lubna Marium merged various dance forms and song traditions to describe the soul’s union with the Supreme. By Utpal K Banerjee
With waters from the east, west and north pouring over, the landmass of Bangladesh has seen a phenomenal number of rivers, lakes and deltaic formations, since it is near the confluence of the seas. The aquatic abundance undoubtedly contributed, in turn, to render enormous fertility in land with unparalleled profusion of flora and fauna. But does such natural profusion of life give rise to creative proclivities among human beings, with extraordinary manifestation of philosophical forays and numerous artistic turns of mindIJ
Possibly, the conjecture largely holds good for Bangladesh which saw — between the sixth and 10th centuries — rise of Buddhist masters who, through mystical practices, attained great spiritual powers. When Buddhism left the shores of the larger sub-continent, these practices found refuge in nearby Nepal, where Atisa Dipankar, a great Buddhist savant from East Bengal, had travelled in 1841. The reigning deity of these practices is Vajrayogini, which was and continues to be the name of Atisa’s village near Dhaka.
From Finite to Infinity, put forth recently by Shadhona from Bangladesh under the artistic direction of lubna Marium, began their sojourn with mystical songs written by Siddhacharys (spiritual masters). Shadhona made the further daring point that as the mystic vernacular songs — an ancient method of teaching religious doctrines to the common man through the song’s allegories — advanced in tradition, they were invariably translated into dance performances. For, inherent in these practices, was the firm belief that the finite body has the potential to realise the infinite creative principle through corporeal practices.
So began the ritual Charya dances, including the dance on Vajrayogini. Next was Shodasa lasya: dancers synchronising on chants for 16 offerings to the Buddhist deities. The form resembled Sattriya dance quite to a degree. Then came a statuesque dance by Rajendra Shrestha on Manjushri — the oldest of the Bodhisatvas and his worship to confer wisdom, memory, intelligence and eloquence.
After Charya came dances of the Manipuris, settled in Sylhet district of Bangladesh, to enunciate the Vaishnava cult of the 14th century Bengali saint Sri Chaitanya. It was a colourful choreography with male pung dancers performing pung cholam and the female dancers elaborating on kartal cholam, handling cymbals. The accompanying songs were Bangladesh’s own, composed by Narottam Das Thakur, Haridas Thakur and others. The following presentation was Bangshi Anurag (lure of the Flute) — a charming bouquet of songs and dances on melodies of Krishna’s flute, signifying the call from Paramatma (the Infinite).
The narration transited to the 19th century formation of the reformist Brahmo Samaj, based on the adoration of “the nameless eternal, immutable being who is the author and preserver of the universe.” From within the folds of this movement came the poet Tagore whose songs were then celebrated: Joy is the primal reason for the creation of cosmos where reside truth and beauty…; Your skies are filled with light, only to let me fill it with songs… and Melodious tunes verily play in the lotus of my heart. The accompanying dances were simply enchanting.
The final segment was Baul, depicting how a thousand years of spiritual debate culminated in the radical cult of the wandering folk mendicants who continue to nourish the villages of Bangladesh with their ethereal music and dance. The advent of Islam saw a unique amalgamation of the Sufi-Yogic practices. The dancers — clad in stark white and often breaking into Dervish movements — created bartaman to emphasise what is seen by one’s own experience, what is surmised from scriptural authority.
The narrative thread was provided by lubna throughout, who based it on sahaja or the instinctive naturalness and spontaneity that is innate in all sentient beings. She explained, “The natural law of the universe has no swadharma or rules, duties and obligations incurred by birth. It has only svabhava: Its own in-born self or essence, to guide it. Whether sahajiya in Charya of the Buddhist masters, or sahaja in Vaishnavism expressed as ‘love’, or sahaja for Tagore transformed into pure ‘bliss,’ or the simple body-centric sahajiya approach of Bauls and fakirs, distinctions between man and man are only cultural, rather than natural.”