PUDUCHERRY: For Ragini* in Puducherry, the lit brass lamp on the stage when she dances Bharatnatyam is more than an imperative. It has led her away from the darkness of her father’s constant absenteeism from the family, put food on her plate, and helped her mother run the household. At 22, she is now the breadwinner of her family of three. She earns roughly Rs 7,000 as a dance teacher, and is pursuing her masters in clinical nutrition and dietetics.
Like her, for a swarm of young dancers in the former French colonial settlement, Bharatnatyam is not just a dance form for casual entertainment. Dancing barefoot is armour in the war against poverty. Pragya*, a Sherbet-seller’s 17-year-old daughter, believes it’s a glimmer of hope. She intends to pass it on to underprivileged children like her, for free. For dancer Bhavani*, whose father was in the Middle East barely making any income and mother the sole provider, Bharatnatyam epitomises a bright future. As a dance teacher in a reputed school today, she earns Rs 22,000 a month, and her mudras are a symbol of independence. For yet another dancer Hemalatha*, a shy, 16-year-old from the Scheduled Caste community, Bharatnatyam was a confidence booster. It has reformed her, and she is aiming big in academics.
Their revered guru, Krithiga Ravichandran is an assistant professor of computer science at Indira Gandhi Arts and Science College, Puducherry. She has readied many of her students to ‘dance away’ their miseries and sufferings.As the awardee of the 2016 Women Achievers of India, a title conferred by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Krithiga has opened doors to many desperate to break free, be it someone serving a jail term, undergoing chemotherapy, or facing acute privation.
Inspired by her father KR Ravichandran, who helped the elderly, Krithiga put her brave foot forward to uplift the underprivileged under her Veer Foundation of Arts and Culture. In 2014, four girls in their teens, for whom the next meal of the day was doubtful, were taken under Krithiga’s wing. Now, all the four performed their Arangetram (a debut as the first step to become a professional) and are ready to pass on the light of knowledge that their guru inspired.
Today, 25 of her 125 students learn the classical art form free of cost at her foundation. “They are involved in performances to be presented, scripting and compering, costumes and jewellery. This instilled confidence in them,” says Krithiga.
Since September last year, every day in the morning (7 am-8 am), she goes to Puducherry Central Prison to conduct dance therapy classes for inmates. Dancing during the Jail Mahotsav a few months ago was their way of exercising freedom of expression behind bars. Dance puts them to sleep better than stress-relieving pills. She even teaches the kids of two inmates in the hope that they can break away from the shackles of social prejudice.
At the Regional Cancer Centre, JIPMER, she conducts dance therapy workshops for children who are in their last thread of life. She places her foot firm on the ground for the next generation helping them reap the seeds of today’s traditional practices. Krithiga takes dance workshops occasionally at the UT child care centre in Krishna Nagar, and even in centres in Portblair, Pune, Chennai during her dance-show visits. She wishes to spread her love for Bharatnatyam; nothing stops her from travelling to centres that are as far away as 30-35 km.
(*Names of girls were altered to protect their identity)