SECOND LIFE
Dr. Twinkletoes
PAROMITA PAIN
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A demanding job and a hobby that’s more than time pass…Dr. Sreenidhi Chidambaram balances dance and a medical career rather easily.
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Photo: R. Ragu
Dancer-doctor: Sreenidhi Chidambaram.
It would be the easiest thing in the world to say that Dr. Sreenidhi Chidambaram has danced her way through life. “Indeed I have,” she laughs, “Maybe having started at age three made it such an intrinsic part of me that I can’
t imagine life without it.”
A medical practitioner at Apollo Hospital, Chennai, with a degree in public health and preventive medicine, Sreenidhi says the dancer came first and then the doctor. “Dance has been always there. I danced through school, medical entrance exams, during my internship, before and my marriage, before Aditi (her daughter) and now after Aditi. Dance is a part of every context of my life. My medicine is my career in the sense that it was a well thought out path with planned moves. Dance is not my profession but that doesn’t mean that my creative inputs or my choreography is any less professional. In fact there is no differentiation, for me, between my career and my dance.”
Sheer delight
Studying for a medical career is rigorous. What made her continue with her dance routine was the sheer delight it brought. “Dance gives me great joy. I dance for myself. Practice sessions are sometimes far more fulfilling than performing before an audience. I am starting to realise how spiritual dancing is. The Gemini in me also enjoys having two things to do.”
Coming from a family of doctors (both her parents are doctors), she was very interested in science. “My passion for dance led my parents to ask if I would like to join the medical profession or do something else. But I wanted to study medicine.”
Doing community medicine was a conscious decision. “I didn’t want something that would involve emergencies and late night calls. Even though I handle about two or three areas at Apollo, my work is systematic and planned. The office is very helpful. They draw up worksheets, make sure everything is scheduled.”
A demanding career and a hobby that’s more than just a leisure time activity, has she made compromises somewhere? “People tell me I should perform more. I can’t since public performances, managing my family and work would then get too much. Dance isn’t just about performing. A public recital also means coordinating rehearsals, musicians and other stuff.”
Proud moments
No stranger to awards and accolades, what was her proudest moment on stage? “Art, I believe, is all about communication. My greatest satisfaction is when I can feel the audience responding to my performance, when I know I have caught their attention. A classical dance performance isn’t like a rock concert. They may not cheer or clap. That’s why I choose subjects that they can relate to.”
Today medical college and studies have been replaced by family, her daughter and her work at Apollo Hospitals. “It isn’t easy managing,” she says, “but I am a creature of habit. My daily routine is very important. I may not perform too many times a year but I keep up with my dance practice, my aerobics and make sure that the most important element in my life, my family, gets all the attention they want and need.”
Her tip to manage a busy life: be a good organiser. “I am a great one for to-do lists. I maintain one master list, which is divided into daily stuff. Writing down things takes the stress off of many things. After all beyond everything is the family. We must reach out and make time. Staying bonded is very important.”
This column features little known aspects of well known personalities.
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