In memoriam - Astad Deboo

I first met Astad Deboo at an International Dance Competition in Paris. Impressed by his performance, I invited him to Auroville to perform at the Sri Aurobindo Auditorium.

Astad became a regular guest and we were fortunate to see him often. His magnificent whirling piece set to Tagore’s poem, his work with the martial arts dancers of Manipur, his fun-filled choreography with hearing impaired dancers from America, all these will be remembered by his appreciative Auroville audience. He also offered dance workshops and got the puppeteer, Padamjee, to show us his craft.

Astad left his body on December 10 at the age of 73. He will be remembered as an early pioneer who broke ground for contemporary dancers in India. He developed a unique style, influenced by Martha Graham, Pina Bausch, choreographed for Maya Plisetskaya and later assimilated Kathak, Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, and various Indian martial art forms. Above all, he was fascinated by the whirling Sufi dancers and used it in almost all of his pieces. His attention to stage design, his play with costumes, the eclectic music he used, all melded into something now easily recognizable as the School of Astad. This was also evidenced in the choreography he created, long distance, for Anita R Ratnam’s lockdown initiative just a few months ago – simple, sparse, yet full of Astad’s original complexity, rigour and grace – a delight to watch. His last works show a tendency to start deep, unfurl slowly and open wings to fly.

It was great knowing you, Astad. Thanks for passing by Auroville. Keep flying with the Light.