Eurythmy in the Land of Sacred Dance (continued)

Mumbai

One o’clock in the morning arrival, and it looked like a mid-day crowd outside the terminal. Fortunately our hosts, Jayesh and a trustee and teacher from the Tridha school, had no trouble picking us out, and we were whisked into a bus and on to a nearby hotel, where we were fed and housed in comfort for the next two days. That day brought our first sight of urban India as we walked to the market amid throngs of people and traffic, swirls of bright color on clothing and shops, and a cascade of fascinating new scents and sounds.

 

Afternoon found us in the theater in Vile Parle for rehearsal, lighting, ironing, and the first test of the electronic keyboard we were renting. No time for jet lag; we had to rehearse! Everyone was pressed into service—Paolo Carini, physics teacher and chaperone, running the lights, Lilia Zheltova, our accompanist, and Jayesh adjusting the sound system, and a host of teachers and students, Indian and American, wielding irons and steamers on eighty-five costumes. Somehow we were ready as an audience magically appeared—families, teachers and friends from the Tridha Rudolf Steiner School filled the hall to capacity.

Aban Bana welcomed everyone, noting that this was the first time ever that a eurythmy troupe had performed in India! After a mere eighteen hours on Indian soil, the performers showed no trace of tiredness throughout an incandescent performance. In Aban’s words, “[T]wenty-five young Eurythmists… charmed us with their grace and precision… The hall was overflowing with adults and children of all ages and all were spellbound by the beauty of Eurythmy.”

The following morning we were privileged to visit classes at the Tridha School, play with the children at break time, and exchange songs and poems with the older students in an open-air assembly. We were profoundly impressed by the dedication and accomplish-ments of the teachers and parents, and by the universal human quality of Waldorf education. Everyone was warm and welcoming, and our students were surprised and a little thrilled to sign so many autographs!

Udwada

Aban and her sister Dilnawaz, a therapeutic eurythmist, had arranged a very special trip to the seaside village of Udwada, a Parsi community in Gujarat, north of Mumbai. Bidding the children at Tridha goodbye, we boarded a bus for a hot and eventful journey.

Confusion reigned as we arrived in Udwada. It was growing dark, and the bus was stuck on a narrow street in a fishing village somewhere deep in Gujarat. Our hopes were modest—we would have been grateful merely for a guide to the hotel. Instead, we heard a shouting, cheering crowd surrounding the bus, and each of us received a flower garland and a bindi applied on the spot as we stumbled out. It seemed the whole village had come to greet us! The town band, which was big on horns, drums, and volume, struck up, and we were paraded through town to an outdoor stage, where the mayor welcomed us, and we saw a beautiful sacred dance performed by several young girls. We were the guests of honor, and the recipients of true, heartfelt Indian hospitality.

We nearly filled the local hotel, a compound of small buildings where we ate and rested between rehearsals on an outdoor stage in hundred degree heat. Many children watched us rehearse, fascinated by the strangeness of it all. The band paraded us again from the hotel to our evening performance, where all the villagers turned out. Greetings and thanks were exchanged, and Astrid had the whole audience on their feet doing eurythmy. Flexibility was the key to performing, as the Troupe changed costumes behind a blanket on a rope between two palms, and climbed a tiny metal ladder to the stage. Yet the magic of eurythmy enchanted everyone, and the evening ended with performers and audience all celebrating together with Gujarati folk dancing.

Udwada is a special place, where many of the villagers follow a guru who taught the virtues of hard work, leading a good life, practicing the arts, keeping festivals, and sharing wealth within the community. It is also the home of an important Zoroastrian Fire Temple, and a Temple of Silence where sky burials are consecrated. As we departed, we all had a deep sense that we had truly been among the mangala (auspicious) people.

Hyderabad

A beautiful old sixteenth century city once ruled by the fabulously wealthy nizams, Hyderabad has a long history of religious tolerance and a recent one of growth in the high tech industry. In the past twelve years, four Waldorf schools have been established here by dedicated parents and teachers, and we were excited to visit them all. Hyderabad is also Jayesh’s home base, and our visit was perfectly planned and organized. We were comfortably housed for five nights in service apartments owned by a Waldorf school parent, and each morning we walked to a villa for breakfast, sponsored by other supporters.

Our public performance was in a grand theater, with excellent lighting and sound systems, on the day of the festival of Maha Shivratri, the Night of Lord Shiva. Many children from the schools were able to attend, and the Troupe rose to the occasion for our last performance of the full program. The audience was most enthusiastic and made an immediate connection to the beauty of eurythmy, perhaps because of the strong tradition of sacred dances in India. Flushed with heat and a sense of fulfillment, we were treated to lunch in a grand club nearby, where we met many of our warm and generous hosts.

School visits were on the itinerary the next two days. Sloka, the first school in Hyderabad, had students up to tenth grade, the school-leaving age in India. Prerana had introduced a Waldorf stream that went from nursery to fifth grade. Diksha was the newest school, in Secunderabad, and Abhaya, which went to eighth grade, had built a new campus on the outskirts. In each school we were greeted with songs, chants, poems, and even a play, in English, Hindi, Telgu and Urdu. We responded with singing and eurythmy, in an atmosphere of excitement (doing the schools’ names in eurythmy!) and warm hospitality. We even found time for sightseeing and bazaar shopping, ending our stay with a gala dinner to thank all of our hosts and new friends.

In the Waldorf schools of India, we met many deeply dedicated teachers and parents making sacrifices to establish this truly human education in a land where high-pressure schooling is the norm. There was much delight in the eurythmy we brought, and great interest in the high school students themselves. We felt privileged to be a part of this wonderful work, and most thankful to have a vital and intimate glimpse of the fabled land of India.

—David Weber