Kathak's hall of fame

IT WAS love at first sight for Madame Milena Salvini who was absolutely overwhelmed by her first encounter with the exquisite art form of Kathakali; thereupon, she made a quick attempt to capture and cross over to the artistic boundaries of this art form. From then on, there was no looking back for this cultural enthusiast whose passion for Indian dances, especially Kathakali and Bharatanatyam, has been on the increase. Both Madame Salvini, and her Mandapa are not new to many leading Indian artistes; both the organisation as well as its founder form a vital link between Indo-French cultural exchange.

Mandapa, a centre for arts, promoting Indian as well as other art forms, was born out of the devoted personal training and rich artistic experiences of Milena. She was struck by the art of Kathakali which she happened to witness in Paris. This experience induced her to come to India in 1964 when she went to Shantiniketan and started her training in Kathakali with Haridasa Nair, son of Kunju Kurup. The same year she met Adyar K. Lakshman in Madras and took lessons in Bharatanatyam for a period of two years. However, Milena's ambition was to concentrate more on Kathakali and hence, after returning to Paris, she secured a scholarship to go to Kalamandalam in Kerala for eight months to work and collaborate with renowned teachers. During the same period she met M. K. Saroja, senior disciple of Kattumannarkoil Muthukumarappa Pillai in Delhi and continued her training in Bharatanatyam with Saroja. The same bond has brought her this time to Chennai, after several years, for conducting a performance of her adopted daughter, Maria-Kiran, who follows the same dance tradition, in Paris.

Milena teaches Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Kathak at Mandapa on a regular basis. Mandapa has a busy schedule from October to July, when Milena organises concerts, covering a wide range of traditions from different countries. "I want our audience in Paris to have a feel of the rich, artistic traditions of India.. The first programme was a grand success; also it gave me an opportunity to do something for the art ".

"Once, a festival comprising of about 200 performances based on the concept of cross-cultural traditions in storytelling, had attracted overwhelming response from not only Parisians, but also from those in the surrounding areas," says Roger, husband of Milena, who is equally devoted to Indian art forms.

Mandapa has presented also Tullal, Kalari and most importantly Kudiyattam, yet another fascinating art of Kerala. Between 1980 and '99 Milena organised several productions of Kudiyattam, performed by both Kalamandalam and Margi troupes. She had the opportunity to interact with great masters of Kudiyattam like Maani Madhava Chakkiyar and Painkulam Rama Chakkiyar who came to inaugurate the department of Kudiyattam at Mandapa.

With the French still being very conservative in their artistic tastes, Milena strives to include only authentic productions under the banner of Mandapa. When asked whether the major festivals of India or other numerous Indian cultural organisations in Paris have in any way affected the success of Mandapa, Milena promptly replies, "At our centre we do sustained work that speaks of our attachment to Indian arts; that has generated the necessary response from the public; major festivals do attract people; but they happen annually and as regards other centres of art, many of them diversify into a variety of cultural activities; whereas, we are focussed on our mission; and thus we have been able to carry on your work with more and more dedication."

Milena Salvini has been honoured by the French Government with the Chevalier of Arts and Letters. However, Milena acknowledges with warmth, the man behind her success - her husband Roger, who is the brain behind Mandapa and its activities. Roger also produces short films on Kathakali, Kudiyattam and other performing arts of Kerala.Indeed Mandapa which literally means "the hall," has become a "Hall of fame for dance" where every aspiring dancer would want to perform at least once in his or her artistic career.

NANDINI RAMANI

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