…but if certain people had their way, she wouldn’t. Via the BBC:
The family of a young Muslim girl in India’s southern state of Kerala say they are being shunned by the local mosque committee (mahallu) because she is practising Indian classical dance.
VP Rubiya, 16, came first in Bharatnatyam, Kerala natanam and folk dance competitions at the recent Kerala School Festival.
She also won the dance competition at the Veeran Haji Memorial Higher Secondary School at Morayur in the Muslim-dominated district of Malappuram.
To me this is such a Mallu thing: twenty years ago when I asked for Bharatnatyam lessons, I was scolded so harshly you’d think I’d said “stripper” when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up.
“That is NOT a Christian thing to do,” my normally-very-chill Mother snapped. When she noticed my perplexed expression, she tried to explain her reaction.
“It’s not just a dance, it is religious. It is very Hindu, and as an Orthodox girl you should understand why you can’t participate.”
I was still perturbed.
No one in my family has studied it”, she concluded, as if that was the end of that.
Apparently, the local mosque committee agrees with my parent, and that’s why they aren’t showing this talented child love. Rubiya’s daddy calls them out on their bias:
“If she had won prizes in ‘oppana’ and ‘mappila pattu’ [traditional Muslim art forms], she would have been flooded with gifts by now. The mahallu leaders would never openly admit that it is her dance that makes them treat us as virtual outcasts,” says Mr Alavikutty.
The indomitable Rubiya has danced since age three; she has performed at over 50 temples, using the fees she earns to help support her family. Her dance gurus RLV Anand and Bharatanjali Sasi don’t charge her for her lessons or her costumes.
“I’m confident that she will bring us laurels. That’s all we need,” says Mr Anand, extolling the virtues of the rare find from a community that still fights shy of classical dances.
I’m not at all surprised by the following:
Rubiya is the darling of her teachers and friends at the Veeran Haji high school.
…when the girl drops wisdom like THIS:
“God is one. When I pay ritualistic obeisance through mudras [hand signs], I am imploring not just the Hindu gods but the supreme creator, which we call by different names,” she says.
Word.
I read this a few days back. Frankly I am proud of her.
Talent in anything is not a common enough commodity that we can fritter away citing prejudices.
At the same time, like many people say, art is not the preserve of any community. It belongs to whoever appreciates it.
tangent… some photographs just capture the spirit of a person. take a look at this little munchie here. you know some people are born special 🙂
Wow, what an amazingly expressive face! She’s just so adorable. Let’s hope that she will make her way across the Pacific some day for Bharatnataym recitals on our shores.
i know, it’s an older story…but i couldn’t get that impish smile out of my head.
The dancing sardar
Khushwant Singh writes
A bearded, long-haired Sardar dancing Bharatnatyam! Preposterous! …At long last Navtej entered the open courtyard to a round of applause as theatre lights beamed on him. He is a slim Sardar with not an ounce of extra fat or muscle: he practises yoga. He has his long hair tied in a bun at the back of his head, beard intact, kada on his right wrist. He was bare to his waist, with the lower half of his body draped in a white dhoti, ghungroos round his ankles. The dance began. I could not comprehend abhinaya and turned to my dancer friends for explanation! “He is very clean, very good”, said Uma Sharma.[Link]
Navtej Johar’s site here
@anna, #4: the smile, yes :). no way can you forget her.
Anna, thanks for posting this!
I read about this girl a little while ago in The Hindu (as I am currently spending some time in Kerala…). This being my seventh month here, I can testify to the s e r i o u s pressure to abide by the “what will people say/think???” principle, especially for girls and women. I realize this is true all over the subcontinent, but it’s especially disheartening to grow up in the diaspora hearing so much about Kerala’s matrilineal heritage and the strong willedness of Malayali women only to find that the reality doesn’t quite live up to the mythology…
There’s also a tragic (but too often true) saying that Malayalis are like crabs, as in they are quick to reach out with their pointy little claws and pull down those who try to escape. That VP Rupiya and her family have not buckled to community reaction is astounding.
Nonetheless, I also think that she is an example of what is best about this state – here is a narrow sliver of the world where Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism have coexisted, in some cases for for millenia, in ways that are almost unheard of elsewhere!
Anyhow, respek to the Rupiyas and here’s looking forward to her world tour.
Great story. As someone who brags about how tolerant Mallus are, this is embarrassing.
Reminds me of Yesudas not being denied entry to Guruvayoor temple even though those who prevent his entrance are huge fans of his songs in praise of Lord Krishna.
