the worship of rain Goddess was common in water starved
Tamil Nadu. Goddess Kali is also known as Kotravai in Tamil, a fierce protector
of the good versus evil. Tamil culture, which inclines towards musical or dance
forms in every walk of life, sees Kali Attam as one of the interesting forms of
practice. Kali worship was beautifully spelt by Swami Vivekananda in a poem
titled Kali The Mother A thousand, thousand shades Of Death begrimed and black
Scattering plagues and sorrows, Dancing mad with joy, Come, Mother, Come! For
terror is thy name Death is in thy breath And every shaking step Destroys a
world forever Thou ―Time the All-Destroyer Come O Mother Come The dance of
Kali is a dance of destruction against forces of evil. And in portrayal of such
dances masks are used.
The mask culture, dating back to the Pre-Historic rock
paintings of 3000 BC, has traveled down the ages. Terracotta masks (2500 BC)
were found in the Mohen-ja-daro excavations. Bhutan has fearful masks of animal
spirits. There is a strong belief in masks belonging to souls of 215 ancestors
amongst rural population. Mask dancers who propitiate the spirit, in a state of
trance give manifold blessings to the gathered devotees. Masks of Siva and
Durga are powerful iconic masks in India. In modern India, mask dances at
theatrical and ritualistic levels are thriving well. Many stage artistes and
performers have been practicing these dances and they specialize in the forms
that are of interest to them.
Gnanaraj hails from a traditional family of
artistes who have been performing for eight successive generations. Gnanaraj
has skills to perform Karagam, Kavadi, Silambu firepot – dance and tiger-dance.
This back-ground helps him in performing Kaaliattam, in which he excels.
Gnanaraj alias Kuppusamy has many performance to his credit. Of particular
mention is his participation in the 150-year celebrations of the arrival of
Indians as indentured labourers to Gayana, which was celebrated in May1989 ―The
performance of this troupe of 17 artists from Pondicherry was of high calibre
and it was much appreciated by the Guyanese audiences including President of
the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, ―says a communication from High Commission
of India.
Tamil artistes have won recognition from all over the world. An
example is LR Krishnamithra who stands on a clay pot or glass tumbler and
rotates it while dancing. These rare performances and talented artists bring
fame to Pondicherry. South Zone Cultural Center of Tanjavoor and Arts and
Culture Department of Pondicherry have commonality to the Tamil audience by
inviting artistes from other states and introducing artistes like Gnanaraj to
other states.
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