…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.
What does this say about the relative tolerance of hindus vis a vis muslims in kerala?
“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.”
pardner i am interested in knowing about your education in hinduism because it is apparent to me it is severely lacking.
JayV – isn’t that the whole point? Why does anyone need the permission of a priest/mullah/pandit?
My family (Mangie-Catholic) was quite pro-yoga (especially Mom, since she was a practitioner)..but yes, anti-Bharatnatyam..Yoga was seen somehow as a health/ exercise activity without religious overtones, which was not the case with Bharatnatyam I guess…
yoshi,
i hope it’s clear that i ALWAYS credit my tipsters (including certain RL friends who gnash their teeth when i do), but i honestly read this story on my own. good taste on you, though. 😉
Dimple,
Hinduism has a massive badwidth – from Brahmo Samajist to Arya Samajist to Vaishnavs to aninmal sacrifice to what not. A religion that really does not have a governing body/ bodies is truely organic and that it is greatest strength. You define your own shrine and belief system. For that matter, let us even look @ Catholicism. Catholocism in South America is very different from Europe, North America, and Africa. In all places, there is incredible diversity even in basic beliefs. In South America, a lot of pagan symbols take an important place in their faith. In Africa, with AIDS, even Bishops advocate protection.
Belief is a buffet.
I meant: Hinduism has a massive bandwidth
Ramli Ibrahim, a malay-muslim male Malaysian bharatanatyam dancer, has been been performing for the last 25 years to much acclaim and sadly, some confrontation with the religious
nutjobsauthorities.Check him out here.
The Islamic radicalisation that has swept over SE Asia in the last couple of decades has led to the proscription or strong disapproval of many traditional Malay artforms that have pre-islamic animist or hindu influence. Shades of the taliban – wanton destruction of one’s own heritage.
From the same article:
I found the end quote by Rubiya’s dad pretty inspiring. “The parish doors might never open for us, but the world is not too small for the brave,”
Anna, I apolozige for my lame attempt at humor in a sorry situation.
my mistake. didn’t mean at all to doubt your integrity as a blogger. mad props Anna.
kool:
thank you, that was very nice of you to write.
:+:
yoshi,
no worries. you gave me the opportunity to let readers know how this magical bit of online deliciousness works. 🙂
Oh dear. When I was 12, in the first mass I attended (first week of high school at a Catholic same-sex school), not knowing what the hell was going on and thinking that the mass was finished, I mindlessly followed everyone in the pew only to find myself face to face with the priest offering me communion. Being the polite kid I was, I didn’t want to offend the guy so I just ate it – it tasted rather bland (for some reason I always thought it would taste like milk chocolate).
The principal, who was a nun, and the teachers who knew that I was a muslim didn’t seem to mind though 🙂
lol! Thanks for sharing this really sweet story. 🙂
I wonder, where is Ms. Shabana Azmi and Mr. Javed Aktar…? hope, they can find sometime between there busy schedules (protecting minorities from devilish “Hindutva Brigade”)…
Can anybody send an SOS to our own brown “Tim Robbinson & Susan Sarandon” couple????
Ustad Bismillah Khan, the Shehnai maestro, has practised and played in many temples of Varanasi. Excerpts from an interview: *
[The site linked above is a Pakistani site on Hindustani (north Indian classical) music.]
Also, Sheikh Chinna Moula, a famous Nadaswaram (south Indian wind instrument) exponent, was a devotee of Lord Ranganatha (a form of Vishnu).
badmash (#53)
That is my point too. But the reality is that we DO need the approval of the mediators between us and our gods. If not the mediators themselves, we almost always crave acceptance from our peers. Nobody likes to live like an outcaste.
The post that started this was a piece on how the local muslim laity did not approve of this girl’s participation in an overtly hindu tradition. The family must have needed their approval or would never have gone to the international press with their complaints. Or as the daddy says in the piece, they decided to get their support elsewhere.
In any case, most of us do not live like the unabomber. We live in a society and need the acceptance of our peers (however freaky the peers may be). The threat of shunning/excommunication is pretty serious and in a small village in mallapuram, the end of your world as you know it.
Kush Tandon,
Catholicism recgnized around the time of vat-deux, I think, the need to assimilate into local cultures or run the risk of not looking relevant. I thought latin mass and the sat mass was made optional around that time. That was a political decision made at the highest levels to encourage the spread of the religion.
All proselytizing religions need to absorb local flavors or risk being looked on as an exotic food, fine for going out and eating but not to eat everyday. To continue with the religion as food motif, the monotheists tend to strictly control what is on the smorgasbord and loosening the controls is usually a result of dwindling attendance at the sunday buffet.
