Of Art, Aesthetics andShadhona
In conversation with Lubna Marium
dLubna Marium -- aesthete, danseuse, dance pioneer, teacher, choreographer and impresariois a pioneering figure in the contemporary South Asian cultural scenario. Daughter ofillustrious parents Colonel Quazi Nooruzzaman and Professor Sultana Zaman, Lubna Mariumhas dedicated a lifetime to the promotion of culture, particularly dance and other performingarts. She is the director of Shadhona -- a center for promotion of South Asian performing arts,and principal of Kalpataru -- a school of dance, music and arts in Dhaka. This interviewprovides an insight into the fascinating mind and work of this creative personality.I understand you had planned to train as an architect, but somewhere you changed course.Who or what inspired you to dedicate a lifetime to the arts, particularly dance?Lubna Marium: As a child I was a bookworm, nose dipped deep into volumes I could barelyhold, and thus an introvert. Fortunately, both my parents were liberal and progressiveBengalis who wanted their children to understand and love their culture. We siblings weretherefore enrolled into the dance and music classes at BAFA. Dancing gave me wings andtransformed me. Subsequently the Language Movement came to us as a great culturalimpetus. It made us aware of our cultural roots, helping us delve deep into our creativeconsciousness. Then 1971 (the Liberation War) happened, which opened up yet anotherhorizon.
A friend of mine and I visited Kalakshetra and Kalamandalam (two pioneering centers forrevival of dance and performing arts in south India) in search of dance. Those were howevernot times in Bangladesh when girls consciously chose to take up a career in the performingarts. Following the conventional career path, I therefore started studying architecture.However by then the dance-bug had bitten me already. So mid-way, abandoning my plans ofbecoming an architect, I went off to Kalakshetra to learn dance -- primarily Bharatnatyam.Subsequently, there were personal problems, so I came back to Dhaka, got immersed inraising a family and earning a living. In those days there weren't any opportunities in Dhakaand one had to go to India to train in classical dance; my dance lessons came to an abruptend.
Although years later I once again started training in dance, this time in Manipuri withShantibala Devi in Bangladesh, I realised I had missed the bus and it was too late to take updancing as a career. So, I thought of ways in which young people could train in Bangladeshwithout having to leave home. Thus, 'Shadhona' was born. Alimur Rahman, our chairpersonand a very inspiring individual, showed us how beautiful our classical arts are. Since then, thescope of our work has increased manifold.One of the things that come across consistently in your works is the strong element ofaesthetics. Most of the dance productions that one sees now-a-days have a lot of grandeur butlack the element of aesthetic refinement and restraint. The productions of Shadhona are notedexceptions in this regard. How did you imbibe this rather rare sensibility?Lubna Marium: We need to understand the purpose of art, literature and music. If these arerevelations of our inner consciousness, then the mediums of art are mere vehicles ofexpression. I feel, what we 'need to express' must take precedence over 'how we express' it. Infact the artiste too is an instrument of representation. Once we understand the fundamentalpurpose of art, aesthetic refinement or restraint as you call it will come naturally. Forexample even if you write Shakespeare in gold, it's the words that will always matter more.I, however, don't think aesthetics is a rare sensibility. I think it is innate to nature and humans.Nature is near perfect. Folk art and music are simple, but beautiful. This faculty getsdestroyed when the purpose of art is other than the joy of creation. Once there is genuine joyin creation, aesthetics flow naturally.No two Shadhona productions have been similar and you have always presented somethingnew. There's also a sense of creativity, experimentation and innovation (introducing jazz,aerial and western contemporary dance in Bangladesh) that sets Shadhona apart. Can you tellus something about this?Lubna Marium: I do have the ability to recognise talent and giving it its due to the maximumextent I can. Having myself, withered away opportunities in my early life, I keep urgingyoung talented artistes to make use of their abilities and push their own boundaries.Also, I keep myself abreast of artistic ventures the world over. Presently there is a greatmeeting of artistic minds and genres taking place all over the world. And, that is how itshould be. The arts have to be a reflection of the times in which they were created. In danceethnography, we learn that 'movement' itself is 'cultural knowledge'. Our world has changed.We live in urban jungles, we communicate through the ether-net. Our arts too must reflect thetimes we are living in. Fifty years hence, connoisseurs should be able to recognise the era inwhich a piece of art was created. However, at the same time I am also a great admirer oftradition. If our foundation is strong, we increase our potential to branch out. South Asian artsare definitely 'mytho-poetic' in nature -- dance with its entire language of hand-movements;the raga system expressing moods of time and season. We need to build on the strongfoundation of tradition and then move on to claiming new frontiers of art.Shadhona has done some pioneering work in reviving almost extinct dance/martial arts forms-- Lathi Khela and Charya dance for example. Could you elaborate on this?
Lubna Marium: At Shadhona, we have been working on a folk-narrative, and neededmovements that better express the narrative. That started me off on a search for indigenousdance forms. I was astonished to find, in Bangladesh, some beautiful performing traditionswhich included vibrant dance forms -- Padmar Nachon, Lathikhela, Jari. We couldn't justlearn these traditions and ignore the practitioners who have nurtured and preserved themwith almost no patronage. Thus the 'Robi Cholo Lathi Kheli' project started. Similarly, weare working on a Buddhist narrative, which incorporates the ancient 'Charyapada' lyrics.Again, I went a-searching and found Charya Nritya -- a Tantric dance which has its ownset of hand-gestures. This led me to researching into the origins of our language of hand-movements. In fact, my interest is in the entire gamut of work dealing with the body-mindconnection, on which practices like 'yoga' are based. Lets see where this search takes me.Your latest institutional initiative has been Kalpataru -- the centre that you have set up forteaching and learning dance, theatre and other creative arts for children. Can you tell ussomething about that?
Lubna Marium: I feel sad with young people putting so much importance in knowing thesciences, and giving the arts a secondary role. I get frustrated with so much resourcesbeing spent on material wealth and so little on art. I get frustrated with the millions beingspent on cricket and football and so little on our own arts. But, I'm an optimist. I thinkhuman beings are far too intelligent to self-destruct this world.I would like Kalpataru to grow into a creativity centre. An integral part of Kalpataru (atBanani, Dhaka) is 'Mancha' -- a small auditorium that is used by students of the school, aswell as other artistes for their performances. It is aimed at providing residents of Dhaka,particularly in the Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara areas, a forum to experience and enjoyperforming arts. Regarding Kalpataru, I firmly believe that the arts should be an integralpart of a child's education as Tagore had said, time and again. This world is 'true' and weunderstand its truth through science, but the world is also joyous and beautiful, and wecan learn to appreciate its beauty through the practice of the arts. Shumon Sengupta is an Indian aesthete, with a deep interest in Bangladesh and Bengali culture. Hewas till recently the Country Director for Save the Children UK in Bangladesh.(https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-196318)