 Montpellier,
a small city in south of France, holds a high-profile,
three-week international festival of contemporary dance every
year. Founded in 1981, by a great lover of art forms, Dominique
Bagouet, this prestigious festival gained more prestige this
year by inviting Bharatanatyam dancer Priyadarsini Govind to
perform for one evening - the only danseuse from the Indian
subcontinent to be selectively accorded this honour, after many,
many years.
Excerpts of a
dialogue with her, in this and other contexts are shared with
the readers.
 "I
danced at Montpellier before an audience of 800 connoisseurs,
almost all of them French and Europeans. It was a lovely
auditorium too. I danced as I would have danced before our own
people - the Margam format. At the end of the performance, I was
given a rousing, standing ovation that overwhelmed me by its
natural spontaneity. This unique honour would ever remain
cherished by me.
"There was
one other occasion, 15 years ago, in Kabul, Afghanistan, where I
had gone with my master in a group. I danced before an Afghan
audience, amidst fierce hostilities alround. I heard loud
explosions and was terrified. The Indian Ambassador told me that
they must have heard about my dance-artistry and were probably
welcoming me with the traditional gun-salute accorded to VIPs!
Calmed and composed, I danced and the audience were immensely
pleased with my performance. I can never forget that either.
 "But
then, Mama (addressing me), I must hasten to assure you that all
my performances are most cherishable to me, without exception,
here or abroad. These two had a rarity factor association and
hence I made special mention of these!"
Priyadarsini
Govind has been dancing pure Bharatanatyam since 1974 when she
had her ‘arangetram’ (maiden solo performance). She must
have given, till now, on a conservative estimate, at least 1,500
public performances.
"I have
lost count, Mama. It hardly matters, the number, I mean. I am
primarily concerned with the quality, the perfection factor that
matters truly. My guru Kalanidhi Mami can perform abhinaya in
two dozen different ways for a single line of a lyric.
Perfection is an endless quest, limitless adventure. It may be
unattainable perhaps, but I want to go as near it as possible.”
 Priyadarshini
emotes. She pauses. She does it often. She absorbs your
questions, chews them and answers them carefully, comfortably
and always in a straightforward manner - no beating about the
bush. If she is a Priyadarsini (of pleasing mien), she is a
Priyavaadini too (of pleasing manner of speech)!
"I have no
regrets. There were, earlier, distractive confusions arising out
of my immature perceptions. I have long since realised dance is
my way of life. All else comes next. Dance is a magnificent
obsession with me and it shall remain so.” Her firm words have
well-controlled, dignified passion and deep conviction.
 Another
pause: "No, Sir. Dancing is not merely a traditional
career, like medicine, engineering. Dancing should be a
wholesomely rewarding, aesthetic, elevating experience
throughout. The dancer must derive physical and mental
satisfaction in full measure. The anklets are there with you
till ‘adieu’. There are no limits, no boundaries, no
pot-shots, and no mental blocks, for a complete dancer. There
should never be an inhibiting factor. It is a well-thought out
choice of life for which the dancer must give the very whole of
her existence without reservations. Dance has no structural
career-oriented framework like other options. You have to
determine your own ceiling!"
 About
today's dancers and dance atmosphere? Priyadarsini pirouettes
and side-steps with lithe ‘nritta’. "They are all good.
The environs are good too. The opportunities are aplenty. One
must be patient. Competition should be viewed as motivation.
Enjoy your dance and your rasikas, reviewers, et al, will be
with you all the time."
A senior
artiste disciple of late Swamimalai K. Rajaratnam Pillai and now
of Kalaimamani Kalanidhi Narayanan, Priyadarsini (herself a
Kalaimamani, inter alia) pays genuine, appreciative tributes to
the role played by them in moulding her. She also remembers,
with misty gratitude, her ‘mother Padma’s continuing
selfless support right from the minute I donned the anklets’.
Her family also supports her definitively. They are used to her
total absorption with dance.
 Priyadarsini
has toured extensively - US, UK, France, Afghanistan, South
Africa, North Africa (Tunisia). She has even danced before
wounded soldiers in hospitals. Critics across the globe have
acclaimed her as ‘a rare jewel, divine dancer, a role-model’.
She has large
eyes. She is, therefore, able to look at her future with rare
vision and well-focused forethought.
"I have
still a long, long way to go, many, many miles to dance, before
the eternal rest." Good Luck, Priyadarsini.
R Srinivasan
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The Montpellier magic
