Caste dynamics in classical dance: History vs. Narratives | Aranyani Bhargav | TEDxDTU

Summary

This talk delves into the inextricable link between caste and classical Indian dance, highlighting the historical role of the devadasi community. It discusses the transformation of the dance form under British colonial influence and the subsequent 'sanitization' by Indian nationalists, leading to its reassignment from lower to upper castes. The speaker critiques the erasure of the devadasi's significant contributions and the misrepresentation of the dance's origins, while also acknowledging the dance's enduring challenge to the caste system through its narratives.

Takeaways

• 😔 Cast is an inescapable reality in India, affecting even the classical dance forms.
• 💃 The origins of classical dance are traced back to the Isai Vellala community, a lower caste group of talented artists.
• 🙏 The term 'Devadasi' translates to 'servants of God', who were highly respected and educated women performing in temples.
• 🌟 At their peak, Devadasis had significant independence, including the ability to receive land grants and sexual freedom.
• 👎 The British colonial perspective on the Devadasis' sexual freedom was one of discomfort and opposition, viewing it as unrestrained.
• 📚 Nationalists, largely from the upper castes, responded to British allegations by sanitizing the dance form, focusing on devotion and spirituality.
• 🔄 The dance form was gradually taken from the Devadasi community and given to girls from 'good families', often from Brahmin families.
• 🚫 The shift in control of the dance form overlooked the potential negative impacts on the displaced community and their cultural heritage.
• 📖 The history of the dance form has been reimagined in some educational materials, omitting the significant role of the Devadasis.
• 🎭 Despite changes, the narratives within the dance form continue to challenge the caste system, as seen in performances about lower caste devotees of Shiva.
• 🎵 The script concludes with a performance that poetically questions the visibility and acceptance of lower caste devotees in religious spaces.

Q & A

What is the main theme discussed in the speaker's talk?

The main theme discussed in the talk is the inescapable presence of caste in India, particularly in the context of classical dance, and how it has been shaped by historical and colonial influences.

Who were the Isai Vellala community and what was their role in classical dance?

The Isai Vellala community was a lower caste group of talented artists to which the Devadasis belonged. They were the origin of classical dance and performed in temples, offering their dance form as a service.

What does the term 'Devadasi' mean and what was their role in society?

The term 'Devadasi' translates to 'servant of God'. Devadasis were considered servants of the gods, performing dance forms in temples and offering other services. They were educated, respected, and had a significant degree of independence and sexual freedom.

How did the British colonial perspective influence the perception of the Devadasis?

The British, with their Victorian ideals of femininity and sexuality, found the Devadasis' freedom and sexual identity deeply uncomfortable. They labeled the Devadasi system as barbaric and sexually unrestrained.

What was the response of Indian nationalists to the British criticism of the Devadasi system?

Indian nationalists, largely from the upper castes, sanitized the dance form in response to British criticism. They changed the narratives of the dance form to focus more on devotion and less on sensuality and sexuality.

How did the classical dance form transition from the Devadasi community to 'girls of good families'?

The dance form was deliberately taken from the Devadasi community and given to girls from Brahmin families, as part of an effort to save the dance form from possible extinction and to counter British criticism.

What are the consequences of the shift in the ownership of the classical dance form?

The shift resulted in a lack of acknowledgment of the consequences of displacing the Devadasi community and an overlooking of the need to rehabilitate the community that was significantly affected.

How has the history of the classical dance form been reimagined over time?

The history has been reimagined to connect the dance form to an upper caste origin and to Sanskrit, creating false connections and mythical origins, thus erasing the significant role of the Devadasis.

What narratives within the dance form continue to challenge the caste system?

Narratives such as the story of Nandanar, a low caste devotee of Shiva, and other performances that question the visibility and accessibility of the divine to lower caste devotees, continue to challenge the caste system.

How does the speaker describe the current state of the classical dance form's history?

The speaker describes the history of the classical dance form as distorted, with an inaccurate explanation of its origins and a tendency to forget the Devadasis' contribution to the dance form's history.

What is the significance of the performance presented by the speaker?

The performance is significant as it showcases a lower caste devotee of Shiva questioning the divine's partial revelation and the barriers faced by lower caste individuals in accessing the sanctum sanctorum of temples, thus challenging the caste system.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 The Inescapable Reality of Caste in Classical Dance

This paragraph introduces the pervasive influence of caste in India, even within the realm of classical dance. It discusses how classical dance's origins are rooted in the Isai Vellala community, a lower caste group, particularly the Devadasis. These women were highly educated, respected, and held a significant role in temple rituals. Despite their independence and respectability, their lively sexual identity became a point of contention with the arrival of the British, whose contrasting Victorian values led to criticism and the eventual marginalization of the Devadasi tradition.

