The Hindu Business Line : Destiny with art

Dr Navina Jafa is a multifaceted woman. She is not only a trained classical dancer but also works for several socio-economic causes such as helping rural women achieve their potential.

With a PhD on performing arts, with special focus on gender issues and patronage in north Indian performing arts, Navina has performed in India and abroad for over 20 years.

“I looked at the economics of the performance structure and started conceptualising various programmes,” she says. Her programme ‘Window to the Indian Arts’ focused on Indian culture ranging from rituals, customs and religious practices to architecture, music and dance among others.

As a teacher Navina is keen to go beyond mere lectures in the classroom. Her Foundation for Arts has a tour and travel section which designs packages to take students to cultural sites to stimulate greater interest in the arts and culture.

“I have already spent a lot of time together with my students in Delhi and other parts of India as a cultural historian. This gives me an opportunity to study various parts of my country and cultures. I recently toured Ladakh with 12 diplomats and corporate executives as my students. I showcased not only the built heritage of Buddhist monasteries but also the living heritage of rituals, songs and dances. One of the highlights of the study tour was an interaction with Lamu, a local Ladakhi oracle woman, and a camp on River Indus up in the mountains near the Pakistan border with Brokpas — indigenous communities referred to as pure Aryans.”

Being a classical artist herself, she understands the problems faced by handicraft artisans. Besides helping artisans establish a firm footing in their vocation, she attempts to ensure they get the price for their work.

“All my interests are interdependent, hence every role I play accommodates and provides a new angle to one whole. All my roles approach culture in one or the other way,” she says.

Creative process

Art, according to her, is only one aspect of her life as she treats it as a body of knowledge to interpret the world and creative processes. “Long ago, I decided not to earn my livelihood from dance. Our country is predominantly a patriarchal world in which men control the patronage and transmission systems. This calls for several kinds of compromises, both physically as well as aesthetically.

“Today, I perform, practise and teach as one of my professions as a cultural historian, but I do this with dignity. I do not run after people to give me opportunities to perform. This has led me to carry out some interesting performing projects that have gone beyond creation of a spectacle.”

One such project called ‘Bound-Unbound’ saw her collaborate with a Pakistani artist called Mansoora Hasan to explore woman’s identity behind the veil. Another project titled ‘Dance in Clay’ involved two American artists — clay installation artist Patty Rosenblatt and Rachel Cohen, a modern American dancer.

According to Navina, it’s a struggle for many dancers who are dependent only on dance for a livelihood. “We in India do not have agent systems. To get programmes artists have to lobby, physically compromise in certain cases, or be politically supported in order to get programmes. If you are not categorised with the Indian Council for Cultural Affairs, or are not graded by Doordarshan, both of which are State-run organisations, you do not acquire legitimacy to perform as a professional even though you may have performed and trained for 20 years. So who can blame artists when five-star hotels offer an option for them to survive?”

Navina credits her parents, especially her mother Manorama Jafa, who is a writer in her own right, for inspiring her to think big. She is also thankful for the support extended by her husband Sunil Ajmera and her teachers Dr Kapila Vatsyayan and Pandit Birju Maharaj, Dr Narayani Gupta and her Fulbright advisor Dr Richard Kurin.

Art to her is a gift of God, creation an inspiration and the guru, the guide. However, motivation can come only from within, she says, before adding that the rest is destiny.

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