The opening event at the Nishagandhi Festival this year was more than just a Bharatanatyam recital. On stage was an art deeper than the art form itself.
The dancer, Narthaki Natraj, was in her phenomenal self as she turned into the characters of Thunchath Ezhuthachan’s Adhyatma Ramayanam. The trait comes easily to her — to be what her art demands.
Narthaki may now sit on a heap of awards and may even be a cherished guru, but when she and her childhood friend Shakthi Bhaskar ventured into the world of dance decades ago, society had only scorn for their growing identities as transwomen.
Narthaki remembers how they were ostracised by society for being different from others. “We were both born into well-to-do families in Anupanadi village in Madurai in Tamil Nadu. We have been together through it all. Shakthi has always been my source of strength,” says Narthaki, as Shakthi stands beside her, silent, smiling.
Narthaki could always sense the woman in her, who needed an expression. And that was when a mobile theatre came featuring the films of Vyjayanthimala. “Remember ‘Parthiban Kanavu’, in which she has the legendary dance sequence with Padmini? Those frames made me want to dance. We used to seek out less-crowded temple precincts where Shakthi would be my audience as I danced,” Narthaki recalls.
This led both to Guru Kittappa Pillai, of the famed Tanjore quartet lineage and guru of veterans like Vyjayanthimala and Hema Malini, who took them in. “He gave me the name Narthaki after 14 years of training,” she smiles.
Now, life is different from their younger days when they saw aversion even in the eyes of their mothers. “The younger generation of our families now supports us. Shakthi taught me that with staunch values and sincere work, we can lead a life of dignity,” Narthaki says, as she prepares to go to the US next month.
“The Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana calls me every year and has even awarded me. I also hold an ‘O’ visa from the US,” she says, recounting her itinerary, which includes workshops and sessions in the UAE.
“In Kerala too, I am performing in many venues. Add to this the demands for workshops. I performed at Guruvayoor last year. It is an absolute delight to be in Kerala,” she says, mentioning the messages she got after her Nishagandhi performance. “I want to organise more workshops in the state.”
Narthaki and Shakthi stay at a warm, unassuming space in Mylapore, which they got on loan in early 2000. “The loan, too, came after much work,” Narthaki recounts.
Mylapore was another challenge, a traditional hub in Chennai known for its uptight conventions as much as for the grandeur of its traditions.
“But somewhere, the conventions gave in where the genderless soul is more valued than the body with limitations,” she says, probably hinting at the position she was honoured with.
“It was the Asthana Vidwan position of the 500-year-old Shaivite sect, Dharmapuram Adheenam. While conferring the honour on me, the Adheenam only looked at my art and did not even mention my gender status. That, to me, is what art could do — transcend physical boundaries and remain in soul space,” she notes.
Apart from that, she was also the first transwoman to receive Padma Shri.
Narthaki’s work is a stock of rare choreography rooted in pristine Bharatanatyam. She runs the Velliambalam Trust School of Dance in Chennai with Shakthi, and has been working on works such as Ezhuthachan’s Ramayanam, Narayana Bhattathiri’s Narayaneeyam, the rare compositions of the Tanjore quartet, Tamil compositions from Sangam literature, etc.
“My dance is a lalitakala, which encapsulates the universe in graceful motion. I do not like it when people malign it with mindless acrobatics,” she claims.
The dancer in her also searches for a deeper understanding of the self.
“I call myself ‘Thirunangai’ or the divine feminine. The Tamil Nadu government also uses the term now. My aim is to impart whatever I have learnt to earnest seekers, who may be of any identities. I also organise dance festivals for marginalised communities in Chennai. The dance, in its purest form, must be passed on,” says Narthaki, whose inspirational journey is featured in the state board textbooks of Tamil Nadu.