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I’d rather do a piece on this real woman who didn’t have children and took to planting trees. She is the nayika of my time.

SUBLIME MOMENT: Malavika Sarukkai.

I will go on a “Kasiyatra” (the title of her production) at the Music Academy dance festival (Janaury 9). It’s a woman’s tale set in Varanasi. A courtesan’s journey from the confines of her ‘golden cage,’ where she does what others expect her to, to finding a release and being herself. She sees the futility of living in a male-dominated space and turns a pilgrim. She wants to experience the pains and pleasures like everybody else.

Though the production starts with the eighth century text that describes Varanasi, it is not entirely based on it. The production moves to the present with a verse penned by my sister Priya. It’s called a ‘Bird Song’ to signify the flight of freedom. Ganga is described as a river of time, of hope, joy, sorrow… It sees so much yet flows quietly by. I have used a nritta piece to show the many paths to the One (Eklakshya). This piece was inspired by the four doors that lead to the sanctum sanctorum at the Visvanath mandir in Varanasi.

The story of the courtesan is the story of life, of exploring a woman’s psyche, of moving from constricting spaces and of looking within. The production has an open ending and allows viewers the freedom to interpret. After all, it’s about free will.

Art is deliberation. There is an underlying meaning behind movement and mudras. The joy of watching a dance performance cannot be at a surface level. It has to leave a deep impression.

Much of my work is steeped in metaphors because through them I can create a poetic image. Instead of an elaborate and dreary description, metaphors help you get to the essence, intensely and beautifully. In ‘Eklakshya’ for instance, the many ways to the garbagraha in the temple and the many gullies of Varanasi seem to convey life’s basic philosophy — choose your own path to reach the goal.

Bharatanatyam for me is a language of the present tense. I dance in the ‘now.’ Often I create a new vocabulary to convey what I intend to through my dance. I discover my own technique, which happens naturally. It’s been a long journey of more than 30 years. And the journey has become more internal.

My performances are not recitals. They are not about imitating hastas or adavus. I see them as experiences. It’s living the moments of re-creation; initiating a thought process. You go up on the stage and change the energy of space. I see Kasi in my mind’s eye and make the rasika visualise it too.

Tuning in…

What goes into a performance depends on the kind of preparation one does. Preparation extends beyond rehearsals. It is the way we energise the body and the mind to portray realistic visuals. To bring Kasi alive on stage, you need to get into a meditative mode, to internalise the images. It requires focus and passion. Classical arts demand evoking rasa. Moments of rasa are moments of release both for the performer and the rasika. Thankfully there is an audience ready to share such creatively sublime moments with you.

Many refer to my work as pan-Indian. That’s fine. But I don’t intentionally come up with pieces that have a universal appeal. It is another thing that I performed ‘Kasiyatra’ for five consecutive evenings in Paris. I draw inspiration from India, its music, heritage and people.

Works like ‘Kasiyatra’ draw the best out of me. I no longer enjoy doing the padams I used to once perform as part of the margam (trained under guru Rajaratnam Pillai, Bombay Kalyanasundaram and Kalanidhi Narayanan). Musical treasures yes, but they are far removed from time. I mean no disrespect to the margam. It’s just that I feel the emotions in these ancient compositions do not relate to the changing lifestyle and gender equations. I’d rather do a piece on this real woman who didn’t have children and took to planting trees. And over a period of time she created avenues of trees. She is the nayika of my time.

Contemporary appeal is essential but I will continue to steadfastly hold on to the classical form that is so rich and evocative.

Dance for me is experience, re-creation and the present. Dance is also about flight.

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