Yeah I know I read it sometime back. But I am happy you blogged about it Anna. Bless her. She’s got a very expressive eyes and charm on her face which makes you feel good and happy. :). But of course religion has to be show stopper always. No surprise. I wish she goes far.
she is truly THE dancing queen 🙂
It is the “we are all praying to the same creator…” business that gets her into trouble. Fundamentally, if you are a monotheist worth your salt, you cannot even pretend to say everybody’s religion is the same. It is heretical. That is why the last pope had to make the comment that the only way to get to heavan was through the church (national catholic reporter link: http://tinyurl.com/j4ule). Was it Pat or Jerry who just reaffirmed that he didn’t think jews couldn’t go to heaven? All of the multiple pathways to the same creator stuff will never come from a monotheist.
I think the girl’s family is quite lucky that she hasn’t been tarred, feathered and ridden out of town or worse condemend to death for apostasy.
It’s a pity for the girl and for her obviously supportive family, perhaps. She does look like a sweetheart.
But don’t miss the bigger point.
Certain dances are NOT art. They ARE religion.
If a Hindu wore a cross because they think it’s artistic, there are quarters who would recognise it for the outright offensiveness of it.
But we Hindus just let everyone trample all over our religion…
I am so glad her family is on her side.
Them’s fightin’ words, pardner.
I am slightly surprised that Anna didnt bring in the current word of the month “Kundi” into picture given the ease with which it could have been used along with this story.
Yes, kool, that was for you. Anna, are you sure this is only a Mallu thing and not more widespread? My Mangie-mumbai-Xian family harbours an ambivalent attitude towards yoga most of the time, which rises up into straightforward rejection should anyone in the family take it up. Classical dance is likewise a no-no. My mother attributes this to my grandfather’s upbringing in a German Lutheran mission (the Basel mission) near Mangalore. But then, he was a nut in all sorts of ways. . . And I concur with JayV – Unitarian sentiments will often get you squashed among monotheists. Ther’es more subtlety to it, I think, than how he puts it, but he’s on the right track. These sentiments are more offensive to members of a minority culture, too. . . when a culture is in the majority, it does not feel so threatened by this sort of thing and is more likely to let it slide. Sorry for lack-of-clarity, it’s early.
Hmm, I have done Bharathanatyam since I was five. I never viewed this afterschool activity as a religious piece. I viewed it as art, dancing, and something to impress my mother. At the end, we are dancing to a story, not spreading religion. These stories are integrated in the fabric of the Indian culture and presumbly other cultures, like Thailand (where they do similar dances sharing stories of Ram and other Hindu deities). To me, I never felt more Hindu doing Bharathanatyam, I felt more cool cause I could tweak my neck like none of my friends. And shoot, I was one up with all my gangsta signs cause I could contort my fingers in different shapes. And finally, yo, once yoga hit the streets, I got a lot of street cred with my Shiva dance poses.
Bharathnatyam made me a whole lot cooler. 🙂
right…..(sarcasm)…right….”us,” poor Hindus.
Yeesh – history repeats itself! A girl I knew in our Church community became a highly accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer and even completed her Arangetam in Chennai. She returned and started making a name for herself at different cultural festivals in the city – wasn’t long before the community’s elders told her to make a decision between Church and dancing. I told her to tell them to F-off!!! She’s still dancing – and she still goes to Church 🙂
VP Rubiya is just beautiful 🙂 Kinda reminds me of my first dancer-crush Shobana
Hello Thakathimi. That is an interesting view point. I am not familiar with the subtleties of Bharatnatyam. If you are, and by your note you did indicate that you have more than a passing knowledge, could you please explain the religious aspects of the dance form. Thank you.
you’re an ass. on second thought, that rxn is apposite.
what ease? where should i have used it? do tell, i’m waiting with bated breath.
I’d certainly like to see something shoved up the ‘kundi’ of those respectable ‘elders’ who are trying to stop this girl from dancing.
Is that correct usage, ANNA? 🙂
I keep turning back to SM just to see her lovely visage. Damn, that is one perfect bharathanatyam face…
I just read the article. Apparently her grades are good enough to get her into a ‘professional’ degree program (doctor, engineer, the usual) but she wants to dance. And that’s that.
