‘ Remembering the Telugu Devadasis.. ‘

‘At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.’ These are the popular words of Pandit Nehru, from his speech ‘Tryst with destiny’. It is so ironical and a matter of concern that within a year of independence an entire community of artistes was forced to give up their profession in the name of social cleansing. The Telugu temple dancers or devadasis were coerced to take a vow on their dancing bells, which for them was as sacred as the deity in the temple that they will never perform or teach their art to anyone. A link between Society and God.. - Popular dance forms of today - Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam, Odissi and Vilasini Natyam were practiced, nurtured and preserved by the community of temple dancers. It was not just their source of livelihood. It defined their identity, way of life, beliefs, philosophy and values. Just as boys from Brahmin communities were put into a Gurukula for acquiring the knowledge of Vedas, Upanishads, Agamas, Shastras to get trained to become priests in the temple or perform other religious duties, girls from the community of Devadasis underwent rigorous training in the art of dance before they were dedicated to a temple to serve as a temple dancer. As a priest was a link between the society and the God , a messenger, a via media to communicate with the Higher power , so was the Devadasi who not only interpreted the scriptures/ incantations in temples through dance but also performed other dance rituals as a part of daily or special sevas. In addition to this she had a major role in educating the society and entertaining the mass and class in highly aesthetic manner. A scholar in multiple subjects… - Devadasis were also known as ‘Nityasumangali’ – eternally auspicious as they were married to God. They were a group of women dedicated to the deity of the temple who did a deep study of music, rhythmology, scriptures, aesthetics, literature, mythology and human psychology. They combined all these and gave it a chiseled expression through dance. Their art formed an integral part of social consciousness. It was presented in the temple as a ritual and in the court as an entertainment for the King and in the gatherings of learned men, where a piece of literature was interpreted in innumerable ways. The dancer delved deep into the text, de-constructed it and weaved images to enhance its meaning. By doing this she created a ‘life-world’ around the audience which enabled them to experience an alternative reality which was highly aesthetic, joyous and at times spiritual. She also presented episodes from mythology, for general public, which educated them about social values. Since the presentation was much lighter in terms of music and dance composition, it communicated well with the uninitiated audience. Hence a kalavati- practioner of art, fulfilled the responsibility of entertaining people in a meaningful way thereby giving them food for thought. A victim of society’s dual values.. - The hypocrisy of the social system which included the temples, the royalty and the rich upper class ultimately led to several acts which aimed at uprooting the Devadasi system. Unlike the priest, devadasis were not allowed to marry. They had a relation with a ‘patron’ who was like their partner. Most of the times this patron was already married and the devadasi did not get the status of a wife, whereas the wife, who took care of him and the family was not given the freedom to practice any art in public. Dance was a taboo for her and if she willed she could learn instrumental or vocal music. The man fulfilled his aesthetic needs or pleasures by going to devadasis and came back home to the secure nest of the family. Over a period of time this lopsided system created a web of relationships which did not get social sanctity. British came with their own set of moralities and looked down upon the art of Devadasi. The nationalist fervour which urged women to participate in the nation building (under the guidance of patriarchal rules) further strengthened the anti Devadasi feeling. All this snowballed into a movement led by Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy which culminated in passing of several Anti-Devadasi Acts. Ironically this did lead some women to choose prostitution. The act did not affect the temple authorities or the Zamindars who played a major role in perpetrating the Devadasi system. Despite all these pressures the dance forms practiced by devadasis have survived the tests of time and are being celebrated not only in India but across the world. Vilasini Natyam is the latest form (although it is as old as other devadasi dance forms) which is painstakingly researched and revived by Swapnasundari. She persuaded the Telugu devadasis who held the art form in the sanctum of their heart for four decades to teach her so that the beauty of the dance form could be seen by one and all. It is slowly regaining its position in the art world and society. Every parent who sends their child to learn a classical dance form should feel proud that their child is carrying the legacy of a spiritual art forward. S(he) is herself an offering ‘ in the dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.’