-This article was originally published by The Eyeopener. Pictures taken by Khadijah Ghauri.
With the sun barely out and the skies dull and grey, the distinct swooshing sound of the wind blows against the window. Many people are huddled in their beds, taking this Saturday morning to sleep in—but not Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) second-year sociology student Kuberaka Kumareswaran. She is up and awake, wearing her favourite green shalwar
She stands in front of her mirror, braiding her black hair and preparing to teach Bharatanatyam, a South Indian classical dance form that originated in Tamil Nadu, India. As she enters the academy doors, many students are present, dressed in their mustard yellow and maroon shalwars —the uniform of the Kalai Aruvi Academy of Fine Arts.
Kumareswaran greets the students one by one and picks up a Thattu Kazhi—a South Indian instrument used to keep rhythm. She then recites basic jathis as intricate sharp beats formed by the wooden instrument fills the room. With each tap of the instrument, synchronized mudras—hand gestures, and footsteps from her students—echo throughout the room. They simultaneously accompany their steps with drishti bhedas—eye-movements—as well.
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After a brief conversation with her mother about how new students were joining for Vijayadashami—a day Hindus see as an auspicious day to begin learning new art forms—she suddenly experienced a desire to learn the traditional dance.
“I went upstairs and I changed into a random pavadai sattai—a traditional dress worn in South India—and I came down and said ‘I want to join dance now.’”
Kumareswaran then continued her Bharatanatyam journey through the founder and director of Kalai Aruvi Academy of Fine Arts, Smt. Renukadevi Vigneswaran who founded the academy in 1996. Through Kumareswaran’s Bharatanatyam journey, she has grown closer to Vigneswaran as both an inspiration and best friend.
Bharatanatyam dancers are known for telling religious, personal and historical stories through their performances due to their angular gestures and facial expressions. The Swagatham Krishna, a famous keerthanai or devotional song, in Bharatanatyam demonstrates the major hindu deity Lord Krishna’s significance in Hinduism. The song discusses the ways Lord Krishna protected those around him and is adorned by the gopikas, his devotees.
According to Akademi, Bharatanatyam has served as the principle of many other Indian dance styles including Kuchipudi and Odissi. The dance form has been accompanied by numerous other components. These include an orchestra consisting of a Carnatic music made up of South Indian classical music singers, a double-sided drum called a mridangam and a Bharatanatyam guru who guides the dancers using a Tattu Kazhi.
Inspired by sculptures and deities in Hindu temples, the rich costumes tailored to perfection from colourful silk sarees along with the stunning jewelry made from dark green and maroon kemp stones bring the dance to life.
As the cultural coordinator of the Tamil Students Association at TMU, Kumareswaran has been able to stay connected to her Tamil roots while still being on campus. She is able to help the team organize events from beginning to end to educate the diaspora and the greater community about aspects of Tamil culture.
“Being on campus, there [are] a lot of great resources for us to accept and embrace our cultural identities”
Kumareswaran works with other dancers on the team to fuse Bharatanatyam with other genres of dance. “Being on campus, there [are] a lot of great resources for us to accept and embrace our cultural identities,” she says.
Similarly, third-year child and youth care student Archana Atputharajah highlights the fusion of Bharatnatyam and other dance styles to connect with youth.
“In order to appeal to new generations, many are incorporating dance forms while maintaining its historical roots,” Atputharajah said.
Bharatanatyam was originally used to share the stories of Hinduism and express the dancer’s devotion, which Atputharajah still continues to do. That being said, she emphasizes the important role traditional Bharatanatyam has played in connecting with her Tamil heritage and roots.
“[Bharatanatyam] is a cultural and spiritual expression that keeps me deeply connected to my Tamil heritage. The mudras, abhinaya and stories told through Bharatanatyam all reflect Tamil history and traditions,” Atputharajah added.
Ishwaria Chandrabala, the artistic director of Kalaimanram Academy of Fine Arts and Yoga has worked to keep this style alive in the Tamil community. Chandrabala, who completed a world dance degree at York University, said learning Bharatnatyam plays a key role in shaping one’s knowledge about Tamil culture.
“You are learning about Tamil music, Tamil traditions, Tamil culture through compositions as well, how people behaved socially [through padams], how people pray [through keerthanais].”
Chandrabala herself, who has been teaching Bharatanatyam since 2014, said she struggled to talk about her passions in this dance form to peers at university due to cultural differences. However, she said the highlight of teaching dance is when she sees her students embrace their talent in Bharatnatyam, especially at school or university by joining dance teams and performing.
Atputharajah’s journey with Bharatanatyam started in classes under the guidance of her aunt at the age of three and completed her Arangetram—a graduation ceremony where gurus present their pupils, at the age of 12.
“My journey with Bharatanatyam began even before I was born. My aunt, who is also my dance teacher, would recite jathis [rhythmic syllables] and share stories while I was still in my mother’s womb,” she said.
She then received her certification as a dance teacher last year through Thamil Isai Kalaamanram after nearly 18 years of training. She is now the founder of StepsByArchana, a dance company dedicated to performing and teaching. Since then, Atputharajah has choreographed dances, filmed dance covers and taught dance classes for all levels.
“My goal is to make South Indian dance more accessible and engaging while preserving its authenticity,” she said.
Though Kumareswaran completed her Arangetram nearly three years ago, her passion for dance allows her to find ways to engage with and continue this form of art. She is currently working towards a teacher’s certification in Bharatanatyam and helps Vigneswaran take classes.
“[Bharatanatyam] lets me go to events where I learn so much more [about my culture], I go to the temple when I dance and I learn so much about my religious roots,” Kumareswaran said.
The dancer said learning Tamil and Bharatanatyam went hand-in-hand to shape her knowledge.
“If you are going to [do a Bharatanatyam performance] for Tamil Heritage Month, you are definitely doing a dance to a song about Tamil mozhi. If you listen to those lyrics and you learn the dance, then you will learn so much about your language that you didn’t even know,” she said.
Kumareswaran remains grateful to her parents for introducing this art form despite an adverse upbringing in Canada.
Like Kumareswaran and Atputharajah, many other Tamil students use Bharatnatyam as a way to connect with and learn about their Tamil heritage and roots. Despite cultural differences in a Westernized society, students are finding ways to incorporate the dance form in Toronto.
-This article was originally published by The Eyeopener. Pictures taken by Khadijah Ghauri.
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