Dancers Sonal Mansingh, Swapna Sundari, Leela Samson, Uma Sharma, Madhavi Mudgal, Sharon Lowen, Geeta Chandran among others and dance critic Shanta Serbjeet Singh laid out a tuberose each and read out in mournful voices a joint statement on the demise of the review, vanishing of the art pages and trivialised coverage of the arts at what was supposed to be a press conference. However, students brought from the schools of the various artistes made up most of the audience.

The meet was held on the initiative of Kathak danseuse Uma Sharma and the dancers, dressed in black, told the large gathering of artistes and critics that they were ``voicing their protest at being relegated to the sidelines and at their art being trivialised, not only withregard to reviews, but also because informed analysis, profiles and trends on art were vanishing''.

While the presence of the dancers in black togs was intended to point to something rotten in the state of the media, the conspicuous absence of some of the prominent dancers seemed to say that these gifted performers were also a house divided. Mansingh said the dancers who were absent were either out of station or were performing. This, however, was not the whole truth.

While the invitation for the conference included the names of Yamini Krishnamurthy and Raja-Radha Reddy, they were absent. Asked why, Raja said: ``I decided to stay away for an effort was not made to include all the dancers, especially senior ones like Birju Maharaj and Singhjit Singh. I feel there should be more unity among the dancers.''

Krishnamurthy said: ``I was not wanted there so I stayed out.'' The whole business started with Shanta appealing to Uma Sharma to do something as reviews were vanishing out of the newspapers.

However,Krishnamurthy asked why one should talk of the banishment of the review and not the quality of it. This sounded a warning bell and the Bharatnatyam dancer was `marginalised' in the forum. Manipuri dancer Singhjit Singh said, ``I was not informed of the conference at all.''

Given the contradictions on what was being said at the conference and what was happening behind the scenes, the exercise seemed to be self-promotional for some and not in the larger interest of the glory of classical Indian culture.

Krishnamurthy pointed out, ``The dancers and critics must do some introspection. Why do they insist so much on reviews? It does not pay much. But it brings perks like free travel and hospitality. Criticism is a serious business but in the past decade-and-a-half it has declined gravely.''

Speaking at the conference, S Kalidas, Arts Editor of India Today pointed out: ``The dancers were used to '50s and '60s when in the Nehruvian model of development, the government was promoting arts. They have not been ableto adapt themselves to the changes which came in the '80s and the '80s. Artists must get over patronage.''

The dancers mocked at the media more than once for writing on fashion, food, animals or the clothes and personal lives of artistes rather than their art. But most conspicuous at the conference were the carefully chosen black saris, offset by the right jewellery and make-up, and of course the black kurta which Rajeev Chandran, Geeta Chandran's husband, wore in sympathy.

Khurana said that the large coverage given to VIP parties, fashion of the gliterrati, their diet and so on was only corrupting the senses of the readers. Senior journalist Prem Shankar Jha regretted that even All India Radio and Doordarshan had put art programmes on the late night slots.

Mansingh described the trend as `enlarging of technological space but shrinking of the mind'.

A statement released at the meet asked whether India could allow the obliteration of its multi-faceted culture in this manner.

The artistes have decidedto unite on the issue for `the sake of art' and intend to take it up at various levels, including the Editors' Guild, the Press Council of India and other media bodies. Leela Samson said that it had to be a people's movement which must ask newspapers to give them what they want to read.

Highlighting the plight of artistes were some cartoons by Sanjay Bhattacharya put up on the occasion.