Dance is about seduction: Devdutt Pattanaik

Mythology and culture expert Devdutt Pattanaik was in town on Friday. The actor, who spoke about ‘Why do Hindu Gods dance’ at a session, spoke to us ahead of International Dance Day about the significance of dance in Indian culture. He said, “We don’t see dance as part of religion in most parts of the world. However, over the years, our way of looking at dance and dancers has changed. Calling someone naachnewali or naachnewala has become a way of putting them down. We need to understand that dance is about seduction. For me, the story of Lord Vishnu taking the form of Mohini and dancing to seduce Bhasmasura is one of the most powerful stories. We don’t understand that the story of Natraj also relates to seduction. But somehow, the word seduction has taken a negative connotation now. Through dance, we can understand a lot about Indian culture, history, geography and more. It’s about time we did that.”

The main auditorium of the National Film Archives of India (

NFAI

) was overflowing with people eager to listen to what culture and mythology expert Devdutt Pattanaik had to say. Pattanaik, who was in town to speak about ‘Why do Hindu Gods dance’ at the inaugural session of the 9th Prayatna Film and Dance Festival, didn’t disappoint.

From speaking about the relevance and importance of dance in Indian culture and traditions to engaging the audience with witty examples that established an instant connect, the author’s session didn’t have a single dull moment. “For the first time in nine years, we’re seeing a full house at the festival. I think we’ve come a long way and hope that this interest stays put,” quipped dancer

Hrishikesh Pawar

who organised the festival.
The session saw dancers, artists and people of all age groups turning up in huge numbers and before the scheduled time. Among those in attendance were NFAI director

Prakash Magdum

, artists

Raju Sutar

and Vaishal Oak, veteran actress Deepa Shriram, Arti Kirloskar, Lisa Pingale and more.