BOOK REVIEW | Capturing the mystical through beautiful stills
BOOK REVIEW | I must say it's not very often that I find myself doing a review of a coffee table book.
In fact, the only other time I recall doing one was for Selak, a coffee table book about the original Bersih rally - and that review died a premature death on the censorship desks of a leading daily newspaper.
So here we have Joined in Dance - which is a truly vibrant book capturing the Kumbha Mela religious festival in which devotees take a dip in holy rivers seeking absolution for their sins.
The roots of this book lie in 2019, when 17 dancers of the Sutra Foundation, which is led by the legendary Ramli Ibrahim, were invited by the Uttar Pradesh state government to perform at the Kumbha Mela in Prayagraj.
As with most coffee table books, the main draw is the visuals and, in this case, the photos taken by the likes of Yogi Chellapan and S Magendran are simply stunning.
The narrative in the book has...
BOOK REVIEW | I must say it's not very often that I find myself doing a review of a coffee table book.
In fact, the only other time I recall doing one was for Selak, a coffee table book about the original Bersih rally - and that review died a premature death on the censorship desks of a leading daily newspaper.
So here we have Joined in Dance - which is a truly vibrant book capturing the Kumbha Mela religious festival in which devotees take a dip in holy rivers seeking absolution for their sins.
The roots of this book lie in 2019, when 17 dancers of the Sutra Foundation, which is led by the legendary Ramli Ibrahim, were invited by the Uttar Pradesh state government to perform at the Kumbha Mela in Prayagraj.
As with most coffee table books, the main draw is the visuals and, in this case, the photos taken by the likes of Yogi Chellapan and S Magendran are simply stunning.
The narrative in the book has three elements, the first being the story of the troupe of dancers who went to perform in 2019 - it was held on such a large scale - the Malaysian performers were among more than 12,000 artistes from all over the world from Fiji to Russia.
The Sutra troupe performed very near to the Triveni Sangam, which is the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers. Devotees also believe that the mystical and invisible Saraswati River meets there too.
Aside from the photography, the narrative includes descriptive passages from Ramli and other participants about their emotions and experiences leading up to the performances.
Then there is the story of the festival itself.
Celebrated over a month, it is celebrated in a cycle of approximately 12 years at four river-bank pilgrimage sites which correspond to four drops of the nectar of immortality that fell to the earth following an epic struggle between gods and demons.
The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass feedings of monks or the poor and entertainment spectacles.
It was held on such a large scale that over 39,000 people were lost (and subsequently found) in the mass of humanity in the area.
Ramli says: “This is where people come to bathe and cleanse themselves spiritually. Many other monastic orders partake in it, not just the Hindus.”
The third part of the book documents the Sutra Foundation's special relationship with India and features many photographs and tales of previous trips and performances.
Towards the end, a stunning map of the world details over 100 national and international tours that Sutra has performed over a 40-year period.
Ramli and his troupe are more than just talented dancers, but act as a cultural bridge between the nations of Malaysia and India.
The book is published by KL Jazz & Arts Centre’s AABA Publishing and features a foreword written by Shri Mridul Kumar, who served as Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia.
It is admittedly priced quite heftily and thus needs to be taken as a valued souvenir of the journey, not just of the Sutra dancers in 2019, but of a life's work.
'Joined in Dance' is available at RM220 by contacting Sutra Foundation at 03-4021-1092, emailing sutrafoundation25@gmail.com or online order from AABA.
MARTIN VENGADESAN is an associate editor at Malaysiakini.
