1937-07-10 — Page 8

THE HONGKONG TE LEGRAPHI, SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1987.

WATSONS

UME JUICE

CORDIAL

Watson's

LIME JUICE CORDIAL

with

BURNETTS LONDON DRY

GIN

MAKES THE IDEAL

GIMLET

A. S. WATSON & CO., LTD.

GE.C

ALL-WAVE RECEIVERS

MODEL BC-3762.

$295.00 NETT.

A FIRST CLASS BRITISH SET WITH A GOOD ALL- ROUND PERFORMANCE, DESIGNED TO PLEASE THE MOST CRITICAL LISTENER.

WE WILL BE PLEASED TO ARRANGE A DEMONSTRA- TION WITHOUT PLACING YOU UNDER THE LEAST OBLIGATION TO US,

S.

"Prest-O-Lite": Batteries

Automotive Types.

Prest-O-Lite

One of the oldest names in Automotive History-and one of the most honoured,

First of all every Prest-0- Lite is a good battery-the lowest cost.

mile or month of service.

דית

THE FINEST OF QUALITY BATTERIES

Obtainable at the

Hongkong Hotel Garage

Stubbs Road

Showroom

Phone 27778-9

The

Hongkong Telegraph.

SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1937.

CRAFT

Graft and corruption are ugly words. They are, none the less, frequently encountered in con- nection with certain branches of the Hongkong Government ser- vice. Whether the allegations

MOUTRIE & Co., Ltd. aspect of the question, let us

YORK BUILDING

CHATER ROAD.

INDIAN

Is Not The Mere Grace Of Physical Manipulation, But An Expression Of The Inner Soul Says

K.

B. Vaidya

T may, perhaps, be the La Merl, the famous American artiate, and It Gopal, the brilliant general idea amongst indian dancer, whose work received the people of the West such euloglatie comment. that the art of dancing was Stage Of Perfection unknown, in India -until

At a later stage in the long introduced from foreign process of evolution, the Art received. countries. True it is that further encouragement at the hands until relatively recent times of the kings and other lenders of the community, and new heights were

the

called system Indians were not acquaint reached. in

"Kathakall" (story-play) In which ed with the type of dancing the criterion for any dancer la that in which the couples took he must be able to interpret the by his dancing. the floor arm in arm and episodes only

gestures and facial expressions, cheek to cheek. That is an without the accompaniment of

very

importation from the Occi- spoken word or song. By its

nature this is a most difficult art.

રી

and

of

the

np.

ever

mixed class dent In the proverbial To satisfy courtesan dancing at the spectators, intelligent and unintelli-

gent, and to explain to them Royal Courts in India, such atories only by acting, dancing and dancing is not permitted; gestares, demands from the artists

long years of training even in pageants the female prenticeship before they can dancers are required to hope to be able to gain a footing in this class of dancing. One has to dance apart, although they may understand the inner meaning of the be accompanied by male part- story, to study Nature and make observation of human ners. The latter in these cases enreful only provide to the female actions and understanding, and to atture himself to the spirit of the dancers the incentive needed at story by perfect identification there. various stages in the dances, with.

DANCING

a

only occasionally touching each The "Kathakali" dancer therefore other's hands. This may per- must be a learned man, well-versed haps be compared with the in the culture and civilisation of

people throughout the ages, having Mediaeval type of dancing in the philosophic outlook, and being in- West when the partners danced tensely depotional able to create apart one from the other. The illusions of reality is his dancing. term "Indian Dancing" there- And they must be able to perform their acts with graceful rhythmic fore is not to be understood in movements and dignified bearing. the sense of referring to ball- room dancing or the taxi danc- ing of the cabarets, nor to the

Spiritual Origin

into

career.

RAM GOPAL, the famous Indian dancer in a pose of Shivu, the Lord of Destruction, which dance he demonstrated at the King's

Theatre on Monday" last,

Where This School

Started

of the involving the destruction demon of Evil at the end, so that Good should be shown as having they triumphed. By this means added a moral to their dances which had a great appeal to the general public and soon gained popularity and prestige.