Music fan, that story is excellent. Thank you for also providing a link – I took a quick look at the interview, very intriguing…
I myself underwent a ‘conversion’ of sorts from Bharathanatyam to Kathak a few years ago, not least because I loved being part of a tradition that has Hindu/temple/devadasi roots and which has been profoundly shaped by Muslim/Persian/Moghul sensibilities. Kathak wouldn’t be as lovely as it is had these two not come together.
My teacher also happens to have blond hair, blue eyes and only took up Kathak in her 20s. Of the six Indian dance teachers I’ve worked with over the years, she is the best, both as a teacher and a dancer. Hands down.
I’m not sure where I’m going with this. Just wanted to point out that there is an Indian dance form, a major one, a classical one, and that it’s unique beauty is very much the result of Muslim influence. And that, for all y’all who were denied the chance to learn Bharathanatyam as little girls, it’s never too late to kick ass, take names and get your aramandi on. (In which case, I offer you narthaki.com if you’re looking for a teacher in your area…).
Hindu univeralism is a recent trend also. Modern Hindu universalism was popularized by Swami Vivekananda in the late 1800s (though there are many previous incarnations of universalism in hindu thought).
Prior to that there was a lot of in-fighting amongst various sects like Vainshavites, Shavites, Charvaks and also different castes who often followed their own religious traditions.
She has he face of an Angel and wisdom to match. More power to Rupiya in her quest. You go girl!!
As a European Christian girl who has studied Bharatanatyam for eight years I received a similar response from some South Indian Christian friends and the community at my local church. Comments about “bowing down to idols” and “Paganism” being the most hurtful as well as one scathing comment about “Exotic dancing” not being suitable for a Christian or for church. (as though I was a strip club dancer). I didn’t stop my Bharatanatyam although I have stopped going to church. I’m sorry but I can’t deal with people who use religion as an excuse to parade how narrow minded they are.
And as an addendum to my previous message I have to say that although I am a European (British) Christian and not born into the Hindu religion I see no difference between praying to God in a traditional Christian way and worshipping Him through Bharatanatyam in the form of Lord Shiva or Krishna. What gives anyone the right to say that although I have white skin (I don’t have blue eyes or blonde hair by the way – I’m a dark eyed, dark haired Celt!) I have no right to worship God in this way? That I can only adhere to “Christian” traditions? Bharatanatyam training takes devotion, hard work and dedication. It is a vocation – a calling. I beleive I was called to it. My Guru treats me no differently to her Hindu Shisyas. We have all been given to her by God to train and train us she does.
Incidentally, if I saw a Hindu wearing a cross I would not be in the least bit offended!!! God is God. He made this world and we are all his children, whatever we call Him or however we approach Him. Why would a Hindu have less right to wear a cross than me? And who am I to judge?! No-one has the right to judge another person’s behaviour. That is for God Himself. People need to get off their high horses and stop finding fault with each other. Jesus himself said that we don’t have the right to “take the speck out of our brother’s eye” when we have a plank in our own eye!
And yes, I beleive that all religions are equal and are all ways of approaching and worshipping God. Sue me.
hello Kate, well said. out of curiosity, i once read a book (Folio Society) about the Celts, and the author stated that the Celts may have a lot in common with Indians (or the Hindus of ancient times) and that there are many cultural, religious (pre-Christian), linguistic and genetic commonalities. have you noticed any of these? a Lithuanian friend has noticed similarities between ancient Lithuania and India.
many cultural, religious (pre-Christian), linguistic and genetic commonalities. have you noticed any of these? a Lithuanian friend has noticed similarities between ancient Lithuania and India.
no to the “genetic” part. the possible similarities between europeans-indians genetically which are not explicable as a southeast-northwest gradient are shared between slavs and indians, and lacking in western europeans. specifically, the M17 haplotype in males.
i think the similarities between ancient lithuania or the celts and india is explained by the fact that india has maintained cultural continuity with the ‘pagan’ past more than most european cultures, who have reshaped many of their motifs in a christian mold. british orientalists stated that india was in some ways a reflection of ancient greece because of the multiplicity of philosophical and religious viewpoints….
razib, thanks for that clarification. i’ve read so many different things about the celts, that they swept out of india. that they both share a history of migration from a common point, celts to the west, others to india. it’s confusing but interesting.
as for the similarities between india and so-called pagan Europe, lithuanians point out these similarities dievas (devas), darna (dharma), pradziapatis (Prajapati), vaidilos (vedas). in this way, the similarities between indian culture and lithuanian ancient religion seem to differ than, say, indian culture and ancient Egyptian culture, even though there are similarities in diversity of Gods etc. between the latter two.
razib, thanks for that clarification. i’ve read so many different things about the celts, that they swept out of india. that they both share a history of migration from a common point, celts to the west, others to india. it’s confusing but interesting.
