CHENNAI: As a child, the weekend meant lazily laying back on the couch, munching away on the leftovers from the night before, while watching my favourite movie, '101 Dalmatians'. But to my disappointment, just like an alarm, my mom’s voice would pierce me while I would be still struggling to adjust my eyes after a heavy nap. “It’s time for your dance class,” she would say, and that is exactly when, as if cast in a pirate movie, I would jump out of bed, worried about the mudras, adavus, and their names that I’d have to recite in class that day. The difficulty in recollecting their names was a real struggle for me back then. Now that I come across a dictionary of Bharatnatyam-related words titled A Comprehensive Dictionary of Bharatanatyam, curated by city-based dancer Vidya Bhavani Suresh, I can only think of how easier it would be for students now.
A Bharatanatyam exponent, a musicologist, and a company secretary by profession, Vidhya has carved out a name for herself in the realm of this art form. Having authored more than 45 books, she says, “I’ve always been very passionate about Bharatanatyam, and this book aims to bridge the gap between the performer and the audience when it comes to conveying the idea, especially when the viewer is not well-versed in the dance form.”
The book contains 115 Bharatanatyam-related terminologies, along with their single-line definitions and several images to substantiate the words. From Araimandi, the half-seated posture, to salangai, the symbolic bells tied to the feet, each word has been intricately explained in this book. “The book has every term that a person has to know about the dance form,” says Vidhya.
An exclusive photoshoot was done in November 2023 for this book featuring her daughters. Vidhya expresses the desire she had for candid shots to bring the pages to life. Her daughter Mahitha Suresh took centre stage, performing six dances, along with Vidhya and her younger daughter doing a couple of poses themselves. Together, they gracefully imprinted themselves into the dance form, ensuring that visually stunning poses were captured for a lifetime. The book’s cover has Mahitha beautifully portraying a pose where she is delicately weaving flowers into a garland, along with apt expressions splashed across her face. In my dance classes, my guru often spoke about the power of expressions; and this is what holds an audience’s gaze. Today, after a mere flip through the pictures in the book, I couldn’t agree more.
As Vidhya rightly puts it, “Where’s the joy in performing if the audience is uninformed?” It is no secret that this book would open a gateway for hundreds of dance enthusiasts to understand and comprehend the performances to their fullest. With its alphabetical organisation and vivid illustrations, this dictionary can be a guide to your dance classes.
The book is published by Skanda Publications and is priced at Rs 1,330. It is available at Odyssey bookstore, Higginbothams, and Giri Trading