Menaka Bora celebrates sattriya in UK

GUWAHATI: The three-month long Indianmusic and dance exhibition in the UK is a huge hit among the people from allwalks of life. Most of them have shown a keen interest in sattriya performancesand lectures delivered by popular danseuse and scholar Menaka PP Bora fromAssam. Popularly known as Strings and Dance of India Festival 2009', theexhibition is being held at Museum Croydon in London."I find theidea very exciting. We, as dancers of Indian origin in Britain, are trying topresent our cultural heritage of dance and music in a slightly modified manner.This modification, we feel, is essential for the genre to survive in today'sworld and also retain its originality," said Menaka. She also teaches dance atKingston University in London. The exhibition traces the history ofIndian cultural heritage. It also narrates the story of various art forms, theircultural significance and how contemporary dancers and musicians practisingIndian dance in the UK are presenting them. The festival, which began on April10, will end on August 1.As an artiste, Menaka is doing her best topresent the ancient dance form of Assamese sattriya in such a way that itreaches out to the global audience. "This is an entirely experimental project.We feel that dance forms need to be modified with changing times," she said. "Ithink sticking strictly to tradition is like a blocked river. Instead cultureshould be like a free flowing river."Sattriya is presented throughdance, costumes, photographs, musical instruments like khol, bhortal, khuntital,live performances and short films. A special segment also focuses on the dyingmusical instruments of Assam. "The purpose is to develop a newdirection in sattriya music repertoire within the classical framework," sheadded. Menaka is also conducting research on sattriya and musical instruments ofAssam. The project is called Dance in Museums' and has been invited by theBritish Library forpreservation.