Tulsi Badrinath who quit her job to pursue her twin passions - dance and writing, majored in English literature from India and took an MBA from Ohio University, Athens. She has written a book, “Master Of Arts” (a life in dance). The book chronicles the story of one of the first men to make a successful career as a Bharatanatyam dancer V.P. Dhananjayan. In the late sixties there were no male dancers in Bharatanatyam, whose path Dhananjayan could readily follow. ‘The one world famous Indian male dancer, Uday Shankar, evolved his own unique style. Ramgopala, Kathakali and Bharatha natyam exponent, shifted to London. The great visionary Rukmini Devi herself faced the problem, of learning “right vehicle of lyrics”, to carry forth her abhinaya and bhava.
Interspersed with this remarkable tale of her guru, are the stories of other young male dancers to whom she pays tribute for their extraordinary commitment, talent and courage.
The initial years of Dhananjayan at Kalakshetra make interesting reading — his way of thinking, his life and identity were entwined with that of Kalakshetra. She also discusses how Dhananjayan marries Shanta. “I always felt that he was a very balanced person and admired the way he conducted himself, both as a student, and with friends,” says Shanta.
Dhananjayan, known for his quick-witted retorts at times, was not able to rein in his tongue, and this resulted in his exit from Kalakshetra. Rukmini Devi took this heart as she had invested in teaching the little child Dhananjayan. She loved to be praised and Dhananjayan was the one person who told her things, as he saw it.
For him, then came the choice of discipline - Kathakali or Bharatanatyam? Dhananjayan wanted to expand the way Bharatanatyam was perceived and prove that it was not just based on mythology or tied to legends and history. It had enough power, in its movements and vocabulary to convey ideas, free of religious symbolism or laden with spirituality.
Outside Kalakshetra, Shanta and Dhananjayan performed multiple roles, dividing their areas of command from many angles. Travel, stay and dealing with organisers was taken over by Dhananjayan, and Shanta, visualised, shopped for and designed costumes, and trained new musicians. This has been vividly brought out in the book. 1973 was a great year. “We began to get many invitations to dance and started producing shows,” says Shanta.
What does it take to be a successful male dancer?
Men ought to have a certain caliber with the necessary physique if they are to compete with women. Unless a man is totally invested in his dance, and it becomes a personal journey, a rigorous self reflection, it is very difficult for him to dance. Dhananjayan, the dancer at 75 is remarkably agile. He commands the stature to dance alone on the stage, his beloved Shanta by his side, molding the flow of music to his requirements. It was not always so, this is a space he has achieved when none existed.
I am sad that my father and guru did not live to see my success that came in the seventies, says Dhananjayan.
(The writer is a well known music critic who has won awards both in India and abroad for propagation of classical arts and music)
