To chronicle the significance of the festival, as well as their participation in it, Sutra Foundation decided to publish a coffee-table book, titled “The Kumbha Mela, Prayagraj, Joined in Dance: A Malaysia-India Bi-Lateral Experience”.
“This is our third book, and it’s a celebration of the India-Malaysia cultural experience,” says Ramli Ibrahim, 68, artistic director of Sutra Dance Theatre, which is part of the Sutra Foundation that he is chairman of.
Ramli explained that the book, now in its final stages before actual printing, will feature stunning photographs from Sutra Foundation’s participation in previous Kumbha Melas as well.
At the 2019 festival, a crew of 17 young and senior artists together with a technical team performed the Krishna Leela – an Odissi production inspired by the springtime play of the pastoral god, Lord Krishna.
According to Ramli, eight of the dancers were from the Sutra Dance Outreach Programme and are in their early teens.
The Kumbha Mela is an important festival according to Hindu mythology, with devotees from all walks of life dipping in holy rivers to absolve themselves of their sins.
The festival is held at the riverbanks of four pilgrimage sites over the course of a 12-year cycle, and has been recognised by Unesco as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“This is where people come to bathe and cleanse themselves spiritually. Many other monastic orders partake in it, not just the Hindus,” he says, pointing out that the practice is similar to the ‘mandi safar’ festival that used to be held in Melaka.
“The elements have always been with us; the average human is about 60% water. We are pretty much water,” he says.
The Kumbha Mela 2019 was held on a grand scale, with performances by more than 12,000 artists from all over the world.
“Indian dance is popular across the globe; there were performers from Fiji to Russia,” says Ramli, who has been performing internationally for over four decades.
“We performed very near to the Triveni Sangam, which is the confluence of three rivers – Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.”
Unsurprisingly, the dancers received a standing ovation from the audience after their performance.
The 196-page book, to be published by KL Jazz & Arts Centre’s AABA Publishing, will feature colour photographs and a foreword written by Shri Mridul Kumar, former Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia, attesting to the long-standing relationship the two nations have enjoyed.
Besides photographs of the artists’ spectacular performance, the book features the transcendental atmosphere of the Kumbha Mela, with pages dedicated to the Sutra crews’ thoughts and reflections during the journey.
“I think their lives will forever be changed by this experience,” exclaims Ramli.
In addition, “Joined in Dance” will showcase the extraordinary lives of the various monastic orders of ascetics, better known as sadhus, who congregate at the Kumbha Mela.
“Joined in Dance” will be launched at the Sutra House in December.
“We are accepting pre-orders at the moment and the response has been fantastic. We’ve already sold more than 100 copies,” he enthuses, adding that an e-platform will soon be set up in order to cater to international orders as well.
Ramli says they are planning to hold an exhibition of the Kumbha Mela in the near future, and adds, “We are also hoping to perform excerpts of the Krishna Leela.”
Ramli says the book is a labour of love, and he hopes it will serve as a bridge to further strengthen Malaysia-India ties.
“I hope it presents a more liberal image of Malaysia, especially at a time when we’re struggling with extremist indoctrination,” he says, adding that harmonious cultural ties help facilitate business opportunities.
Sutra’s Principal Dancer, Geethika Sree sums up the experience at the festival with this quote from the book: “The performance was over in the blink of an eye. We were content and happy to have offered our seva (service) and bhakti (devotion) to our art. It was our way of ‘giving back’ to the divine arts that has given us so much joy.”
You may pre-order your copy of “Joined in Dance” for the early-bird price of RM180 by contacting Sutra Foundation at +6019-291 0218 or [email protected].
The coffee-table book will retail at RM220 after Nov 15.