Now that sh*t is just un-Indian. Therein lies the real blasphemy! 😉
she is one beautiful girl and i hope her dreams come true.
there is no separation between the sacred and the profane in indian classical dance, especially Bharatanatyam, Odissi etc. like yoga, they have their origins in the divine and that is their raison d”etre. however, like yoga, while a certain level of respect and even belief (that they are worth doing) is necessary to achieve its aims, they do not require people to be hindus. there is a japanese woman who became a world-class Bharatanatyam dancer and a chinese man who excelled at carnatic singing. but maybe it was easier for them because they are buddhists.
AFAIK, adherence to Hinduism does not preclude you from wearing a cross or going to a church/mosque or following any darn tradition you like. Know your Hinduism well pardner – This ‘religion’ (or philosophy as it should really be called) allows you to follow any custom or believe in any religious icon u want. No one can ‘trample all over’ that.
Well if her parents friends felt offended by her dancing its with in their associational rights to distance that family from the clique. It is funny to see the extent to which adherents of islam go to deny their indian identity. more indian muslims claim to be a syyed or khan than from arabic country or central asia. oh well she can write to the azmi family for some cash for her plight.
First up, hats off to this girl and her family for sticking up for what they believe!
Yes and No. I don’t agree with the ‘trampling over religion’ bit. However, Hinduism while it recognizes multiple paths, there is a difference when you then adhere to a path that claims to be the ONLY path- a direct contradiction to this basic belief from the Rig Veda.
Go Rubiya! I call BS on the elders on this one. If the girl doesnt feel like she’s being coerced and the girl’s parents are cool with it (since she’s technically a minor), there’s no real issue here.
GGK, it’s disheartening to see that Muslim Indians have to fight to prove that we are, in fact, Indian. The Indian Muslims I know have never tried to prove their ties to arabia or anywhere else; instead, they are proud of the fact that their ancestors were not ‘muhajirs‘ & chose to stay in their des.
Ha. Well considering the relatively recent birth of Bharatnatyam and the influence of Russian-style ballet on its conception, I think it would be safe to say that without some people trampling all over “our” religion, this dance form would have never been created.
While people often invoke “ancient texts” such as the Natyasastra for the nascience and legitimacy of Bharatnatyam, the dance, as we know it today comes from the dances (especially the lamp-waving dance) that devadasis performed as worship especially in temples in parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. These were a particular caste of women (and men, who served mainly as musicians) who were “married to god” and therefore did not enter into marriages with men. Of course when the Brits came in and saw communities of women who were educated, owned land, danced in temples and sometimes in courts and were able to chose thier own sexual partners, they were labelled “prostitutes”, coerced into giving up thier lands, forcibly “reformed” and banned under a sexual diseases act and later, in 1946, the Anti-Devadasi Act. They were up against quite a lot; Victorian morality, colonial modernity, land reform and Gandhi.
What people did want to keep however, was this dance form. Devadasi dance, thanks to the efforts of people like Annie Besant in the Theosophical Society who had an exposure and interest in ballet, was transformed from a temple dance that had an uncomfortable relationship with women who by this time were seen as disease carrying, immoral prostitutes and a symbol of debauched zamindari excess to a highly santized, codefied, dance form.
All this to say – (issues of unwarrented self-pity and prejudice aside) unless you think Annie Besant and Rukmini Arundale are somehow “authentically” “Hindu”, there’s really no basis for Bharatnatyam being protected from the um, marauding hordes. Nothing’s really changed since the 19th century apparantly – women’s bodies are still the site for virulent politics and polemical morality. I’m sure VP Rubiya had no idea her hobby would turn into such a ridiculous crisis of identity.
Annie Besant does sound pretty desi though:
Here, her long-time interest in education resulted in the founding of the Central Hindu College at Benares (1898).
I mean, she thought her (adopted) son was the Messiah 😉 I never knew that the Indian Ntional Congress had a white woman as its president before …
Well said brownfrown!!! That’s exactly it — when this danceform was rescued from disrepute by Rukmini et al., it took most of the early part of last century to reintegrate into the cultural norms of the South, and later the diaspora. It has now became de rigueur for many girls to do their arangetram as some sort of debutante entrance into society. I’m sure that would have been unimaginable a few decades ago.
Much has changed, but that is culture — not static, everchanging. The more cross-pollination, the more of a living art form it becomes. Transformation and change are a part of art. Hinduism infuses the tradition of Bharatha Natyam, and certainly made me feel my spirituality much more keenly. BUT it is an art form as an expression of devotion we are speaking of here, not the wearing of symbols. You are not more ‘authentically’ practicing Hinduism if you dance and vice versa. Besides, I know many amazing Bharatha Natyam teachers who are Christian, and teach their students with as much as passion and devotion as those that are Hindu.