05:01

🔄 The Sanitation and Shift of Classical Dance

This section discusses how Indian nationalists, in response to British criticism, sanitized the content of classical dance by shifting its focus from sensuality to devotion. The dance form was gradually taken from the Devadasi community and handed over to upper-caste Brahmin families. While the intent was to preserve the dance form, this shift overlooked the consequences for the displaced Devadasi community. The paragraph highlights the complex interplay between caste, colonialism, and cultural preservation.

10:02

🎭 The Reimagining of Bharatanatyam's History

This paragraph explores how the history of Bharatanatyam has been reimagined, often downplaying the contributions of the Devadasis. The dance form's connection to the Devadasi community has been labeled as a period of decline, and efforts have been made to associate Bharatanatyam with upper-caste origins. This revisionist history undermines the true roots of the dance form and the significant role the Devadasis played in its development.

15:14

🕉️ Challenging Caste through Dance Narratives

This section discusses how despite the Brahminical domination of Bharatanatyam, the dance form continues to challenge the caste system through its narratives. One such narrative is the story of Nandanar, a lower-caste devotee of Shiva. The paragraph also introduces a performance that addresses the theme of caste-based exclusion in temple rituals, where a lower-caste devotee pleads with Shiva to reveal himself fully, highlighting the ongoing struggle for recognition and equality.

20:28

🎶 The Devotional Performance

This final paragraph focuses on the performance of a lower-caste devotee's plea to Shiva. The devotee expresses his frustration at only being able to catch glimpses of the deity, symbolizing the barriers faced by lower castes in accessing divine favor. The performance underscores the broader theme of social exclusion and the desire for spiritual equality. The musical elements and applause in this section indicate the emotional impact of the performance on the audience.

Keywords

💡Caste System

The caste system refers to the traditional social stratification system in India, which divides people into different social groups based on their birth. In the video, it is mentioned as an inescapable reality that affects all aspects of life in India, including classical dance. The script discusses how the caste system has historically influenced the origins and development of classical dance, particularly through the example of the devadasi community.

💡Devadasi

Devadasis were female performers dedicated to temple service in ancient India, who traditionally performed dance and other rituals. The script explains that they were highly respected, educated, and enjoyed a degree of independence and sexual freedom. However, their status and the dance form they were associated with were negatively impacted by British colonial perspectives and the subsequent nationalist response.

💡Isai Vellala

Isai Vellala refers to a community of artists and musicians in South India, from which the origins of classical dance are believed to have emerged. The script mentions this community as a lower caste group that was very talented, and to which the devadasis belonged, highlighting their significant role in the development of classical dance forms.

💡Sexual Freedom

Sexual freedom, as discussed in the script, refers to the autonomy and liberties that the devadasis had in forming sexual alliances, which was a stark contrast to the Victorian ideals of the time. This freedom is an important aspect of the devadasi's life and the cultural context of classical dance, illustrating the clash of values between the indigenous practices and the imposed colonial morality.

💡British Colonialism

British colonialism is the period of British rule in India, which had profound effects on Indian society, including the perception and treatment of the devadasi community. The script describes how the British viewed the devadasis' sexual freedom and independence as 'barbaric' and 'unrestrained,' leading to efforts to suppress and reform the dance forms associated with them.

💡Nationalists

Nationalists in the script refer to the Indian reformers and independence activists who opposed British colonial rule. They faced the challenge of addressing British criticisms of Indian culture, including the devadasi system. Their response, as mentioned, was to 'sanitize' classical dance forms by altering their content and context, distancing them from the devadasi community.

💡Brahminical Domination

Brahminical domination denotes the influence and control exerted by the Brahmin caste, traditionally the priestly and scholarly class in Hindu society. The script discusses how classical dance forms were gradually taken from the devadasi community and given to girls from 'good families,' often from the Brahmin caste, reflecting a shift in cultural control and representation.

💡Cultural Revivalism

Cultural revivalism is the act of restoring or preserving cultural practices that are at risk of being lost or forgotten. In the context of the script, revivalists attempted to save classical dance forms from potential extinction due to colonial suppression, although this process also involved a reimagining of the dance's history and origins.

💡Sanskrit

Sanskrit is an ancient language of India and the liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The script mentions an effort to connect classical dance forms to Sanskrit and the Natya Shastra, an ancient Indian treatise on the performing arts, as a way to establish a higher, more prestigious origin for the dance, distancing it from its devadasi roots.

💡Nandanar

Nandanar is a narrative figure in the script who is a low-caste devotee of Shiva. His story is used as an example of how classical dance narratives have continued to challenge the caste system, despite the efforts to sanitize the dance forms. Nandanar's story represents the struggle for visibility and recognition in a society stratified by caste.

