For a dancer, dedicating the lifetime to pursue the passion is obvious. For a man, however, to do that during a time when nobody wanted to watch male Bharatnatyam dancers is incredible, says a new book.
"Master of Arts A Life in Dance" chronicles the life story of V P Dhananjayan, a stalwart of classical Indian dance form, complied by his student of nearly 40 years, Tulsi Badrinath.
"The fascinating thing about him is that he came from a very poor background and he devoted himself to his art, and actually made a living as an artist which is very difficult, so that inspired me," says the author.
Tulsi, who worked for four years with a multi-national bank says she quit her job to follow her heart's desire to dance.
"For one, I'd learnt dance at the age of eight, there was already that side of creativity in me...And a bank job is very dull for a creative person. Although I earned a lot of money, I wasn't really satisfied with what I was doing," the author says in an interview.
"So I decided I would focus on the two things I was passionate about, that is; the dance and writing. I had not been published at the time I quit my job so it was a leap into the unknown," she adds.
Many dancers attract crowds by their feminine charm and beauty. Asked if a male in the world of Bharatnatyam can do the same, Badrinath says, "Absolutely! My guru V P Dhananjayan is the perfect example of such a dancer."
Dhananjayan, a product of the Kalakshetra is a performer, teacher and choreographer and has also penned on the subject.
