Hi! I’m a Bharathanatyam dancer. I love dancing. But how did this love begin to bud? Let’s dive into that story now.

This story begins with a toddler. That’s right, I was probably not even 3 years old when I was exposed to Bharathanatyam. So, let’s turn back the wheels of time in our mind for a while. One night, during a summer holidays visit to the grandparents’ house, my cousin danced. She had no recorded music nor did she sing. It was my aunt who sang. That was all that it took. I was hooked. I wanted to dance like her.

Fast forward a year or so. One day, at a temple where we usually went for weekly group chanting of the Suprabhatha, my parents and I heard sounds coming from the building in the temple premises. We went to investigate. And there it was. 

My temple to learn. Bharathanatyam classes were being conducted there! I was excited beyond explanation! My mom went and asked the teacher if I could join. She asked my age. I was four. She told my mother, “She is too young to learn. Her body might not be able to cope with it. Why don’t you let her join next year, when she’s five?” The story should get a year break here, shouldn’t it? But no! There’s an unexpected twist from me. In all my innocence, I ask, “Can I sit and watch?” Now, a little more info for you. Any other teacher would have denied. I am sure of it. I have experienced it, both by observing and firsthand. But this was no ordinary teacher. This was Vidushi Revathi Satyu, founder-director of Arathi School of Dance. She was no ordinary woman and she had no ordinary humane kindness. She said I could!

And so, for one whole year, my parents let me stay an hour after the Saturday Suprabhatha chanting to watch Bharathanatyam classes. One whole year I sat quietly, observing these kids dance. One whole year, I saw with bated breath and wide, doe-like eyes how teachers taught this beautiful art form. And one whole year made a difference of a lifetime for me. Because the next year, when I “officially” became a student, I was praised more by my teachers. I learned quicker than my peers. It wasn’t just because I paid attention in class. That one year, I was like the hidden bamboo root. With just observation, I had come to love this art form more than I could ever describe.

All thanks to the great person known to the world as Vidushi Revathi Satyu. To her students, including me, she is our beloved Revathi Aunty, an epitome of grace and having a lake of patience. To me, she is the sweet, kind lady who let me sit and watch her classes. She helped me start in this field and I will always remember her for that and much more!

To be danced (continued)…