NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 13, 2004: Septuagenarian Guru Valmiki Banerjee is not a happy man these days. The doyen of classical dance is appalled by the denigration of art and culture in India. Referred to as the “Brahma of the dance world” by noted Odissi exponent Mayadhar Raut, Banerjee has been instrumental in introducing various dance techniques in ballets with traditional Indian themes. “My aim is to initiate an academic and cultural revolution. Each one of us should be able to appreciate Indian art and culture because it is so much a part of our life. But art is almost extinct now,” laments Banerjee.
Banerjee’s Delhi Ballet Group has staged various ballets based on important national events over the past fifty years. Some of the famous ballets staged by the group include Sonar Bangla, which depicted the liberation struggle of Bangladesh and Chinar ki Pukar, a tribute to soldiers martyred in the Kargil war. The group recently celebrated its Golden Jubilee with Anandadhara, a dance rooted in the classical Rabindranatyam form. A wizened Banerjee also performed with his students, looking years younger than his actual age of seventy-eight. Minting money from his vocation does not seem to be Banerjee’s forte. He charges US$$3.40 per month from his students, that too because parents are ashamed to let him teach their wards for free. PTI
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