This is probably a good chance to share my experience and at the same time, clarify my doubts too!
Salangai is basically ankle bells. They are worn in traditional performances of classical Indian dance. As the name suggests, we wear it on our ankles, like how it's shown in the photo above. I first came to know of this interesting accessory in Indian Dance when I was asked to get it for our competition.
During my batch, the Chinese students surprisingly dominated a large portion of the entire group of dancers. And because it was a virgin experience for most of us, we weren't aware of its cultural significance. We were training with the salangai for the first time and many of us were already fascinated by our new toy. We strapped them onto our ankles instantly and started running about like kids having fun in the playground.
Usually, only water breaks were allowed during the first 2 hours of our training. So when the time for output finally arrived, most of us were just dying to get to that little cubicle within the shortest time possible. And some of us did.
However, we only knew we missed a step after we got back. Our instructor was pretty strict about such customs so our Indian friends gathered us in one corner and quietly told us that we were not supposed to wear the salangai into the toilet, nor along with any footwear. It was considered disrespectful if we did so.
All of us were truly shocked and felt bad at the same time for showing disrespect unintentionally and unknowingly. But we also knew better than to make it known to our instructor.
Still, it was an important and interesting discovery. We made a point to brief our following batch of juniors about such essential details and it was fortunate that history didn't repeat ever since.
I do miss hearing the bells ring on my ankles, but whenever I look at my pair of salangai, this will always be the first thing that comes to my mind!
Hi Hui Yun,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to discover your interest in Salangai. I guess the dance is a sacred religious dance performed ceremonially in temples, which contributes to its reverence. The thing that strikes me most about your post is not the faux pas but the error correction you guys made. I'm sure you all had put in plenty of effort to ensure that your juniors understood the significance of the observances in Salangai to avoid making the same mistake.
This is a really important lesson for us to learn also because it teaches us how we should be sensitive to the traditions and cultures of others. When we show that we care and respect the culture and religious practices of others, there would be a greater level of tolerance for each other and ideas can be exchanged more effectively.
Hi Hui Yun,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting sharing of the Indian culture which you have learnt in the process of picking up Indian dance. I am sure when you are picking up Indian dance there will be more than one culture that you were exposed to. There are other restrictions in the Indian culture which we as Chinese are not familiar with. However, when similar situation occurs, such as your case when you and your friends wore the salangai into the toilet, it is when we learnt more about the different culture and most importantly to respect it and abide by it. To be able to avoid such conflict in future, educating the juniors about such cultural customs would be good. It is always a lesson learnt for everyone when we are exposed to other religions’ cultures. Like what Ronald said, when we are sensitive to the culture and we show respect for it, there would be a greater level of tolerance. Hope you continue to pursue your interest in Indian dance!
Cheers,
Yong Sheng
Hi Hui Yun,
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting read, I didn't know that some of these accessories had religious significance. Like Ronald said, it was a thoughtful and important move to pass the knowledge down to your juniors.
When I was in judo in secondary school, I was taught by my coach that the dojo was a venue that had to be treated with respect, which meant no lying around on the mats. When the coach finally caught us sleeping on the mats one afternoon, we paid quite a hefty price in sweat!
Actually our school co-curricular activities have done a good job in instilling a minimal sense of cultural awareness in us. Whether we picked up this awareness by preemption or by mistake, I think we all grew better off from this exposure. I agree with Yong Sheng that experience with one foreign culture actually improves our cultural awareness towards all cultures in general.
Thanks for posting!
Hi Huiyun,
ReplyDeleteYour intercultural experience that you share is certainly an entertaining one. Indian culture is very intertwined with Hindu belief system and thus I understand that many cultural dances are actually part of religious ceremony and are still strictly observed even in the modern age.
I also have an experience where I offended an instructor when I failed to observe a significant gesture of respect.
Similar to Han, my experience was also in Japanese martial arts namely aikido. I failed to perform the long Japanese bow to the sensei and offered him only a quick bow and he was deeply offended. I agree with Han that sometimes we learnt other cultural beliefs and practices by engaging in co-curricular activities.
Thanks for the interesting post!
Dear Huiyun,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing an interesting experience. I also know very little about Indian customs while I have many projects with the Indian friends in our batch. Indian and Chinese culture are 2 major cultures in the world, so I think it's quite useful to understand them.
I also have an experience similar to Eric's. The first time I came to a Karate Do class in my hometown, I had a gesture of disrespecting the Japanese traditional martial art belt. The instructor punished me to run 10 rounds around the dojo. At that time (when I was running), I found it the most most valuable lesson to learn, haha.
Thank you, Hui Yun, for sharing with us this specific anecdote that shows so clearly that the significance of the dance accessory went far beyond your expectations. Like Ronald, I felt that your learning from the initial error was well served with your juniors. That's exactly how "culture" is passed along, right?
ReplyDeleteHi Hui Yun,
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post. Having being trained in classical Indian dance for almost 8 years, I totally understand your guru's feelings. But having said that, I am deeply moved by your gesture to pass along your learning to your juniors.
The Salangai is one of the important and holy accessory during classical dance. I remember my guru would not allow us to even walk wearing it. One is supposed to perform dance when wearing them. As I grew up, I learnt the importance and significance of these practices and all of it totally made sense. While reading your post, I live those few moments of my childhood again. Thanks so much! :)