Dhananjayan shares with KutcheriBuzz, some of his experiences at S. Africa in this column...

"A packed audience at the Durban Gujarathi Samaj, for the event presided by the Indian Council General, Ajitkumar, was indeed a revelation for us. We realized the interest of the local Indian community and the African art enthusiasts.

A well disciplined audience which did not stir out of the hall, till the end of a two-hour programme and a standing ovation for Verushka, made us proud.

Another surprising reward was the local accompanists who were trained to give a live orchestral support along with Shanta Dhananjayan on the nattuvangam. They were on par with our Chennai musicians, and worked hard to impress us.

The Durban workshop organized by the Indian Consulate was attended by 60 people. In Johannesburg there were two sessions, one organized by the Indian High Commission at their campus and the other by local dance schools, lead by Jayaspree Moopen, in a 'Dance Factory' (as they call the hall, rented for dance practice).

The workshop at Cape Town was organized by Savitri Naidu, a pioneer in propagating Bharatanatyam in SA. About 50 of her disciples attended the class. We found them all in good shape and very receptive to learn.

We really enjoyed interacting with them. In an informal meet of the local enthusiasts, few expressed their dissatisfaction over the artists sent by ICCR. To improve its standard the ICCR needs to send the best and inspiring Bharatanatyam dancers.

Sometimes, the mediocrity of the visiting dancers disillusion the people there. They also vehemently oppose the idea of presenting the so called 'innovative Bharatanatyam'. These shows have been utter flops with respect to audience participation.

They say that though many of them have not even visited India, they respect our heritage and tradition and are proud of the same. They add that they want to expose their children to the best of our traditions.

Some Bharatanatyam dancers who recently visited SA, have made derogatory remarks on the various styles of Bharatanaatyam, confusing the people with different names of Bharatanaatyam styles.

The only Bharatanatyam dancer in the recent past the audience liked was Priya Govind. It is heartening to see that both the connoisseurs and the common people in a foreign country like South Africa are able to differentiate between the varying standards in Bharatanatyam. They are able to identify what is good and bad.

Bharatanatyam is the most popular dance style in SA and there is also a great following for Carnatic music. The recent performances of Vikku Vinayakaram and his family of percussionists ( who call themselves as Saptaakshara - seven letters) were a great hit in every nook and corner of SA. (This was an ICCR sponsored tour).

We also went a 'little wild', traveling through the game parks of Africa. SA is a wonderful country, with breathtaking, beautiful landscapes and good people. At times, the Indians there and their homes take us back to the days of Mahatma Gandhi in SA... Good to see them preserving our old customs and practices.

I think it is time for us to focus on SA. While the interest of the people there is very much in favour of true Indian art and culture, there is also a good potential to propagate our classical art forms there. They even want us to conduct an annual Gurukulam camp there, like the one in Yogaville, Virginia."