Vajira - Dancer par excellence
H Kamal Premadasa
It was at Chitrasena Vajira dance foundation that I met her. She
treated me with a whimsical smile, one evening which drew me in the
direction of the place where she was seated comfily in retreat.
One of the characteristic features I observed in that smile was that
she smiled with her lips and eyes simultaneously in un-obstructed
spontaneity. Those large and expressive eyes trained in the art of
portrayal of saathvika abhinaya.
I expressed my desire to have a brief dialogue with her; she
consented with traces of that smile still adorning her face, free from a
semblance of superciliousness. I was privileged.
Her speech was soft, with no ambiguity, interposing sporadically
aangika abhinaya in an attempt to drive home a point. While she was thus
engaged, I perceived that her pupils, young, some not so young, assuming
before her postures with bended knees to touch her feet in profound
respect close to veneration and she, in a gesture of magnanimity, fondly
caressing their heads invoking the blessings of the triple gem.
The act, to my mind, was suggestive of the fact that though our
traditional values are in a process of crumbling down, has not faced
total extinction.
Preceptors like Chitrasena and Vajira deserve commendation for it is
evident that they have not only taught dancing, but imparted upon them
sense of values.
Much of what is contained in this essay, if readable, is consequent
to that conversation I had with Vajira that day.
Vajira had learnt her first steps in dancing at Kalutara Balika
Vidyalaya. For her, as for many other girls of the school; it was merely
an extracurricular activity. However when Vajira had the occasion to
perform in concerts presented by the School, attention was focused by
the teachers and spectators upon this young girl Vajira. That was
evidently, for her sensitivity in performance. Although her mother, who
was a teacher at Kalutara Boys School, was a dance enthusiast,
encouraged Vajira in the art of dancing, she had no intention of
becoming a dancer, quite apart from acquiring professionalism in that
art, may have been due to the reason that dancing did not find
acceptance among so called, elite and upper middle class community.
Vajira, with her father and mother both being employees under the
Government belonged to the upper middle class. Ladies taking to dancing,
in that time of yore, were few and far between.
Chitrasena’s visit to Kalutara in 1930s was a turning point in
Vajira’s attitude to dancing. Chitrasena, the doyen of dancing ruggedly
handsome, vibrant in stature and the undisputed thespian ever produced
in this country performed with exuberance touching every part of his,
the dance of Shiva, the creator, sustainer and destroyer.
Vajira had not seen such excellence in performance ever before. Not
long after that Chitrasena visited Kalutara to perform in Vijaya Kuweni,
a dance drama of qualitative excellence. With that performance
Chitrasena became the centre of attraction and the rage of the giggling
girls in Kalutara including Vajira who was enthralled by his
performance.
Chitrasena’s home at Kollupitiya, like Jorasanko, Thagore’s manorial
residence, was virtually a sanctuary, which was always available for
artists to assemble, engage in discussions and attend to their creative
work.
There prevailed an atmosphere of variety, vivacity and sometimes
eccentricity in the studio. Some of the artists who frequented the place
were Amaradeva, Madewela Ratnayake, Mahagama Sekera and Guandasa
Amarasekera to mention a few. Mahagama Sekera and Madawela Ratnayake are
no more. Gunadasa Amarasekera is on another platform. Amaradeva continue
to hold the audience spellbound with the timber of his voice.
Chandraleka was the pioneer woman dancer of Sri Lanka. She captivated
the audience by the wonder of her performance, and paved the way for
other ladies to take to dancing. She who was Chitrasena’s main partner
in dancing died.
Chitrasena, soon after, proceeded to India to imbibe the essence of
Maha Sampradaya (the great tradition) in art there at Santhiniketan
founded by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, in the tradition of ashram,
Chitrasena underwent training in dancing and music. Chitrasena
ostensibly, had happy memories about the institution, for he often
recounted his life and Stay at Santhiniketan with happy nostalgic
memories.
His ensemble on his tenure comprised among other dancers of great
competence, like Premakumara, Ganganath and Shesha Palihakkara. Almost
all of them later, founded their schools of dancing. Shesha winding up
as a member of the ensemble of the celebrated Indian Dancer Ram Gopal.
Chitrasena eventually became a family friend of Vajira, consequent
upon his frequent visits to Vajira’s residence on invitation for dinner,
on his visits to Kalutara for performance. On such visits, Vajira young
and not yet in her teens listened in rapt attention. Chitrasena’s
recounting incidents and life at Santhiniketan. At this stage with the
behavioural
Pattern of Vajira’s, it was evident to Lilian Perera, Vajira’s mother
that her daughter was keen on learning traditional dancing.
Vajira was unaware, even at that stage that she, with her classical
beauty, sculpturesque figure, and aquiline nose large and expensive
eyes, long and supple limbs was created for dancing.
Her short spell at Sripali, started by Wilmet Perera at Horana to
learn dancing proved to be a failure, the society then, offered scanty
hopes for a teenager with aspirations to embark upon a career as a
dancer. She was therefore brought back to Kalutara by the parents to
recommence her secondary education full time. However she learned
dancing only as an optional subject.
Chitrasena at this time was involved in Choreographing work for his
dance drama Vidura in which he cast Vajira in a minor role. Finding that
travelling to Kollupitiya where rehearsals were held from Kalutara was
too tiring to teenager who was not yet used to the rigorous side of
life, boarded at Chitrasena’s residence till the end of the running of
Vidura. This was the second turning point in Vajira’s life.
Soon after the running of Vidura, Vajira joined Methodist College
Colombo, for her secondary education remaining as a border at
Chitrasena’s residence.
Vajira was the deer, Chitrasena played the role of mighty Ravana,
Irangani appeared as alluring Sita in the spectacular pageant of Lanka
in which several dance sequenced of the history of Sri Lanka were
presented in an ostentatious was to celebrate the gaining of
independence in 1948. By and by Vajira got involved in a big way in
variegated activities of Chitrasena pertaining to dance, theater and
dance drama.
Uneasiness gripped the minds of the parents of Vajira consequent to
the close relationship Vajira and Chitrasena had developed as student
and teacher, as Vajira had just turned 17 years then. Vajira was at this
stage sent to Kurunegala to learn traditional dancing under the guru who
happened to be none ether than Lapaya, who had taught Chitrasena the
essence of traditional dancing.
This action had been taken by Vajira’s parents ostensibly to rupture
the bond of close relationship Vajira had with Chitrasena as preceptor
and student.
Chitrasena fell into a mood of despair without the assistance and
close relationship of Vajira in his activities vis-a-vis dancing, which
was part of Chitrasna’s life.
He there upon expressed his feelings to Vajira in a letter couched in
abstruse terminology. Vajira was able to understand Chitraserna by
reading between the lines.
Vajira turned 18, but still a minor in accordance with the law
prevailing at that time. For the fist time in her life she bore the
propensity to be intransigent, she expressed in no uncertain terms that
she would not return to her parents unless permission was granted to
marry Chitrasena. |
