Dancing to nature`s tunes
IN KEEPING with the need for spreading the message of environmental protection and conservation of nature, the Union ministry of environment and forests organised a dance programme with Nature as the theme, on the occasion of the World Environment Day and the 17th Anniversary of the National Museum of Natural History (June 5, 1995) in the Capital.
Prakritim Vande (Salutation to Nature) was an innovative dance choreographed by dancer Komala Varadan, who employed Bharatanatyam with an insertion of colour slides based on song themes to depict various elements 4 Nature as also the HumanNature relationship.
The programme began with a song rendition based on sage Yagnavalkya's offering to the Sun God. The worship and praise of Nature and its infinite variety, beauty and power as evident in the work of various poets was central to this dance effort.
A song based on the Marathi poet Balkavi's description of rain as gentle and soothing, and also ferocious and destructive at times, celebrated the arrival of Shravan month. Yet another song - of the poet Subramania Bharati - described the rain as a torrential downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning. The programme also included songs on flowers, the beauty of the village, and the relationship between Nature and a separated lover.
The programme ended with a dance based on a verse from Yajur Veda calling for peace and order among the different elements of nature.