💡Brahman Families

Brahman families, as mentioned in the script, are those belonging to the highest caste in the traditional Hindu caste system, known for their roles as priests and scholars. The shift of classical dance forms to these families represents a significant change in the cultural and social dynamics of the art, moving away from its origins in lower caste communities.

Highlights

The inescapable reality of caste in India, including its impact on classical dance.

Origins of classical dance from the isai valala community, a lower caste group of talented artists.

Devadasis, the original performers of classical dance, were highly educated and respected in their time.

Devadasis enjoyed independence and sexual freedom, contrasting with societal norms of the time.

British colonial views on the devadasis' sexual identity, labeling the system as barbaric and unrestrained.

Nationalist response to British allegations by sanitizing and altering the dance form's narratives.

Shift of classical dance from the devadasi community to upper caste Brahman families.

Lack of acknowledgment of the consequences of displacing the dance form from its original community.

Reimagining of the history of classical dance to erase the devadasi's significant role.

Attempts to connect the dance form to Sanskrit and an upper caste origin, ignoring its true roots.

The dance form's narratives continue to challenge the caste system through performances.

Performance of narratives featuring lower caste devotees of Shiva, questioning caste restrictions.

The presentation of a lower caste devotee's plea to Shiva for full revelation, symbolizing caste barriers.

The dance form's survival threatened by colonial scrutiny and the response of the revivalists.

The need for a more accurate and respectful representation of the history of classical dance.

The importance of acknowledging the contributions of the devadasi community to classical dance.

Transcripts

[Applause]