the “celts” and north indians share something: they are an indo-european speaking people who are overlain upon an ‘indigenous’ substrate. that is, genetically the average irishmen shares far more with a non-indo-european speaking basque than they do with an indian, or, frankly, than they do with a norwegian. it seems that there were two primary (perhaps 3) reexpansions from the last glacial maximum, one from iberia, and another from the southeast (ukraine). european peoples are to some extent an admixture between these two waves, plus later arrivals from the middle east and eastern europe (neolithic revolution and indo-europeanization) which had more powerful cultural than genetic imprints. the peoples of the atlantic fringe tend to be derived primarily from the ‘iberian’ refugia, the peoples of eastern europe from the southeast. most of the rest of europe (the middle) is a mix of the two to various degrees.
re: lithuanians, their language is a bit archaic, and so might bear resemblence to sanskrit, but, a friend of mine told me that lithuanian nationalists consciously archaized their language in the 19th century. so the similarity in word form to indian motifs might be an artifact of 19th century romanticism, not a deep historical connection. genetically the lithuanians are not that different from the finno-ugric estonians, and they might be more simiilar to the estonians than they are to indo-european slavs.
the short of it is that the similarities between indians and europeans aside from indo-european language is mostly superficial. our asses are brown after all 🙂
Well said Kate!!! I’m astounded by Christians who fail to see the rich syncretic metaphors/myths/images in our own tradition. Rock on!
“the short of it is that the similarities between indians and europeans aside from indo-european language is mostly superficial. our asses are brown after all :)”
hey, more power to the brown! thanks for the info.
@kate, #72 and 73 Yes, the last I checked, being broadminded is good. The tragedy of our times is that we have to keep reminding ourselves of this. Over and over again.
In a more general note, I attended a guest lecture at my university by John Shelby Spong. He is a minister from the South. He is a moderate voice of religious America, and he was speaking against the spread of extremism in general all over the world.
He made a point similar to Kate’s and many others here. Unlike what Bush parades (now for the Iraq war), and unlike what most evangelical christians believe, Spong quotes Jesus as saying “if you are not against us, you are with us”. Not “if you are not with us, you are against us”, which he said was added by someone else (Mathew?).
I dont care abt the history of the bible here, and neither was Spong making a historical point. Spong used this statement to highlight what it is that make people extremist. The above seems to be a play on words, but there is a world of difference between the two viewpoints. In that aspect, I can’t agree more. For the record, I am S. Indian hindu.
Apart from Bharathanatyam and Yoga, I’ve heard some indian christians even raise objections to the wearing of bindis/bottus — perhaps because of its religious significance ? But thankfully most indian christians I know don’t have a problem with any of the above and we’re all better off because of it.
Great for this young dancer. I hope she gets the support she needs. Lithuanian grammar is very similar to later Sanskrit grammar. The languages but are both Indo-European Satem languages, and “broke off” at about the same time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages Bharat Natyam is a new dance form, amalgamating other styles of dance that were dying off in an attempt to save established dance culture.
Sorry Razib I didn’t see your better posting.
Yeh Mallu Ladkiyan Kaun si Chakki ka Aata Khaati hain ?
Beef eating Hindu AtheistHmm… Interesting. So the Charvakas came before Vivekananda? Beef? No big deal! Lots of pious Hindu Bongs and Mallus do. Want to sensationalise? You will have to try harder.
As a rule among Christian Indians, you will find Catholic women wearing the bindi with the mangalsutra (and men who have taken to sporting tilaks of sandal paste in church). Not so among Protestants. I used to know a Protestant who was born a raised a TamBrahm who embraced Christianity fairly late in life (in his 20s). His family is verrry vegetarian (no cakes even because it contains eggs). Yoga and Bharatanatyam are certainly rooted in Hindu tradtion and if someone feels conflicted about learning these disciplines they require understanding and support. OTOH when it comes to Hindustani music it is one happy confluence. Ustad Rais Khan who migrated to Pakistan many years ago brought his son to Bombay for his debut after which of course happened after a puja at Siddhi Vinayak (where else?). Why talk about brothers and sisters from other faiths? In fact among TamBrahms some Iyengar families have problems with their daughters learning Bharatanatyam whose presiding deity is Natarajan and Sabhapathy – Shiva himself. Of course Narayana is Ranganathan. But I guess Shiva and Narayana are in charge of different stages?
Same happened with me when I wanted to learn Carnatic classical. It was my father who opposed, but my mother supported me. Anyways, as my father was the financial head, I had no option. Its good to see the girl have support from her family.
