Rajeswari Sainath is a Bharathanatyam dancer performing for more than three decades. A disciple of Indira Rajan, Rajeswari had advanced training in the nuances of laya under Mridangam maestro Guru, Karaikudi Mani.
A performer par excellence, Rajeswari is known for her strict adherence to tradition while adapting to the changing contemporary scenario. She is at once traditional in thought and modern in outlook. Her greatest strength is her versatility in handling both strictly traditional as well as modern presentation with equal dynamism. With this rare blend of virtues, Rajeswari has enthralled audiences the world over, including North America, South America, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Germany, London, South East and other Asian countries.
Her spiritual devotion and passion for dance has resulted in many ballet productions such as Gita Upadesham, Bhajare Gopalam, Shakuntala Prema Kavya, Soundarya Lahiri, etc.
Rajeswari’s strong mathematics and grammatical techniques in layas resulted in rare thematic presentations an unusual rhythm patterns which have earlier not been attempted in Bharathanatyam.
Recognizing her contribution to dance, she has been conferred with many awards, including Nrithya Choodamani from Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. The latest award is the prestigious Rajiv Pratibha Puraskar Award from Govt. of AP for 2006. She spoke to Expresso on receiving the award. “I feel the greatest award is the acceptance and desire of the audience to see more. Furthermore, the government has recognized my contribution to this field. No matter how much the world applauds you, the greatest joy is when someone from your own family admires your work. This is exactly how I feel today. Though I have received several other awards from India and abroad, this one shall hold a very special place in my heart.
How is dancing appreciated in AP? The state of dancing here is ,of course, very active. There are several people eager to learn, to teach, to organize and appreciate this art form. Above all the government’s promotion of our culture is also highly encouraging. But as a senior dancer, I feel that it is our responsibility to uphold the divinity of the art and take quality dancing to the national and international level. It is also a dancer’s duty to show the audience the authenticity and quality of Bharatnatyam. One should not underestimate the caliber of a dancer or the taste of the connoisseurs.
I had encountered this situation two decades ago when people thought any artist from Hyderabad would be a mixture of various forms due to its multi-cultural background. It is in our hands to erase these ideas and prove to them what our capabilities are through the quality of our performance. Though a purist grammatically and geometrically, the main aspects involved in dance, I also do fusion, jazz, Bhajans in dance form, contemporary and English ballets without diluting the chastity of the art. No matter what you do, I believe in maintaining the identity of that concept. But above all, I think my greatest strength is my classcism - being a classical artist till the end. But I don’t mind straying from the path once in a while and experimenting with rare themes and ideas. I also think the state of dancing amongst the young dancers requires a lot of hard work and passion. They need to be spiritual, philosophical and very modern in their outlook which is essential for dance.
How important is fitness? I am highly conscious about fitness for I believe without fitness we cannot be called dancers.
Dance requires spiritual fitness. Fitness is nothing but our control on mind and body through our habits such as food, sleep, our day to day life and our thinking. I would like to quote the Yogic Guru Ramdev Maharajji who says that with mental and physical fitness negative thoughts in our mind get reduced. This I feel will be a great boon to society, reducing terrorism and other social evils as well. Fitness is very important for dancing as dance is a visual media where body movements are the most important.
It is the coordination between mind and body which we relate to Bhakti. If we are physically unfit, we will not be able to go closer to God.
How much Bhakti is required for dance? I think dance is Bhakti in movement. When we choose a song, most of them being spiritual or mythological, I get involved deeply into it and feel the character I am portraying. In my eyes this is Bhakti. I also spend a lot of time doing meditation, prayers and chanting mantras which gives me a great amount of mental strength. It is a misconception that these activities are reserved for the 60+, they have to be inculcated from a young age.
On your daughter Vyshnavi as a young dancer? My daughter,Vyshnavi is busy catching up with dance. She is 18+ and has been getting awards from different institutions. She is a great support to me along with my husband Sainath, who was a Ranji cricketer. The combination in my family is one where we understand each other very well and mutually strengthen each other.
We share a mutual bond of love and trust which gives me the desire to always remain young and energetic. Finally, I would like to say that if I am like this today, an artist of this repute, it is all because of my mentor and my guru Sri Karaikuddi Mani, one of the greatest mridangam maestros ever who has taught me not only the nuances in rhythm and the discipline in my art but also taught me the meaning of life through spiritualism and self-discipline.