The Cloud Messenger

Kalidasas imagination preceded Silicon Valleys Vision

Arun Mathai. Photo Credit: Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi
The Cloud Messenger
-Uday Dandavate


The experience of intimate communication has taken on a new dimension in a
world of online dating. Thanks to the Cloud, we are now are able to upload
images, videos, and stories so that our dear ones can be a part of our meaningful
moments no matter how far they live. Geographic Positioning System (GPS)
based tools allow us to spot our loved ones based on their geographic
coordinates.

Almost 1600 years, before Cloud computing became a ubiquitous part of our
lives, Kalidasa penned the Megdhoot (literally meaning the cloud messenger)
wherein he describes how a Yaksha, a subject of King Kubera (the god of
wealth), convinces a passing cloud to take a message to his wife. In this poetry
Yak!a describes the many beautiful landscapes the cloud will pass on its
northward course to the city of Alak", where his wife is waiting for him to return.
The idea of a cloud carrying a message to someone very dear to ones heart and
being able to incorporate details of geographic coordinates and visual information
to reach the right person was conceptualized by Kalidasa even before computing
became a part of human imagination.

Yesterday, I experienced the beauty of Kalidasas imagination through the
Bharatnatyam dance presentation of Meghdoot by Nava Dance Theater in San
Francisco. Nadhi Thekkek, Sophia Valath and Arun Mathai choreographed this
splendid performance with music composition by G S Rajan. The performance
was followed by a panel discussion.


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Lily Kharrazi, Program Manager at Alliance for California Traditional Arts, who
was moderating the panel asked, To what extent does a traditional form like
Bharatnatyam allow deviation in its form? She was provoking a response from
the assembled panel of traditional artists. In my view the Bharatnatyam artists did
a wonderful job of balancing the traditional vocabulary of the form with
contemporary elegance, while serving the aesthetic sensibilities of a
contemporary audience. The individual dancers gestures and body movements
maintained the authentic vocabulary of Bharatnatyam. The elaborate
ornamentation typically present in a traditional Indian dance costume was
simplified. This brought to the performance a balance between the intricacy of the
traditional form and minimalist style of modern dance. The result reminded me of
contemporary Japanese design, which preserves the core element of Japanese
craft traditions, while offering elegance, convenience and comfort of simplified
forms. The group choreography was refreshing and it was appealing to an
audience that is exposed to a wide range of contemporary dance forms.
Sophisticated use of space contributed to its overall appeal. The creativity and
expressivity of the choreographers and the performers found freedom, without
diluting the essence of the traditional form.

Music composition by G S Rajan provided another crucial link between the
traditional and contemporary elements. G. S. Rajan is a highly accomplished
classical flautist, whose work has been acknowledged by Pandit Ravi Shankar
and Zubin Mehta. While the Vocalist, percussionist and Natuvangam player
connected the performance to its traditional roots, Rajans masterly and playful
variations on flute transformed the performance into an eclectic experience.

While the Yaksha (Arun Mathai) and the Yakshi (Nadhi Thekkek), the main
characters of the story, delighted the audience with a perfectly synchronized
performance, the key feature was depiction of the movement of the cloud by a
group of accomplished dancers, led by Sophia Valath.

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The presentation, The Cloud Messenger was an artistic representation of pure
Indian ethos that can inspire younger generation to experiment with their inner
urges for contemporary expression. Kudos to Nava Dance Theater and
CounterPulse for sponsoring the project.

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Uday Dandavate is a Co-founder and CEO of SonicRim, a San Francisco based
global design research consulting firm.