PUDUCHERRY: As Tamil music echoes in a home in Puducherry, a child with gleaming eyes inches closer to the box-like television. The girl’s razor-sharp focus is not on the main hero sporting a mustache and serenading the shy leading lady, but on the soulful melody to which her limbs begin to sway.
Two decades later, this focus has only sharpened as M Poonguzhali dons a red saree and skilfully strikes a pose on the Puducherry Ezhilar Kalaikoodam stage. The dancer’s animated expressions and mudras tell tales of love, an indulgent mother doting on a child, as the live band recreates ragas of Mahakavi Bharatiyar’s ‘Chinnanjiru Kiliye’.
While the authors of the shastras would have barred a disabled woman from learning Bharatanatyam centuries ago, the stage had no qualms about accepting all.The enraptured audience also watches on as Puducherry’s only Bharatanatyam dancer with Down syndrome turns the stage her own. Poonguzhali’s talent has not gone unnoticed — this debut, in January 2020, was recorded in the India Book under the category of the most Bharatanatyam steps in one session for a person with a disability. In 2022, President Droupadi Murmu handed her the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities. An overwhelmed Poonguzhali is pictured grinning in these snaps.
The trail to Bharatanatyam was not a straightforward one. Around 29 years ago, the joy of V Manicavasagam, a textile mill worker, and M Nirmala, a homemaker, knew no bounds when Poonguzhali entered their lives. However, they soon rushed her to JIPMER after discovering a blockage in the bowel canal. While this was surgically rectified, the doctors gingerly sat her parents down to explain a condition the latter had never heard of before — Down syndrome and moderate intellectual disability.
“The doctor educated us about Down syndrome, its symptoms, the difficulties in growth and movement, the low muscle tone, the protruding tongue, unstable neck, and others. They told us that training was necessary,“ says Nirmala. While they may have been unsure about the condition, the parents were unmistakably clear that Poonguzhali would grow up with love and endless support.
However, money would continue to elude the economically-backward family, especially after the Anglo-French Mills where Manicavasagam worked, closed down. “With no salary, we were living off the savings and the government aid of `2,500,” says Manicavasagam. After a short stint at a school for persons with disability in Chennai, the dancer returned to Puducherry, as the fees were too expensive to bear. She was enrolled in a private special school where she studied up to Class 8.
On the advice of a therapist, Dr Satish of Jipmer, the family started keeping an eye on her interests. Once they noticed her aptitude and interest in dance, they enrolled the 11-year-old at Bal Bhavan. This was her first encounter with a formal dance class, sharp beats and ragas, and most of all with Sumathi Sundar.
The Guru moved her to Puducherry Ezhilalar Kalaikoodam for free lessons, alongside other children, with hopes to provide personalised attention. “In no time, Poonguzhuli took to dancing like a duck in water. Since she had great interest, she was easy to train. With love, affection, and praise, she would surrender and do everything she is told. Unlike other students, Poonguzhali would rehearse for hours till she attained perfection. She never tires,” recalls Sumathi.
Nirmala, too, noticed a world of difference soon: “The dance movements exercised her limbs and improved her muscle tone, refining her posture.” Initially, the anxious parents would hover in the dance school for support and help their child adjust. Gradually, Poonguzhali developed a lasting bond with her guru.
Over the years, the youngster continued to make the stage hers, telling stories through dance in programmes hosted by the tourism department in Puducherry and Chennai. She participated in dance at Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram in 2019 and also bagged awards like the Adal Nanmani award by Natesar Karuthram, and the Tourism Day award ‘Paryatan Parv.”
As the Covid-19 lockdown sent everyone inside, the stage would remain out of Poonguzhali’s reach for over two years. However, her focus and her yearning to dance remained, despite it being the most difficult period for her. “We started an online class and started guiding her over the phone. She would observe the video and start practicing at home,” says Nirmala, adding that she wishes other parents could dedicate themselves to their children just as they did with Poonguzhali.
The dancer’s younger brother Chidharth, who works in Chennai, is equally proud of Poonguzhali’s achievements. Since he gifted her a tablet, it has been her constant companion. Poonguzhali now has her own YouTube channel where she regularly uploads choreography. With the debut behind her, Poonguzhali is now teaching four girls, ragas, mudras, and most importantly, razor-sharp focus.