Anyway, as you say kavita, that is one perfect bharathanatyam face. I think it’s awesome that she’s supported by her parents in following her dreams, and she was clearly made to dance.
brownfrown posits
Dear brownfrown.
Today’s my off-coffee day and i am floating through the day in a blissful stupor. Even so, in spite of my addled state i think i can fairly conclude that your really long post never understood the poster’s position that dance is religion. i think you were trying to take apart the second assertion, but to me that’s just froth on which to pump out really long soliloquys.
if memory serves me right, i believe there are religious chants in accompaniment to the dance, plus lighting a multi-headed lamp and bowing to an entity involved. so there may be a reason that rubiya’s community and Anna’s mum are not comfortable with the dance as art alone. even the kid’s statement acknowledges the same.
i am hoping for a practitioner’s point of view as to the meaning and motivations of the ‘mudras’. what did it mean to you when you practiced the dance? how did you reconcile the religious aspects with your personal life? etc.
The founder was white too.
Only if the pakistani question shows up do they try to prove that they are indian. In that context they say oh we are not mohajirs. But they create false identities like being a direct descendent of sabuktagin,or bein a member of quraish tribe being and on and on. Its a cultural split they created that you dont see elsewhere.
I didn’t think the non-sequiter about hindus allowing everybody to walk over them needed to be addressed.
I think the word should have been rebirth.
Issues of religion, culture and identity are exquisitely sensitive topics. I never appreciated it’s importance as a part of the majority in india. Having spent, now, as much time in the us as I have in india (more if you exclude my who-cares years), I have come to appreciate it more.
All over the world the politically/culturally aware minority fights for it life against assimilation. My jewish friends run the gamut from “
I’ll help you trim your tree*” to “Don’t effing wish me a merry xmas. I don’t care” or “No, my children don’t get presents from santa”. My wife, who grew up raised here, wants an xmas tree, presents and all of the associated flim flam. I have an ethiopian friend who opened my eyes to the friction caused by the cultural dominance of the oromo tribe by the abasshians (sp?). All the *.stans that fell out of the ussr, the nastiness that came after 50 years of dictatorial control by Josep Tito in the former yugoslavia, the basques in spain, the tamils in sri lanka are just the few of the identity crises that pop into my head.If you think these sort of conflicts are a ridiculous crisis of identity then I don’t think you give enough credit to people’s desire to form little, like minded tribes.
*This probably fits on the list of “Things that sound filthy but aren’t”
Tangential to the line of ggk’s comment, all of the xtian folk I know were coverted from the upper castes of hinduism. I didn’t realize that there was something similar among mussalmans as well.
First line on comment 35 from me should have read “The non sequitor…DID NOT need to be addressed” Sorry.
On a more constructive note, I wonder if anyone can dig out a way to get messages of support to the girl and her family. Maybe send it to her dance school or her high school? I, for one, would be delighted to do something like that.
re :37 ah shit….please ignore, not a good reading comprehension day.
the muslims of kerala actually have relatively close historical ties to arabia…unlike most sunnis in south asia they are shafi as opposed to hanafi, and some of their kazis emigrated from hadhramaut.
technophobicgeek, i second you in ways to help her, in some way.
Some of the greatest Indian classical musicians (music of Hindu heritage*) are of muslim faith and often they perform in temples, notably in Sankatmochan at Varanasi. Yesudas, a Christian from south is known for his bhajans.
There is classical music and dance in India that has Islamic heritage too. At some point, Bharatnatyam is not even purely Indian, it is an art form for the whole world as gift from India.
Um, I’m horribly busy, but I can’t just let this go without comment.