I studied Odissi with Mr. Ibrahim years ago. I was agreeing with some of what was being said here about how tradition/religion is open to change, until I saw that. Please don’t bring him into this. How he stripped Bharatnatyam of its spirituality and made it a nubile young girls in very “unorthodox” costumes show does not at all make him a good example of how tradition is not important in classical dance. Believe me, I’ve been there.
we should be proud of her thats all i can say
I’m Christian and have been interested in learning Bharatanatyam for a while. When I was younger (about 24) and mentioned wanting to learn it, my father asked me if that was something I really wanted to do as a Christian. At the time I felt it would be inappropriate, but as I have gotten older and my spirituality has changed, I don’t see a problem with studying the dance even if I am not a Hindu. Of course, I am fortunate in that my family and community is tolerant. My problem will be finding someone willing to take on a 29-year-old beginner student…
@sarita,
you are right, it is not easy to start off at your age. but in general, people would take you on as a student in dance even if you are “old” (but fit). you can potentially do very well or not. but there is something else: you may see it from a very unique perspective.
i will digress a bit, just read on. according to most teachers, in most cases, if one do not learn music when young, the best (s)he can hope for later on is competence and appreciation. it has something to do with grammar capability or something like that—music, like many grammar-ed languages is best picked up in single digit ages.
well, i started off learning carnatic a little too late—24. sure enough, i have realized i can never be really good at playing it, but then i can appreciate it at a very deep level. this combination makes it particularly poignant for me: something i find remarkably beautiful but just out of reach.
so, now, i am not really sure if this is better or worse than having learnt it early :). so my 2c—if you like something, no matter how good or bad you think you are at it, just learn it at all costs. you may get some fringe benefits you never expected.
U should lead many. so I am with U. Morraly and phisycaly. Ok ? so dont wory.
I am Babu. I feel so proud to say that Rubiya was my neighbour before 8 years. i wish all the very best for her career.
go ahead….all the best..little girl art is the blessing given by the aimighty………
I am very happy to know that a muslim girls doing indian classsical dance acutally indian muslims are very backward in this type of culture but in other countrys muslim girls are leading all sense the superstious believes of some scloars art the reason of all theese The real muslims who know islam very well never discourage this girl .
I am catholic christian, but I love to dance bharatanatyam, not to worship the gods or anything, but just to dance
it is very bad and she does sex
I think the girl and her parents are really, really brave. I know some people who claim to be tolerant and whatever, who have the worst stereotypes of Muslims just because they have met with these stereotypical examples. Rubiya and her parents put the so-called ‘tolerant’ people I know to SHAME.
And what’s all this hullaballoo about “trampling over Hinduism” and “saying blasphemous things”, etc.? The girl and her parents have the most peaceful idea on how to practice their religion, as far as I’m concerned. If more people thought like them, we wouldn’t have all these idiotic, prejudicial notions about one another in the first place. Now, I’m not religious at all, but I also don’t go around telling people that they’re morons if they believe in a higher power, because I seriously don’t believe that you can be a moron for believing in something that makes you happy (unless it involves hurting another person physically or emotionally). However, if your belief kills MY freedom to live my life the way I want to, THEN you’re a moron – a terrorist, in fact. And that’s exactly what the people who are shunning Rubiya and her family are doing and ditto for the people who are making an issue about her being a Muslim and wanting to dance Bharatanatyam. They are having to be brave when there should be no issue of bravery because there should be nothing to fear in the first place. There really should be no issue there!
You people DO know that Ravi Shankar’s first wife was a Muslim, don’t you? Yeah, her father, Allauddin Khan, was Shankar’s guru and his daughter’s name was Annapurna. So, Khan’s community should have raised a big stink for naming his daughter after an avatar of goddess Durga, right? Get a clue people, and stop quoting the Vedas literally like some of the psycho Baptists here in the U.S. quote the Bible. It doesn’t prove anything and it’s scary.
Rubiya ! such a pretty name ! She reminds me of Waheeda Rehman the famous Indian film actress, who is also born into a traditional Muslim family and trained in Bharatnatyam. Waheeda’s amazing performance at age 19 in her debut song eruvaka sagaroo rannoo chinnananna made it one of the ever memorable songs in telugu film history and also launched her career. I become teary eyed everyt ime I watch the song in admiration of the young girls passion for dance, and her family’s support in 1930s and 1940s. Rubiy’s story had similar effect on me. Its unfortunate that her family is facing resistance from the community but it made me admire her even more. Hats off to her parents. I wish rubiya to be go way further. IMO dance is an art form, and has nothing to do with religion. Keep it up Anna.
See what Rani Khanam has done in the world of Kathak. I know it’s not the same situation, but her company is called Sufiana Dance !!!
Here are the links that didn’t work last post (please to delete my earlier post if you have time, SM Intern!): See what Rani Khanam has done in the world of Kathak. I know it’s not the same situation, but her company is called Sufiana Dance!!!