by Natasha Agrawal, December 2024
When I asked Guru Sukanya almost four years ago if she would teach an adult Bharatanatyam class, I was clueless about how this question was about to change my life! At 55, without any classical dance or music background, I was nervous about the possibility. Never had I heard of an Araimandi or an Adavu, let alone stomped my feet while standing in one! Since then, my dance journey thus far has been chock full of a heady mix of all the Navarasas!
Watching Bharatanatyam dancers and their graceful movements on stage always filled me with Shringar Ras! Could I even dare to think of myself as one of “them”? As our ever-encouraging guru pushed me for my first performance of Angikam, depicting Shiva’s beauty, I felt a mix of Adbhut ras and Bhayanak ras …all rolled up in a small juicy ball! Full of flubs and nervous moments, my 'bahurani' (daughter-in-law), and I danced our hearts away! At the end of two minutes, I felt like Rosie the Riveter - I did it! Veer Ras coursed in my blood. Perhaps I could do it too - saree, ghungroos (ankle bells), Adavus and all!
My brain, dizzy from the excitement, the practice, the audience, and the buzz was now fired up but each dance became more complicated than the previous one. Going back and forth between Hasya Ras and Karuna Ras, often full of self doubt, I needed constant encouragement. Alarippu brought in the dreaded Muzhumandi, and as we moved on, there were more complicated yoga-like moves. Sometimes delightful, often difficult, I tried to power through with practicing in my tiled kitchen, even moving the dining table out to create my home-made stage.
Challenging as the steps are, the joy of getting it right is absolutely exhilarating! That's when I have another Shringar, Shanti, and Hasya ras moment all in one! It is ephemeral, of course, because even after the best practices, it can all come apart during the actual performance - now that’s a Bhibhatsya Ras moment! Bharatanayam is teaching me grace, and patience of mind-body synergy. Stop jumping around oh monkey mind! Instead, help me master those jumps in time with the music!
Which brings me logically to those jumps in our Rudra dance! Beware of Rudra, the fierce powerful form of Shiva who can reduce the world to ashes with just a look! Try conveying that angry Raudra flavor in three minutes of a graceful yet frenzied dance while still trying to keep mudras and Adavus intact! Ironically, sometimes it’s our guru who has her Raudra juices going after watching us struggle through it.
So there’s sweat (a lot) and tears (some), much laughter (Hasya Ras), and pride (Veer Ras) in bringing this ancient Indian art to the world. Not to forget the sore muscles, achy knees and that one piece of jewelry that just refuses to sit right! But somewhere in the midst of this, is the joy of experiencing music and movement, mind and body, gods and humans, all come together as one joyful energy somewhere between the earth and the sky.
Araimandi - main plier position
Muzhumandi - full floor squat position
Rasa - Expression
Adavus - footwork
Shringar - Love
Hasya - Laughter
Bhibhatsya - Disdain
Adbhut- Surprise
Bhayanak- Fear
Raudra- Anger
Karuna - Compassion
Veer- Courage
Shanthi- Peace
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