Deccan Chronicle

Poems of Love

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Love makes the world go around and what better way to express it than through dance, music and poetry? Well this is what husband-wife duo Divya Ravi and Dr. Sharan Subramanian are doing together through an artistic collaboration called Poems of Love.

Divya Ravi a Bharatanatyam artiste, performer and choreographer began learning Bharatanatyam at the age of five when her mother initiated her into it. “Dance has been a vital aspect of my life. Bharatanatyam is one of the most comprehensive classical art forms with equal emphasis on Nritta (the movement vocabulary) as well as Abhinaya (the storytelling aspect with expressions and emotions). To me, dancing (whether it is a practice session or a performance) is a meditative experience. I connect to Bharatanatyam at more levels than one and it has always been the driving force in my life,” says Divya. Having performed at some of the most prestigious festivals across India and abroad, including Singapore, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, the UK, Hong Kong and China, her choreographic ventures include Manjari, Narmada, Smriti and Sarvasya. Dr. Sharan Subramanian has been trained in carnatic music for 12 years is a pediatrician by profession avers, “a significant role in me taking up classical music was played by my mother and my maternal aunt when I was a child. My aunt, who is now a PhD holder in Carnatic Music, was learning at the time and all her classes would happen at home. Growing up in this atmosphere, I think music came naturally to me.”

Divya Ravi -Dr Sharan Subramanian
Divya Ravi -Dr Sharan Subramanian

‘Poems of Love’ is a presentation of Abhinaya, Vocals and multilingual poetry delving into the multiple facets of love. “It is an interactive presentation where Sharan and I also narrate various incidents from our love story and set the premise for the poetry we will be performing. Most of the poetry we are performing is from a different era. While the contexts of the setting and the characters in the poems have changed over the years, the emotional premise remains the same. Hence, we present them without tainting the integrity of the characters in the original choreography, but we set the tone with our narrations, so that everyone can relate to the characters in the pieces, despite them being from a different time and space,” explains Divya. “Poems of Love is our entertaining take on how Indian poetry written in different languages in the past are relevant in today’s context. While selecting the songs and framing the narrative, we’ve drawn from our real-life experiences that make the pieces more relatable and enjoyable for millennial audiences. We’ve not deviated from or changed the integrity of the poetry, just explored them in a different light. All audiences, dancers and non-dancers alike, will have felt love at some point in their lives and will definitely connect to this,” avers Sharan. Looking ahead, Divya hopes she can give back to the art form that has given her so much. “To continue creating work that breaks status quo and communicates the essence of Bharatanatyam (in its truest form) to connoisseurs and lay persons alike. A lot of ideas are brimming in my mind and talks are on with some scholarly minds, let us see what we come up with,” says Divya. Sharan adds, “music gives me a sense of liberation. I will pursue it as a passion alongside my professional ambitions of pursuing Pediatric super-specialty training. My journey of love with Divya shall serve as the platform for many more music-dance collaborations,” avers Sharan.

Divya Ravi - The Courtyard
Divya Ravi – The Courtyard
  • What: Poems of Love
  • Where: The Courtyard, 105 KH Double Road, Shanti Nagar, Bangalore. Call: 7338677996
  • When: Sep 15th, Sunday at 6:30PM – 7:30PM
  • Tickets available at Eventshigh and in venue (The Courtyard). Ticket cost Rs. 300

This story first appeared in Deccan Chronicle Bengaluru dated 13th Sep 2019 here:

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