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FROM MID-DAY, Mumbai, 10th Oct 2009 edition
Halfway around the state in 60 minutes
Date: 2009-10-10
Utsav, a fast-paced 60 minute dance collage takes you on a whirlwind tour of Maharashtra's culture in comfortable confines
Perhaps, it's got to do with the mercurial character of Mumbai. The raging passion has its inhabitants come gushing out on the streets during festivals, each community declaring their respect for their revered deity, turning sacred occasions into a game of one upmanship.
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Performers depict a scene from Navratri celebrations. pics/Sameer Markande |
The throbbing mayhem turns even the wide-eyed tourists into home-birds, thanks to endless traffic delays. It's definitely bad news for Maharashtra Tourism, who'd rather have more travellers out there, exploring the city's culture. In Mumbai, thankfully, every glitch is an idea waiting to be tapped into. Enter Suresh Singh Tanwar, a tour operator, who organises Utsav - an hour long dance collage featuring nine major Maharashtrian festivals and a traditional wedding.
During his tours to Bangkok, where Tanwar visited the Rose Garden - a one-stop destination where a tourist can experience the arts, crafts and culture of Thailand, that served as an inspiration. He tried to initiate a project based on similar lines in Rajasthan, but things didn't quite work out. "Utsav has taken three long years to get started. It was a task to scout for artists and get them together, to put up a quality show," recalls the soft-spoken Tanwar.
The hour-long dance collage is performed by a troupe of 42 artistes trained by danseuse Kavita Koli, and stringed together by narrator Sumeet Lakhotia, who gives a brief description of each performance. "It was deliberate decision to use English as the medium, since most tourists are foreigners. A French narration can also be arranged, if required," informs Tanwar.
Keeping to the Hindu tradition of invoking Lord Ganesha's blessing before any auspicious event, the collage begins with a Ganesh Vandana, followed with a dance-description of every significant festival, beginning with Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian New Year.
The consequent festivals - Narali Purnima, Gokulashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, Diwali, Makar Sankranti and Holi - are all depicted in the order of celebration. Since no show in Maharashtra is complete without some feet-tapping cheer, there's a Lavani performance, and a traditional wedding, complete with a pandit matching the bride and groom's kundalis.
What works for the show is that the performances are true to tradition without compromising on pulsating energy. From cute brats grabbing the dahi handi to the kolis celebrating Narali Purnima, Tanwar and his team have managed bring authentic flavour, with vibrant costumes, local songs orchestrated with lejhim, dhol and jhang (spindle-shaped drum). It's quite a cultural eye-opener, which could make for an interesting evening out for non-Maharashtrians in the city. Is the state tourism department reading this?
On: Every Monday and Saturday, 7 pm.
At: Ravindra Natya Mandir, near Siddhivinayak Mandir, Prabhadevi.
Call: 9820070925.
Tickets: Rs 900
(Private shows for can also be arranged)
Click here to view a collage video of the performances.
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