KOCHI: Even though last year’s MG University Youth Festival saw the stage set for the inclusion of transgenders in cultural fiesta, it turned into a competitive event this year. Another special feature this year in the transgender category is the participation from St Teresa’s College. The college made history when it admitted a transgender student to the BA Bharatanatyam course.
Sanjana Chandran, a native of Kozhikode, is competing in three events namely Bharatanatyam, light music (vocals) and classical music (vocals). “This is not the first time that I am taking part in a dance competition,” said Sanjana who already has a degree under her belt.
“I did BA in Functional English from Malabar Christian College and would like to go in for MA next,” said Sanjana.
Sanjana has been learning Bharatanatyam for the past 16 years. “I was the first from Kerala to win the Natraj Guru Gopi Krishna National Award,” said the dancer who is being trained by Dr Harshan Sebastian Antony in Kozhikode.
Sanjana has been diligently preparing for the youth festival by training hard not only under the tutelage of the teachers in her department but also spent the weekends with her teacher back home in Kozhikode.
“Though I have undergone training in light music, I am not that much proficient in the classical vocal. But I was given very good training by my teachers at the department and having light music as one of the subsidiary subjects has come as a boon,” said Sanjana who dreams of taking home the Kalathilakam trophy.
And that might come true with her winning the first prize in Bharatanatyam at the festival. She said the college has been providing all-out support.
“My family is also my big backer and has been fulfilling all my dreams,” said the dancer who bagged an A grade in the 2014 State School Youth Festival held in Palakkad.
Meanwhile, giving Sanjana tough competition are Thanvi Suresh and Ritu Meher from Tripunithura RLV College and Ernakulam Maharaja’s College.
According to Thanvi, she has been learning Bharatanatyam for the past 13 years. In the case of Ritu, she took up classical dance in 2020 and has been preparing since then for the competition.