Its Revival

But the Kathakali advocates did not remain satisfied with mere gestures when such gestures were accompanied by words and songs. They demanded mute expressions Basis Of Kathakali which must be exact representa- tions of the reality, so that an The basis of this Kathakali dan illusion of such reality could be so freely made have any sub-mixed dancing seen elsewhere.

cing, is to be found in the created before the spectators. This, stance in fact or not, there does Such types were unknown to "Natya Shastre" of Bharata, the was their greatest contribution to India until a few years back, great writer on Indian histrionics the ancient Art and Science of the persist amongst the public a when introduced from the west; the Science of Dramaturgy. This Indian Drama,

It is said that it was the Kings of strong belief in the existence even now they do not find favour work is almost complete in all its

Thus whole plays or Epics, like Calicut and Quillon' on the Malabar aspects, and apart from laying down the Ramayan and Mahabharata, Kathakali type of dancing; at least, side who were responsible for this of a well-organised, but largely with the people there.

rules for the writing of drama, it which include all the nine sent there is no doubt that this system prescribes the rules for "abhinaya" ments of the heart detailed above, secret, system of graft and ex-

under flourished

their direct or appropriate gestures. These could be explained by this mute

patronage from the Sixteenth tortion involving employees of

gestures total about 1,000 in num-

language. But what was lost in one direction ber, and emotions (baras), fa

Century onwards. Naturally, there more than one Government De

fore, it became a fashion with the partment. So firmly held is this was gained in the other. Indians depicted by facial expressions, give

developed a type of dancing which, them the required motive power.

members of the aristocracy to have view that it is high time its while raising the dancera

Thus the nine Sentiments of the

troupes of their own in a small, way. lifted spiritual beatitudea,

the heart as laid down by the Indian

just as the Kings had, and there correctness or otherwise were spectators to such heights as can writers on the Science of Drama, This Kathakali school of dancers was keen rivalry amongst the Rulers of the different kingdoms on the subjected to the most rigorous hardly be attained by any other type viz., Love, Anger, Pity, Pathos, and writers on the subject flourished

Malabar coast. This rivalry has of dancing. This was due to the Contempt, Beauty, Fear, Ferocity on the Malabar coast of India and scrutiny. To mention only one origin of the Art of Dancing in and Heroics form the basis from now influences the whole field of

been responsible for the great per- India. It emanated from the de- which the student must start on his Indian dancing. They added main-

fection reached and the world has take the matter of the knownvotional sentiments of the people

when temple worship and temple into the appropriate understanding which

He must first be initiated by the dances of the tandava type benefitted thereby, and Art received

needed encouragement. are characteristic of the

But after a time the Art seemed existence in the Colony of hun- ceremonies had to be rounded off of these various sentiments of the heroic type. The vigour of theso

to remain in a moribund state, owing with the Incantations of hymns heart.

compels These supply the basis. dances

admiration. dreds of illegal establishments, to the accompaniment of music and Then, he must study the science Similarly the Senses of the Fearful, did not die out. Even during those to the unsettled times although it When the feeling of of of a certain type. Rumour has dancing.

drama and train himself and the Ferocity or gruesomeness, admiration is at its highest, when to the various movements of the have

days of woe, the devotees maintained provided the Kathakali the Art and almost all religious ceremonies were worked by Kath- that it is difficult to ignore it reached its limits, when words are body must be able to play its part ations and herein this system standa akall dancing, but in the absence of that the inmates of these places poweriess to carry conviction and and must be a willing contributor to unrivalled.

royal patronage, it did not receive when the senses become benumbed, the whole effect. Thus suppleness Besides, they deviated from the the necessary financial support and contribute regular monthly the natural consequence is for the of the limbs has to be acquired in a usual vogue of Indian drama of it lay slumbering in the arms of

express manner that is perhaps the greatest playing comedies, and depicted in Time. sums to a fund which is said persons so enlivened to

themselves in actions and gestures achievement of a dancer.

their dancing tragedies nlways

Its revival in of quito recent years, to be handed over to some irreflecting their inner feeling.

and thanks to the efforts of the dividual who keeps well in the

In Indian Dancing therefore it in

great Kerala (Malabar) Poet,, Vallathol, known as the Tagore of background, and who, in turn, not the mere grace of physical

Malabar, Kathakall dancing has distributes, by indirect methods, manipulation that counts, but the Inner Soul and Spirit of the Dancer,

awakened from its deep slumber the money, amounting to some attuned to the Soul of the Universe,

with added vigour. Such distin thousands of dollars monthly, to that motivates every movement of

guished exponents of the Art na Udaya Shanker, Rukmini Devi, Government employees. This is the Dancer.

With this source of inspiration stated to be only one of many from the inner spiritual force, In-

Menaka, Ragini Devi and the young rising ator Ram Gopal have been methods

by adopted

law-dian dancers have been able to

doing immense service in this direc- breakers to secure immunity reach the most profound heights

This year, many local Ameri- The brother of a Hongkong|tion by popularising it in foreign the Polytechnic countries. And yet in remote from prosecution. There may, which is now being shown in the cans extended their celebration resident won in actual fact, be little justifica-West, for this type of dancing of Independence over two days. Marathon for the third year in Malabar there are such Masters as tion for these charges; we is a proof of the claim. The And nobody ruled it unconstitu- succession, in sweltering aun- Kunju Kurup and Shankaran who would hesitate to make mention fact that the shows of that famous tional, either.

