Giving her debutante performance at the age of ten, Ragini Chandrashekhar has carved out a niche as one of India’s finest Bharatnatyam dancers.
Daughter of senior dancer Jamuna Krishna and trained by many veterans, including KN Dakshinamoorthy Pillai, she has travelled the world over for concerts. However, in India, dance for women is still seen more as a hobby rather than as a career, rues the artist.
“Even today, when I tell people that I am a dancer, they stare back and ask, “That is OK but what do you do for a living! It is very difficult for a woman in India to take up dancing as a profession because it is still not taken that seriously by many. A strong family support system especially from the men in the house is what makes the big difference like it has in my life,” she reflects.
Visiting Dehradun for a series of concerts organised by SPIC MACAY, Chandrashekhar engaged in an exclusive tete-a-tete with The Pioneer. Here are excerpts of the interview:
Q: What is your definition of BharatnatyamIJ
Ragini Chandrashekhar: Bharatnatyam is an omnipotent language. There is nothing that you cannot communicate through this powerful dance form.
Q: And how has Bharatnatyam impacted youIJ
Ragini Chandrashekhar: I was born into a family of artists. My mother is also an accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer and she initiated me into this when I was only three years old. So I have in a way grown up with it. I am 37 now. My personality has evolved along with my technique of dance. I even met my husband through my concerts. Bharatnatyam thus is my life. One of the very first experiences that I had through my dance was feeling a deep sense of spirituality and union with the Divine. My greatest fear is to wake up one day and not be able to dance.
Q: What is the most difficult part of the technique of BharatnatyamIJ
Ragini Chandrashekhar: ‘Nritta’ comprises human movements. The most difficult aspect is to master the technique of posturing in semi-sitting positions for hours with the spine held upright and the feet having to be stamped on the ground in flawless rhythm.
Q: Which dancers have influenced you the mostIJ
Ragini Chandrashekhar:
I have been moved profoundly by Malavika Sarukkai and Priyadarsini Govind. They have undergone very rigorous training and possess the ability to use the medium of Bharatnatyam as a very effective tool of communication. They are brilliant in bringing out the emotional depths and evocative prowess of the dance. I also admire a lot my mother Jamuna Krishnan for her unique contribution to Bharatnatyam by removing the language barrier. She has the singular distinction of being the pioneer to incorporate regional poetry into Bharatnatyam. Her learning and involvement, extending over 15 years, in music and dance took her to extensive research into the poetic works of several well-known composers like Vidyapati, Surdas, Mira, Kabir, etc.
In the 1980s people outside South India could not relate to Bharatnatyam because the compositions’ languages were Tamil and Telugu. Today, in our dance school, Kalangan, out of 40 students only two are south Indians and 38 are north Indians.
Q: You did your major in English literature. Who are your favourite authors and do you write as wellIJ
Ragini Chandrashekhar: I have been passionate about English literature. Among current authors, I like Chetan Bhagat because his books are topical as well as entertaining. I feel he has mastered effective communication.
Having said that, Charles Dickens and EM Foster are my all-time favourites. The ability to create the twin worlds, the East and the West are fascinating.
Drawing inspiration from them, I try to recreate the old world and bring it alive again for the audience through my dance.
While in lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, my professors pushed us to look beyond the written word. And this has helped me a lot in delving deeper into the compositions and giving a soul to my dance. Yes, I do write prose.
Q: Your most memorable moment…
Ragini Chandrashekhar: The time spent with my teachers in Guru-Shishya parampara (tradition).
Q: Your advice to young Bharatnatyam aspirants.
Ragini Chandrashekhar: Dance is an arduous and often lonely journey. My first and last advice is that the only way you can succeed is if Bharatnatyam is your ‘all consuming passion’.