Thursday, February 9, 2023
  • SIGN IN
SUBSCRIBE
Pravasi Indians Magazine
  • Home
  • Books
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • Spaces
  • Interviews
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Books
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • Spaces
  • Interviews
No Result
View All Result
Pravasi Indians Magazine
SUBSCRIBE
  • SIGN IN
Home Perspective

Dance In The Time Of Pandemic

Dance In The Time Of Pandemic

The virtual medium threatens to telescope living art into a capsule of a few minutes, in a cruelly compressed space.


The Covid-19 pandemic struck like lightning, the world was unprepared and was caught unawares. Even today we are fumbling, trying out means of survival, praying for an end to this calamity. The global economy has taken a beating. From 2020 till now, nations are tottering on the brink of collapse but somehow holding up. Stories of human endurance keep emerging and continue to amaze and inspire us to face these unprecedented times.

By Dr Sonal Mansingh

India with its humongous population has much more at stake than other nations. The enormous variety and diversity in cultural traditions, languages, religions,cuisine and so much else make it a
mammoth task to sustain normality in life, leave alone do something extraordinary and herein lies the rub. While experts can continue discussing problems and issues in
almost every field of economy, scientific research, modernisation processes, education, health and so on, none seems to be aware of the real problem facing us today which
begs urgent attention. This concerns the raison d’etre of culture, its existence, its manifestations and issues cry out to be urgently addressed.

I can imagine how most countries are facing these problems but somehow India with its wide variety of tangible and intangible heritage, which is not defunct but a perennial stream of consciousness depicted through millennia – old ideas, customs, traditions, concepts, dance, music and other art forms – leads us to the intersection where the tangible body represents the incredible and the intangible! More than ever, the human body which has been worshipped and misunderstood at the same time deserves revered attention for only then, with this instrument of the body, can we act, work, experience. As Kalidasa aptly puts it in his epic Sanskrit poem “Kumarasambhava”:

।।शरीरमाद्यं खलु धर्मसाधनम।।

हिदी अर्थ: शरीर ही सभी धर्मों (कर्तव्यों) को परा करने का साधन है

English meaning: “Body is foremost instrument of doing all (good) deeds”

All this and much more was on display on real stages in auditoria and studios with real audiences applauding. There was that electric current which created sparks of delight and moments of beauty. Creativity was at an all-time high. Then the pandemic struck. Everyone was at sea, confused, depressed, anxious and unsure of how to cope. We are yet to find a satisfactory solution as we chug along the virtual way, trying to compress living art in a capsule of a few minutes, in a cruelly compressed space. Now the constant fear of “thumb up or thumb down” syndrome, how many likes, followers, viewership keeps creative artistes busy. Worries about attention span, boredom, dwindling financial support and the like may affect cultural manifestations in a way never imagined. If we believe that culture is the soul of a people, nation and civilisation, we cannot afford to lose
time to fix things.

(The author is Padma Vibhushan, Member of Parliament, Government of India.)

Tags: Government of IndiaMember of ParliamentPadma Vibhushan
ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH GIVING WAY TO THE NEW
Perspective

THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH GIVING WAY TO THE NEW

January 26, 2023
THE SECRET SERVICE IN INDIA
Perspective

THE SECRET SERVICE IN INDIA

January 3, 2023
THE TIMELESS APPEAL OF SHAH RUKH KHAN
Perspective

THE TIMELESS APPEAL OF SHAH RUKH KHAN

November 26, 2022
Cinema at Crossroads
Perspective

Cinema at Crossroads

October 29, 2022
Epitomising shared Heritage
Perspective

Epitomising shared Heritage

October 23, 2022
Rediscovering the Mahatma
Guest Article

Rediscovering the Mahatma

October 2, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • “Komagata Maru Way” to be designated as a portion of Canadian roadway
  • Four Indian-American Lawmakers appointed
  • History of Indian Diaspora in USA
  • Government of India Celebrates 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas at Indore
  • Famous Indian Diasporas in Australia

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • February 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020

Categories

  • Arts & Culture
  • Books
  • Business & Economy
  • Cover Story
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • E-magazine
  • Economy
  • Environment
  • Food and Travel
  • Guest Article
  • Heritage
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Mixed Bag
  • Musings
  • Perspective
  • Philanthropy
  • Publisher's Note
  • Society
  • Soul Connections
  • Spaces
  • Special Feature
  • Spotlight
  • Travel
  • Trending Now
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • World
  • Young and Restless
Remember Me
Register
Lost your password?
Pravasi Indians Magazine

Pravasi Indians has become the voice of millions of overseas Indians spread across diverse regions of the world. A joint venture of M/s Template Media and GRC India, this magazine is the first publication exclusively dealing with a wide gamut of issues that matter to the members of Indian diaspora.

Contact Us

M/s Template Media LLP
(Publisher of PRAVASI INDIANS),
Rudraksha Apartment (Top Floor),
Opposite Ambience Tower,
Kishangarh, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi-110 070
www.pravasindians.com

Connect with us at:

Mobile: +91 89209 54252
Email: info@pravasindians.com

Categories

  • Arts & Culture
  • Books
  • Business & Economy
  • Cover Story
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • E-magazine
  • Economy
  • Environment
  • Food and Travel
  • Guest Article
  • Heritage
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Mixed Bag
  • Musings
  • Perspective
  • Philanthropy
  • Publisher's Note
  • Society
  • Soul Connections
  • Spaces
  • Special Feature
  • Spotlight
  • Travel
  • Trending Now
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • World
  • Young and Restless

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Archives
  • Our Team
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Us

Copyright @ Template Media LLP. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Books
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • Spaces
  • Interviews

Copyright @ Template Media LLP. All Rights Reserved.