O O

VACATION WHITE SHOES it and so insistent is the story the sense of devotion (bhakti) has body and legs. Every part of the Dancers with their best

FOR LADIES

AND CHILDREN Make your vacation more enjoyable with a pair of these shoes, designed especially for summer comfort and activities.

FLEET

FOOT

}

SHOES

DERRY Cross-strap barefoot Sandal, white duck with coloured, printed juveniia designa,

KEDETTE Smart Oxford with

imitation leather shawl, tongue, Na- tural crepe sole.

MONK

An attractive two- eyelet Tic with centro stitched

vamp.

ALL WITH

QUALITY DUCK UPPERS AND RUBBER SOLE AND HEEL

INCERE'

SIN

First Floor

URGENT

ES

SUMMER CLOTHING - ALL SORTS AND SIZES

will be gratefully received by the HONGKONG BENEVOLENT SOCIETY

11, ICE HOUSE STREET

on

· MONDAYS & THURSDAYS

from 10.30 to 12.00 noon.

in the Art, and the admiration

of them but for their wide-Indian dancer Udaya Shankar in London, Paris, New York, Vienna,

present-

BULLS AND INNERS

O

ם

0 0

From the Office Butts

!!

shine. The blazing temperature probably surpass any others In the

greatness of the art. must have almost made him think it was a dead heat.

ᄆ D

The Kathakali, then, which now forms the raison d'etre of modern Indian dancing is not a solitary Art in itself but a combination of Arts

The latest type of telephone in one system. In the first place

1

80

accom-

spread circulation and the cir-Berlin and other Western capitals Amongst the evils conducive cumstantial manner in which are booked sometimes two or three to assault with intent to murder, they are retailed. If the stric-weeks in advance indicates the we would give first place to the tures are unwarranted, then, in popularity and the fame that this Chinese Band-cum-Jazz Orches- is especially adapted to suit it calls for the cultural basis of the

type of dancing has now achieved.

Ap-dancer whose knowledge of Nature fairness to Government servants A glimpse of this was given the tra which practices daily right people with weak volces.

parently it's no good for strong and philosophies of life must be

great. He must bo language. and Departments to whom they other day in Hongkong by Madame opposite our office window. might be unjustly applied, the

plished that ho, will be able to O

hypnotise the spectators by his act- fact should be made clear by at a standard of life far beyondi May be in sticking pieces of We observe that a -Vicaring and transport them into the investigation. On the other that made possible from legiti- blank paper on cinema posters thinks "the good old days of realm of reallly by reproducing the hand, if there be any truth mata earnings. Those who are to cover up offensive weapons, schoolboy life" were a myth. vision of the real before them. "And a high moral in the charges,

the authorities hope the public We agree; some of the Old it also presumca the need innocent, and to whom the for inquiry becomes all the stigma of association with the will think they are only mugs of Masters should have been hung. standard by the dancer who cannot

beer.

afford to degenerate into trivialities 口 O greater. Should the Govern- evil does not rightly belong,

of life and risk his reputation, ment itself be unable to discover would welcome an impartial

which is the end-all and bo-all' of his existence.

D

the facts-although it is difficult inquiry into the facts. The "Shanghai Yarn Market Col-

lapses," says headline,

ones

ᄆ

We

to believe that, if auch practices others, be they few or many, haven't heard many really new exist, high officials of the De-whatever their rank or office.

in Hongkong recently, partments concerned CAN be deserve to be exposed and visited either. wholly unaware of the evil with prompt and exemplary the task might well be entrusted punishmont. None will be bet-

Then there was the Aber- to an Unofficial Commission. A ter pleased than ourselves if donian clerk, who, when he ask-) fruitful avenue of inquiry for searching Inquiry proves current ed for half a day off, was told such a body would be the source beliefs to be ill-founded. But that it was only in November of incomes of subordinates of the facts need disclosing, once that he had the Two Minutes' the type who are obviously living and for all.

Silence.

And then there was the golfer who did 21 at Deep Water Bay

on the fourth hole!

口 ឆ

It's reported that Tarzan, in his next picture, will be tattooed like a leopard. Tarzan Stripes!

口

D

These being the high ideals re- quired from the dancers, the Art hna mado a great impression on visitors and wherever Indians have colonised outside India many of them have taken the Art with them. The greatest example of this in at Bali which was a colony of ancient

A French chef says that India; the Balinese Dancers having "where food is concerned, the raleed this system of mute dancing. Englishman is full of prejudice," to a very high standard. Its pro- But more often full of beef and press therefore in the world will be

looked forward with beer.

expectations. "

great