Lijesh T P, a retired soldier who once patrolled India’s borders, has quietly swapped the rigid marching rhythm for the soft graceful strides of semi-classical dance. Recently, he, along with his daughter Vaidehi, also a trained dancer, performed together during the festival at Thrikkapalam Dakshinamoorthy Shiva Temple in Kadachira, Kannur. The reception they received was thunderous, turning the duo into overnight stars.
For Hon. Sub Maj Lijesh, now in his 50s, the decision to take up dance came by way of a friendly challenge by his 17-year-old daughter. When he encouraged Vaidehi to learn martial arts like Avinindra, her brother, she initially countered by saying, ‘Martial arts is for boys!’. However, when he insisted, Vaidehi proposed an idea: she would learn martial arts if Lijesh signs up to learn dance.
The next four months saw both father and daughter convert their drawing room into a dance floor, practicing and perfecting body movements, hand gestures (mudras), postures and facial expressions. The duo were so serious about mastering the craft that they danced on weekdays too, before and after school works, as wife Santhini and son oversaw the progress.
But Lijesh was never an alien to classical dance. Long before he served in the Special Task Force, he was a student of Bharatanatyam under Kalamandalam Kalavathi during his school days.
Reminiscing on this chapter of his life, he says, “I wanted to pursue dance further, but life just got in the way. I started my service as a sepoy in the Indian Army at 20. This was 1996. It felt honourable, sacrificing my youth for the country. Later, after retirement, I’ve sought to learn the ways of the art and it has brought me tremendous gratification.”
At the Thrikkapalam Dakshinamoorthy Shiva Temple, when Lijesh finally made his appearance alongside his daughter, both adorned in costume, jewellery and makeup, the audience was pleasantly surprised.
“There were, of course, several ‘anomalies’ at play. My gender, age, profession. All of them made the audience gasp in awe,” the retired officer recalls. The duo performed the Samudra Manthan, a popular Hindu fable.
For Vaidehi, a must-awaited moment had finally come to pass. “It was a euphoric experience. I have always believed in him. Our dance together moved me emotionally and made our bond stronger than ever,” she says.
Lijesh concurs. He says the practice sessions in the drawing room have done two things: it helped him pursue a long-abandoned interest and create memories with his loved ones.
“Every Army man is a family man at heart. Serving time at the border, facing hardships and losses has been a great challenge. Spending time with my family and re-learning my interests has healed a part of me that I didn’t know needed healing. Now, with my daughter as my Guru, what more could I ask for?” he says.
“My family is my biggest motivator,” he adds, “Their constructive criticism has made me improve myself both at the base camp and on the dance floor.”
While martial arts and dancing both share a deep focus on body control, spatial awareness, balance and flow to execute powerful and coordinated movements, Lijesh maintains that learning classical dance, even though therapeutic, has been more strenuous than learning moves in martial arts.
“The well-ordered and seemingly effortless disposition whilst dancing, expressing the various abhinayas alongside the mudras, keeping the core intact during aramandalas, has given me a different perspective about the two; dancing is much more challenging to me,” he says.
After their recent temple performance, various institutions and agencies have already requested the duo to dance at their respective centres. However, Lijesh fears the rising popularity may interfere with his daughter’s academics and has temporarily paused further updates regarding their upcoming choreographies.
Finally, Lijesh acknowledges that dancing has truly revived a new chapter of his life. With encouragement pouring in, he considers dancing to be his passion, urging others who are lost to find themselves again, to stop overlooking their hobbies, and potentially engage in activities that feel true to themselves.