CHENNAI: Though Aishwaryaa Dhanush is more a filmmaker and writer, her first love has always been dance. A student of Bharatanatyam exponent Meenakshi Chitharanjan, she will perform at the UN headquarters in New York City, the first female dance artiste to do so, on International Women’s Day (March 8). “This means so much to me. It is a privilege to perform in such a prestigious institution. Though my father and husband aren’t accompanying me to the US, their wishes are with me,” she tells CE.
Aishwaryaa, who is the UN Women’s Advocate for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in India, will perform a traditional alarippu (an invocation piece) on lord Nataraja, followed by an episode on goddess Meenakshi, and Vairamuthu’s Avasara Thalaatu (a lullaby), besides Kanchi Paramacharya’s hymn Maitreem Bhajata. The ragamalika was sung by MS Subbulakshmi at the UN in Carnegie Hall, where she was awarded the ‘First Lady of Carnatic Music’ by former ICS offi cer CV Narasimhan.
Former journalist-UN correspondent and president of the New York Tamil Sangam Prakash M Swamy, who’s coordinating the event says, “ In the past, we have had singers and instrumentalists like AR Rahman, and Pandit Ravishankar perform at the UN. For fi rst time, a dancer from the South, has got this opportunity.” Talking about the set of songs she’s performing, he says Avasara Thalaatu is one-of-a kind. “The song beautifully depicts the struggles of a working mother.
It was actually written for her guru Meenakshi, who is accompanying Aishwaryaa to the recital,” he shares. Top Indian diplomats from the 190-member countries have been invited for the event. Aishwaryaa will speak at Columbia University on Indian women fi lmmakers. “Women empowerment is the theme. Whatever she has chosen to perform will be relevant,” he adds.