The modern story of time

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Stills from Kaal-Time

Kaal-Time, the innovative dance work that tells the extraordinary cosmic and modern story of time, was presented for the first time in Delhi by the Janak Khendry Dance Company on March 12 at Kamani Auditorium.

Choreographed by artistic director Janak Khendry, with music by India’s renowned Ashit Desai, Kaal-Time was performed by an ensemble of 12 accomplished dancers who performed a myriad of dance styles ranging from classical Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Odissi and other South Asian and Western disciplines.
The work is based on three years of research on Indian scriptures, which include Rig Veda, Atharva Veda and Shveta Upanishad, and the works of Western physicists conducted under the guidance of Vedic scholar Dr Tulsiram Sharma.
“We researched on the whole creation — pre-creation, creation, formation of planets, the elements coming into existence, like sky, water earth, the day-night cycle, the seasons, the surya stuti and ultimately kaal (the end of time). I created this work to show that anything that comes into existence also perishes. I have also taken all human emotions out of Kaal-Time, to make it an abstract work,” says Khendry.
Khendry has been attached with dance for more than 50 years and has choreographed about 130 dance works, but he never felt like reaching any landmark. “I never thought in terms of landmark or something. About 20 to 25 years ago, when I started thinking about where I was going with my work, I found that there were two ways of working around it, one is horizontal, which is very good ethically and the other is vertical…I chose the second one — the vertical path. The more you go up, your horizon widens. It keeps expanding. With that in mind, I started doing research and concluded…that the vision of our sages was universal. The Rig Veda has answers to any form of question one has in his/her mind. So being an Indian, and living abroad, I thought I could enforce my thought on cultures and scriptures and create work that creates a universal connection. And that is what I have been doing,” says Khendry.
Kaal-Time was showcased for the first time in Toronto in January this year, where it received an overwhelming response from the crowd. “The audience really liked it…I have studied Bharatnatyam, Manipuri, Kathak, and modern dance, but what happens is in each work, depending on the subject, a whole new vocabulary is created. It’s not one style, and you will see this in each of my productions,” Khendry adds.
Speaking about the music for this performance, Khendry says he is extremely happy and excited with the music created by Desai.
“In 1994, the Los Angeles counsel had asked me to do a performance with a Jain theme. I happened to meet Ashit at that time. The moment I spoke to him, I knew that he was the person with whom I wanted to work with for a very long time. Now, Ashit has given music to over 13 of my dance works, each one better than the other. He has created some amazing music for me. But Ashit often tells me, ‘Janak, nobody, but you, can do justice to my music’.”
Khendry feels that dance has made him more aware of his responsibility towards the world. “Whatever I am doing is for the world. I am living in Canada, I am creating Indian themes there, and I am travelling all over the world to send the universal message of peace, non-violence, time, water etc.”
Narrating an incident that had a profound impact on him, Khendry says, “Around five to six years ago, I was invited by five different dance schools in Bengaluru as a guest of honour. At the time, the students presented their graduation work. Though the works were not masterpieces, the subjects they were dealing with — women’s liberation, corruption, bribing through dance — delighted me. This is called awareness, which the younger generation was bringing through their work.”
While Khendry is positive about the future of classical dance in India, he feels that every dancer should have the urge to create his own work. “I don’t criticise any art form. Whatever little I have seen in India is amazing. However, what I object is the same movement, same costume, same grouping every time. If you are a creator, create something new, not what has
been done before. You need to contribute,” says Khendry.
“The most important thing a dancer needs is hard work, research, knowledge, determination. It is not easy to be a dancer. Every new project is a new challenge,” he adds.