Turning a book into dance is an artistic risk. Fresh from presenting Maalyada: Andal’s Sacred Garland by Jeysundhar D in Chennai and Hyderabad, Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer Rama Vaidyanathan stands at a moment of reflection as much as renewal. The production — brings together literature, music, and movement in a form that tests both discipline and imagination. Deeply researched and layered, the work marks the first time Vaidyanathan has translated a book into a full-length dance production, making it a significant milestone in her artistic journey.
Speaking about what drew her to the project at this stage of her career, she said Andal’s poetry had always moved her deeply. “Andal is this young girl in Tamil Nadu who was devoted to Vishnu. She wrote poetry expressing her love and devotion for Vishnu or Krishna, and we’ve grown up reading her poetry. It has always been very emotional and deeply insightful for me,” Rama says.
What set this book apart, she noted, was its perspective. “Andal’s poetry has been translated into English and other languages by many people. You can easily find those translations. But this book is a very different take on her poetry, it has been presented in a very different way,” she shares. When she was approached to adapt it into dance, the challenge immediately appealed to her. She adds, “To adapt a book to dance is literally the first time I’ve done it. What drew me to it was the challenge — how can I harness the vocabulary of Bharatanatyam to adapt a book to movement and mind?”
The production also brought together original music by composer Sudha Raghuraman, a collaboration Rama found especially enriching. Structurally, Maalyada follows the book’s narrative device, where Andal speaks to her friends, explaining bhakti and navavida bhakti through stories, much as a 12-year-old might. On stage, this was realised through four dancers — one portraying Andal and three as her friends — all of whom are her disciples. Positioning herself within the work, she described her role as interpretive rather than literal. She expresses, “I am the voice of the book. I am the rasa and the bhava — what you experience when you read the book. I’m coming from a third eye, asking what is my experience as a reader and how I constantly identify with the different characters in the book.”
Creating Maalyada took about six months initially, though, as she pointed out, work is never static. One of the central challenges, she noted, was remaining faithful to the author’s voice. She highlights, “I had to stay loyal to the book, its flavour and its perspective. Otherwise, I could do anything with Andal’s poetry and create my own ideas. The balance was staying true to the book while still expressing it through my own creative skills.”
Her Hyderabad performance at Ravindra Bharati marked her first at the iconic venue, even though she has performed in the city many times before, including at Golconda Fort Festival. She warmly gushes, “Hyderabad has so much culture. It’s not just centric to Bharatanatyam or Kuchipudi — it’s very open to all art forms.” Despite Maalyada being rooted in Tamil poetry, she felt confident that audiences would connect here. While the venue heightened the excitement, it did not change the work itself. “What will work in Chennai will work in Hyderabad and Bengaluru also,” she states, noting that the difference lay in the adrenaline of presenting the production at a landmark cultural space.
The clarity and confidence with which she speaks about Maalyada is rooted in decades of artistic exploration. She began her Bharatanatyam journey at a time when solo female dancers were redefining the form, and she credits her foundation to her two gurus — Yamini Krishnamurthy and Saroja Vaidyanathan. “They both came with their own sensibilities, styles, and traditional repertoires,” she recalls. Training in two distinct styles posed its own questions early on: “You wonder which style to adapt. But eventually, I amalgamated the two and developed my own style.”
With over three decades of performing and choreographing behind her, she identified national recognition for her distinct voice as a defining moment. Her relationship with the form, she said, has always been intense and emotional. “Bharatanatyam is like my lover — a very demanding lover,” she enunciates with a smile, adding, “There are constant fights, but also a lot of make-up sessions. You get upset, you get disillusioned, but you get up and want to make the relationship work. You keep asking how to adapt this partner into your life.”
Following Chennai and Hyderabad, Maalyada Andal’s Sacred Garland is set to premiere in Bengaluru on January 26, with plans to travel to more cities. “I want to take it to places like Kolkata, even where there aren’t many Tamil speakers. The language of dance is universal,” she concludes, adding that her calendar remains full, including a premiere at the NCPA in Mumbai on January 30 — another step in a journey that continues to evolve, question, and deepen with every performance.