“This is criminal for our time," says the veteran Bharatanatyam dancer when she addresses a young crowd at the dance conference. She is referring to the money that was being spent on arangetrams (dance debut on stage). She cites an example of how $75000 was spent on one such arangetram in the US. She points out, do we have a social responsibility of how much we spend on such events? What is the real purpose of an arangetram? An arangetram is a significant milestone for any budding artiste to demonstrate proficiency of the art form.
Listening to the dancer’s speech brought back memories of my own debut as a Carnatic musician in Chennai decades ago. It was at a small Ganesha temple. There was a makeshift stage in a corner of the temple compound. A small crowd of well-wishers including my family and friends were seated on the dusty floor in front of me. My mother had a harried look on her face as she had to report the proceedings to my elderly relatives who couldn’t make it to the event.
As I settled myself on that stage with the ubiquitous flask of warm water next to me I noticed my accompanying musicians (the violinist and percussionist) giving me nervous smiles. That’s when the tight knot in my chest began to dissipate. I was in good company and the three of us were going to swim or sink together! My guru, a taciturn man just nodded his head with a small smile. It was an arangetram sans fuss and fanfare as was the norm then. When an unflattering review of one of my subsequent concerts appeared in the paper, with the critic sparing no words, I remember cringing with shame. That’s when I remembered my aunt’s sage advice, “Any criticism, however unwelcome, is better than no feedback at all!”
Arangetrams are not just a turning point for the student but also for the teacher. Somewhere down the line, it has become more of a lavish affair where people discuss the elaborate arrangements, the flowery speeches, the eclectic menu and show-stopping attire along with the repertoire presented by the dancer. As I was ruminating over such thoughts my friend called me over to his place. “I need your feedback for a speech that I’ve just written,” he said. When I heard him present the speech with so much conviction and confidence, I envisioned a huge crowd at a political rally being swayed by his words. I was brought back to earth when he remarked, “Oh, this is a speech for an arangetram that I’ve been invited to as the chief guest!”