good

afternoon I would like to start uh my

talk with a very strong

statement that uh when we're living in

India we can't escape cast and and

though uh measures have been taken uh to

eradicate cast and uh there's been a lot

of resistance against cast in India

nowadays uh it's still an unescapable

reality that cast is

everywhere and uh classical dance

unfortunately is no exception to that

um for for as far far back as

documentation goes um classical dance

has been uh the origins of classical

dance have come from a a community

called the isai valala community which

was a very talented and uh very talented

lower cast group of individuals of

artists uh to which dadas is belonged uh

the devadasis uh the davasi the word uh

literally translates uh as DEA dasi

which is uh daa as in God and dasi as in

servant so they they were Servants of

the gods they used to perform uh their

dance form in the temples and also offer

uh other services to the temple uh these

women were uh very uh educated and very

very well respected uh at the time at

the time of their um their their Peak

popularity and their Peak um

respectability uh they were educated

they were able to uh receive land grants

they were not required to be married

they were considered to be auspicious

forever auspicious because they were

symbolically dedicated to the temples

and therefore married to the Dey so they

weren't required to be married to Mortal

beings um which also gave them quite a

lot of uh sexual Freedom uh in the sense

that they were allowed to have sexual

alliances with patrons although that was

not the primary role the primary

relationship between the patron and the

uh dancer uh it was more about the

patron being able to support the dancer

and being able to um give the dancer

what uh what she she needs to enable her

to be committed to the dance form uh and

to be able to practice the dance form

without any

distractions and uh so this this was the

life of the devadasi she was very

independent and um also had um she she

wasn't required to even uh you know any

of the any of the regular things that

women of that time were required to do

which is get married bear children be in

the house all those things the these

were very very different women uh and

the their Lively sexual identity was

never something that was um scrutinized

uh much until the British came uh and

when they did uh the when the when they

saw this uh Lively sexual identity of

the devadasis I think it uh it

contrasted very very starkly with uh the

ideas of femininity and sexuality that

uh women uh in the west or rather the

Victorian women had you can imagine the

deasi uh dancing freely wearing sensual

saris uh dancing about U love and

sexuality and devotion as if they were

all the same thing and not required to

be married not required to be

domesticated or homely and then you see

the Victorian English woman at the time

who was um I mean if you visualize it if

you imagine the visual it's um you you

would imagine corsets and bonnets and

gowns and gloves uh so there was a very

Stark difference and I think that this

idea of femininity uh that that the

dadas is represented was deeply deeply

uncomfortable uh for the British and so

they they opposed it by by uh saying

that the devadasis were sexually

unrestrained the patrons were

unrestrained the the devadasi system was

barbaric and um uh lacked control

basically and um the the nationalists

who were fighting the British uh which

um com these nationalists largely

comprised of um I mean I'm not saying

exclusively but they they did comprise

of upper cast men and women who were

fighting the British uh they had to they

were forced to respond to uh this

allegation of the divasis being sexually

unrestrained and the the natives being

sexually unrestrained as opposed to the

colonizers who considered themselves to

be in control of their sexuality and

unfortunately what happened was the

response that the that the nationalists

had was uh to sanitize Within qutes

sanitize the dance form and one of the

ways in which they did they did this was

to change the content of the narratives

of the dance form from sexuality and

sensuality and stories about love the

contents uh the shift uh the focus

shifted to um bti or devotion and

another thing that happened was that the

dance form was gradually and not

vindictively but definitely quite

deliberately the dance form was taken

from uh the devadasi community and

handed over to uh what one of the

nationalists I'm quoting uh given to

girls of good families and these girls

of good families were basically girls

from Brahman families and so this shift

happened and let me also just say that I

uh I don't mean to implicate the Brahman

Community or wholly blame them for this

shift that happened uh because I think

the the fact that that the system was um

being was came under such scrutiny uh

created a problem for the dance form

itself and it it threatened the dance

form survival so I think what the the

the the people that call themselves The

revivalists of Dance what they were

trying to do was to save the dance form

from possible Extinction whether or not

the dance form would have actually gone

extinct is not something that anyone can

really say but uh I do want to make it

clear that I'm not trying to trying to

completely uh demonize the the Brahman

Community here by saying that this

happened what I do think did happen was

that there wasn't an acknowledgement of

the consequence of taking a dance form

away from a community and handing it

over to another that consequence that

that wasn't really foreseen in a in in a

good enough Manner and perhaps we uh the

the the community of that time they

overlooked the possible ways to

rehabilitate a community that you have

displaced in such a large way and I

think that's where the problem

began and another thing that has

happened now is that um uh the dance

Community not everybody of course I must

say this but there are people in the

dance community that have been in the

past deeply so deeply uncomfortable with

this history that over time this history

of batnam itself has been reimagined and

as a dance teacher as as somebody who's

researched on Dance i' I've come across

various texts uh that that are handed

out to students of dance where they um

where they they are given an outline of

the history of bat naum where this

period of the D dases has been um called

a period of decline has been called a

brief period of the corruption of the

dance form and so its history really has

been reimagined where we have have a

mythical origin we we've tried to

connect bat Nim to the NAT shastra it is

connected but but not the way that these

history uh lessons are taught um we have

tried to connect it to Sanskrit we have

tried tried to draw false connections to

the origins of bhatan natam to a an

upper origin uh and by doing that I

think we've done a big disservice to

history we've done a big disservice to

the deasi community and it's it's an

inaccurate explanation of where the

dance form came from um so the the

history of of bhim itself has been

reimagined to make it seem like it was

always an upper cast dance form that it

was always um related to uh the gods and

and you know we have Shiva who uh who

supposed to be the creator of the dance

form and we've connected it we've made

some imaginary upper links to the dance

form and uh forgotten that the deasis

were a very very large chunk of the

history of where batnam began and um and

how the how the dance form has come to

us having said that uh so the the

history of the dance form itself can be

called um ctist in that manner in the

sense that there was a gradual brah

brahminical domination that happened uh

but at the same time the narratives that

that have been used in the dance from

the content of the dance form itself has

continued to challenge the cast system

one of the most famous narratives that

are that are performed uh that is

performed is of is that of nandanar who

is the low cast devity of Shiva and the

other um uh another way of challenging

the cast system is this performance that

I'm now now going to present which is

another um uh lower cast devot of shivas

who says I see your beautiful

face but the rest of you

I cannot see is it because I'm poor or

um I don't have I don't have knowledge

of the vdas and he goes on to say that

the entire world is singing your Praises

but in this golden hued body of yours is

there a blemish in you that you wish to

hide yourself from me he goes on to he

continues to plead with Shiva saying can

you please reveal yourself to me

entirely but I can only see bits and

pieces of you and he says in the evening

when I come to the temple just to catch

a glimpse of you um there are so many

people in front of me which to me

implies that he's not allowed to come

into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple

so he's which which is a privilege that

is allowed to Upper cast um men and

women um he says there are so many

people in front of you that all I see is

one Ruby earring and even that

intoxicates me and you give me a small

mocking smile because even your multiple

hands are covering each other and I

can't I can't even see the hands

properly and in the evening processions

I am cowering and bending to just just

to see a little bit of you but the the

snakes are covering your body and all

you show me is one foot he pleads with

Shiva to reveal himself completely but

does Shiva oblig his low cast devity

let's

see

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

e

[Music]

m

[Music]

[Music]

got

[Music]

[Music]

for

[Music]

[Music]

for

[Music]

the

[Music]

[Music]

got

[Music]

for

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

the

many

[Music]

know

[Music]

the

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

foree

the

[Music]

[Music]

yeah for

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

for

[Music]

for

[Applause]

[Music]

for

to got my

[Music]

my

[Music]

for

[Music]

for

[Music]

girl

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

for for

[Music]

for

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

for

[Music]

for

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

for

[Music]

you