'Most humiliating experience': Neena Prasad on judge stopping her Mohiniyattam concert
The well-known Mohiniyattam exponent in Kerala, Neena Prasad, had the “most bitter and humiliating experience” of her life recently when her dance recital was rudely stopped midway, after a sitting judge complained to the police about the disturbance caused by the concert conducted near his home.
The incident has caused her severe mental agony, said the danseuse, who has been redefining Mohiniyattam and breaking stereotypes for a long time now.
Prasad, who had earlier posted about the March 19th incident on her Facebook page to protest about the “high-handed” behaviour of Kalam Pasha, the district judge, told the media that her “heart was bleeding and she was in tears”. According to the danseuse, this was the bitterest experience of her dance career. And that it was a humiliating experience not only for her, but also for her fellow artistes who had eagerly got back on the stage after gap of two years.
Asking her to stop her Mohiniyattam performance midway was not just an insult to her, it was an insult of the art form and culture of Kerala, said an angry Prasad to reporters.
Prasad, whose intelligent but aesthetic approach to Mohiniyattam has made her famous, had been invited to perform a dance recital after the launch of a book, Ithihasangale Thedi (In search of history) authored by Sreechitran MJ. She was in the midst of completing the hour-long performance titled ‘Sakhyam’ that portrayed the strain in the relationship between Krishna and Arjuna, she was told to discontinue her performance. The Kerala judge who lived near the venue of the performance had reportedly called the police to complain about the noise.
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But Prasad said that it was an intricate solo performance in which sober instruments such as violin, mridangam and edakka were used and the sound was certainly not a cacophony, she said. And she told reporters that she was about to reach the highlight of the performance, when the police barged in. The incident was not just humiliating for her but for India’s cultural fraternity and Kerala, she added.
Meanwhile, the Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham protested against the incident, saying the judge was displaying cultural intolerance. In a statement on Monday (March 21), Sangham president Shaji N Karun and general secretary Ashokan Charuvil urged people to fight attempts to silence artistes and cultural leaders.
They said the State would not brook any move to stifle its art and culture. “The people of Kerala always give more respect and importance to artistes than bureaucrats and judges. It is time we remembered that we had a Prime Minister who gave a higher position to an artiste (MS Subbulakshmi),” the Sangham said in its statement.
Many responded to the danseuse’s Facebook post calling the episode a “shame” on the state. They said the judge’s behavior was unfortunate adding that it was nothing but high-handedness of power.
While Bharatiya Janata Party state president V Muraleedharan, on Twitter, termed the incident as “yet another example of the Talibanization of Kerala under CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s rule”.
Yet another example of Talibanization of Kerala under @vijayanpinarayi
No artistic freedom under communist rule
Stopping Ms. Neena Prasad’s Mohiniyattam performance – Kerala’s own dance form abruptly – is an insult to Kerala. pic.twitter.com/zS7whLcZty
— V Muraleedharan / വി മുരളീധരൻ (@VMBJP) March 23, 2022
A group of lawyers also held a protest in front of the Palakkad court against Judge Pasha, who was earlier in the news when his wife had approached the Kerala high court, seeking invalidation of the talaq pronounced by him. However, the petition was dismissed.