A) I’ve been doing Bharat Natyam since I was 7. B) Yes, it can be very religious. Most of the dances are nominally religious in nature–prayers, invocations, and stories from various scriptures. C) Yes, it was “revived” (more like saved) with some help/influence from people of non-South Asian ancestry, some of whom also happened to be non-Hindu, but that does not mean that it’s not a continuous tradition, or taht it’s entirely without direct conection to roots in the past–roots that have a multiplicity of sourcing D) You cannot compares apples to oranges. More direct example: Roman Catholics would be horrified if I, somewho who does not believe that Jesus is savior, took holy communion. I respect that and would not do it. I, on the other hand, would be overjoyed if someone ate some prasadam that I had prepared and offered–regardless of their belief in its sanctity. Yet I regard the consumption of offered prasadam to be a sacred act with many “notes” that resonate with Roman Catholic’s conception of communion. So that doesn’t make the non-believing consumer of the prasadam a “trampler.” E) I have and still do happilly sing Christmas Carols at Christmas, and tried (and failed) to sing requiems and other hymns in chorus. I’ve sung Jewish and Buddhist prayers when the opportunity presented itself. I sing along, very badly, with the explicitly Sufi-ist lyrics of Junoon constantly. No one was afraid I would suddenly join the Abrahamic religions. F) I have had dancing partners who were Caucasian, East Asian, Persian, and Hispanic in ancestry. Only one of them was a convert to my knowledge. Several of my hapa dance partners are not Hindu, though of one of their parents is. I’ve had fellow dance students who are African-American Christians. As far as I know none of the non-Hindus caught any dangerous idol-worshipping cooties from me. G) Yet, for me, Bharat Natyam is deeply religious and deeply worshipful. What it is to other people doesn’t really matter to me so much.
In other words, everyone needs to relax.
There was a great fresh air with Terry Gross in late 2001 featuring Junoon and a Pakistani classical dancer who talked about her troubles. .she sounded amazing. If someone else with more time finds it, check it out, otherwise I’ll look later.
BACK TO WORK!
The dancing sardar
woohhooo! kushwant rocks too.
anyhoo, yes! i give my best wishes to this gal! she seems to be a wise cookie. may it bring her the best.
blue mountain, thanks for the link for navtej. now that i read this with both eyes open ( was sneezing when i was reading the post)
A bearded, long-haired Sardar dancing Bharatnatyam! Preposterous! For one this dance form is essentially feminine and Tamilian. Ram Gopal was the first to break through the gender barrier. Since then many male dancers have made successful intrusions into this female domain.
A bearded, long-haired Sardar dancing Bharatnatyam! delish! bless him for not allowing the boundaries of ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ keep him back. he seems to do incredibly well.
and i agree. now i’m dying to see him live.
I had a lot of Hindu friends in the UK who used to sing in chapel choirs all over my University. They took great pride in it and were amazing singers – and not one of them converted or ever felt conflicted about singing in a Church. There was also no requirement by the various chapels that choir members should be Christian in order to sing (or take communion). It was a very beautiful example for me of how people could show deep respect and appreciation for one anothers’ religious traditions.
only mophlas
what is the term for non-moplah kerala muslims? are they indigenous?
Regarding saheli’s comment in #42: There was also a nice piece on PBS a year or two ago about junoon’s problems with the mullah’s in pakistan or more importantly the mullahs problems with them. I think the mullah’s were from the n.w.p.. Suffice to say they did not approve and this little dialogue was in response to the province (balochistan?) going all talibanesque in its approach to music. I do not know where the rules stand now.
As long as you do not need the sanction of your local priest for all matters spiritual you can sing in praise of anybody and in all the choirs you want (badmash in #45 ). Take all the communion, prasad or anything. However, if you went to your local mullah and asked for permission to sing in a xtian choir about the son of god or went to catholic padre and asked for permission to participate in a hindu ritual (try weddings) you’d be sol. You can do all of that on your time, just don’t expect any acceptance.
Doesn’t anybody know about the requirement for hindu-muslim or hindu-xtian weddings? Nowadays with all the inter-religious stuff going on, the few standouts in this field are, I think, the orthodox faiths (no chance of non-ortho (greek at least) getting married in a church) or catholics (must wed in church and promise to raise kids catholic) and muslim (convert only then ok). I am extrapolating from specific instances where these happened. If these examples are incorrect then I’d like a heads up.
As recently as the post 9-11 all faith ceremony that was held (at msg?), the lutheran priest that participated was brought up on ex-communication charges for pretending to accept that other paths to god may exist.
If you do not need the priest’s official sanction, you can sing kumbaya with anybody you like. More power to you.
Dear Dhaavak, While I’m not denying the spiritual meaning someone may glean from the act of performance itself, what I was commenting on is what we term as “our” religion, and what we’d like to see as somehow timeless and untrampled is often much more recently constructed than one would think. Also, while it may be a religious experience for some, let’s not forget that there is also a historical and political component (often involving “us” being shaped by “them”) to many of these things that undermine the logic of “us” v. “them” in the first place. There, I tried to keep it short, just for you.
no cred for the tipster?