“Pankaja is the name I use as a Bharatanatyam dancer,” says Liesbeth Bennink from the Netherlands. Resplendent in a yellow and red zari bordered sari, Liesbeth seems the typical artist who has submerged herself in the Indian performing art tradition. But there is more.
A historian and scholar, Liesbeth is deeply interested in the legend, beliefs and practices relating to the Lord Nataraja temple in Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu). She has visited India numerous times since she started learning Bharatanatyam in the 1980s. ‘Indian expert’ is how she intriguingly describes herself in her visiting card. “Oh! That is because those in the Netherlands are not very conversant with the term ‘Bharatanatyam dancer’. It is just a way of introducing myself and my field of interests,” Liesbeth explains with a blush of embarrassment as she settles down for a chat.
“I owe it all to the late Raja Deekshithar, who belonged to the hereditary clan of priests at the Chidambaram temple. His book on Chidambaram made a great impact on me. His passing away in 2001 was a blow. Since then I have been giving lectures based on his study of the temple.”
Liesbeth first came to Chidambaram in 1985 with her dance guru, Rajamani, to see the Karanas at the temple. “I had performed my arangetram at the Music Academy, Chennai, in 1982. Deekshithar obtained permission for me to dance at the Chidambaram temple. It was the most moving experience of my life,” she says.
Rajamani, a senior disciple of Guru Kittappa Pillai, was married to a Dutch national and had made her home in Amsterdam.
“As a child I wished to learn ballet, but was fascinated by Bharatanatyam after I saw the film, ‘Lord Siva Danced,’ made by Shell company on Ram Gopal, the famous Indian dancer. It was screened at the Museum van Volkenkunde (now called Wereldmuseum) in Rotterdam.
“I trained with Rajamani for many years while pursuing my studies in history at the Utrecht University. I got in touch with Deekshithar through my professor Hoens, who taught religious studies; she was the guide for his Ph.D. Deekshithar was a resource person for many scholars, artists and journalists on the Chidambaram temple and dance. He was one of the subjects for ‘Faces of India’ presented by Mark Tully (BBC). Deekshithar published quite a few articles on Asian art,” says Liesbeth, who has a Masters degree in History and has also published several articles on Lord Nataraja.
“Deekshithar also helped me with the growth of my dance school, Rasanjali, in Utrecht”, she says. “But I don’t teach dance now”.
The visit to Chidambaram with her guru changed Liesbeth’s outlook and moulded her future. It fired her with a passion for the temple - the doctrine, the rituals and the architecture including the wonderful gold plated roof. Her interest in all these aspects and the history of the Deekshitars was inculcated in her by Raja Deekshithar.
“Many of his theories were not accepted by archaeologists and historians. He traced the similarities of the anthromorphic figure, the Purushamukha to the sphinxes in the Greek, Mesopotamian and Egyptian tradition. The statement of the Deekshithars that the temple is a Vedic one is also challenged by scholars.”
Liesbeth now works for the City Council of Amsterdam on administrative and organisational activities. “Awareness of Bharatanatyam has waned in Amsterdam,” she says sadly. “In the 1970s and 1980s, Indian dance and music performances were held quite frequently in the city. I saw wonderful Kathak and Odissi performances, among them Sanjukta Panigrahi and Protima Bedi. But now such events are rare. I have conducted many workshops to spread awareness of Indian culture in schools and community organisations. I love to work to build a bridge between our two cultures,” she says.
Liesbeth is now focussing on spreading the glory of the Chidambaram temple than on performing Bharatanatyam.
“Chidambaram is like a spiritual home to me. I hoped to be back to help the Deekshithar's sons make arrangements for the kumbabishekam scheduled on May 1. I don’t know now whether I can make it .But we are planning to implement a project to help provide modern sanitary facilities to the pilgrims,” signs off Liesbeth Pankaja.
