How the 'Arangetram' in Bharatanatyam is burning a hole in people's pockets

The first public performance for an artiste is bound to be an exciting memorable occasion For a student of Bharatanatyam however the jingle of ghungroos is often accompanied by the sound of coffers emptying as the first performance or Arangetram now costs so much that many are skipping it entirelyArangetram which comes from the Tamil words for stage ldquoarangurdquo and ascent ldquoetramrdquo translates to ldquoclimbing or ascending the stagerdquo and is most closely associated with Bharatanatyam though it is practiced in other styles too But it is Bharatanatyam which sees the most ostentatious Arangetram eventsReshma Manoj whose daughter Diya 16 is studying Bharatanatyam says the expense is what is holding them back from organising it although Diya is ready to appear on the public stage ldquoThe overall cost of holding an Arangetram can come up to Rs 3 lakh or more per performerrdquo she says ldquoThe cost of the auditorium music videography dinner for guests it all adds up If we collaborate with other dancers the cost gets divided and is less of a burdenrdquo she adds ldquoso we are thinking of doing thisrdquoSaesha Deviprasad practised every day for two years leading up to her Arangetram Pic courtesySaesha DeviprasadArangetram costs include the auditorium rental costume stage setup including design lighting and sound musicians and catering for the guests Then there is the teacherrsquos fee Gurudakshina and a certain number of expected gifts to be given to the teacher including jewelleryAccording to Bharatanatyam exponent teacher and writer Anjana Rajan ldquoIt became a privilege of the rich Influential people were spending a whole lot of money on Arangetrams They were wining and dining critics inviting them with gifts to ensure flowery pieces in the newspapers They were also part of a movement where the hereditary practitioners of the form were being pushed out given how casteridden our society isrdquoHowever she adds ldquoAttention spans audiences and opportunities to perform have all shrunk now For Arangetrams you were groomed to present a full twohour performance That hard work that polishing that rigour is disappearing There was a margam You had to take the steps It canrsquot be done in half an hourrdquoJaisree Pramod with her daughter DayaAgreeing with this Bharatanatyam teacher Jaishree Rao says ldquoldquoIt depends on the guru There are gurus who will bend over backwards to help the student complete the Arangetram Ultimately it is not about the guru or the name or the fame it is about the dance itself Yes there are gurus who demand dakshina of as much as a lakh or two But it can definitely be done simply for example in a temple if the temple authorities are willing Gurudakshina is important the teacher has to be recognised but there are gurus who will reduce the fee if the dancer finds it difficult to affordrdquoThe practice of holding lavish Arangetrams has been questioned from time to time in the media and was strongly criticised in 2019 by Bharatanatyam doyenne Leela Samson at the 39th Natya Kala Conference in Chennai In the panel discussion ldquoArangetram Boon or banerdquo Samson had spoken out strongly saying she had heard of Arangetrams in the US costing as much as 75000 and similar equivalent amounts being spent in India ldquoIt shames me to hear the kind of money being spent This is criminal in our timerdquoReshma Manoj and her daughter DiyaIn the community of dance students teachers and exponents however the peer expectations may not facilitate such simplicity Saesha Deviprasad 19 says ldquoIf you held a simpler ceremony nothing would happen but parents want their childrsquos Arangetram to be memorable Nonetheless an Arangetram is a privilege to have for a dancer whose Guru thinks shersquos ready to take the stage It is also a celebration for the parents who want to honour their childrsquos journey and make the day memorable for everyone who comes to watchrdquoDeviprasad a student of the late Guru Rajee Narayan of Nritya Geetanjali and now studying under her disciple Jaishree Rao says her Arangetram held in 2019 was at the Chembur Fine Arts Society auditorium mdash a plush venue mdash and was a ldquobeautiful experiencerdquo ldquoFor someone sitting and watching you dance for two hours it becomes more than a performance itrsquos an experiencerdquo she adds Rajan says ldquoArangetrams are part of the learning so they are important but they donrsquot need to be lavish or expensiverdquoRaka Maitra and Leela SamsonldquoIn Mumbai the cost is not so muchrdquo says Jaisree Pramod whose daughter Daya 16 is learning Bharatanatyam The Dombivli resident adds ldquoHere for example we can hire the costume for about 400 per day Back home in Kerala it is more elaborate We are expected to give the teacher a gold coin and jewellery and the cost there is much more than hererdquo However Pramod says that the Arangetram even if expensive is worth it if the dancer is interested in pursuing dance as a career rather than a hobby ldquoSo we will wait and see if Daya wants to go in for dance fulltimerdquo she saysOdissi and contemporary dance exponent Raka Maitra who is now based in Singapore says that the practice is followed in other dance forms too ldquoItrsquos called Rangapravesh and it is such a waste of money mdash itrsquos an absolute racket but parents want to do it and the teachers who organise it make money from itrdquo she says As with Arangetram Rangapravesh is not compulsory and used to be a simple event she says ldquoBut now it has become like a wedding even celebrities are invitedrdquoAnjana Rajan dance teacher and writerAs Rajan says ldquoArangetrams can be done without that kind of expense For example teachers are doing combined Arangetrams You can use venues like temples community halls and classrooms because for dance all you need ultimately is a space and light And the teacher has a say in this They could invite people who would come and see good students perform who could then get invited for festivals The lavishness that people associate with Arangetrams is just extra fluff and thatrsquoll fall offrdquo Samson had echoed this ldquoDo it in your home in a friendrsquos courtyard in a village square in a home for the aged You can do it anywhere The guru will still be with yourdquoInputs by Sucheta Chakraborty