Report by Santanu Ganguly: Celebrated writer and dancer Ms. Tulsi Badrinath will be launching her 3rd book named 'Master of Arts: A Life in Dance' on April 24, 2013, 7pm, at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. It is a unique work of narrative non-fiction set in the world of Indian classical dance, perhaps the first of its kind.
Her book is about men who make an unusual career choice when they become dancers. 'Who wants to watch sweaty men dance' is the usual reaction they face, or, 'Male dancers are gay.' They face all these humiliations because of their passion for the art. Tulsi Badrinath takes the reader on a breathtaking journey into the lives of these dancers, including that of her guru Padma Bhushan V.P. Dhananjayan.
Master of Arts: A Life in Dance - Brief Synopsis:
V.P. Dhananjayan was one of the first men to make a successful career as a Bharata Natyam dancer. In the late sixties, when he made this choice, Bharata Natyam – the classical dance form that Rukmini Devi helped evolve from the dance of the devadasis – was almost exclusively the domain of women. Indeed, in making Bharata Natyam his profession, Dhananjayan had to create a space for his dance where none existed. It is only recently, in the relatively short span of the past seventy years, and to a great extent because of the creative efforts of versatile and innovative dancers like Dhananjayan, that greater numbers of men have performed Bharata Natyamas men; without needing to dress as women to appear on stage.
As Dhananjayan’s student for nearly forty years now, and a trained dancer herself, the author, Tulsi Badrinath, chronicles the story of his brilliant life in dance with the insight of one who understands each nuance of it. Weaving her own life-long passion for Bharata Natyam with his remarkable story, she brings to light the difficulties faced by a male dancer in establishing himself in what was thought to be a somewhat unrespectable profession, and tells the compelling story of his life, with empathy and understanding. Writing of his years in Kalakshetra and his ultimate disillusionment with it; of the love that blossomed between and his wife Shanta, and the incredible dance partnership they forged, making them famous as The Dhananjayans; of his international collaborations with Pandit Ravi Shankar; and of his ability, as guru and teacher, to impart his passion for dance to his disciples, she explores her own understanding of what the dance, and her guru, have meant to her.
Interspersing this remarkable tale of guru and shishya, with the stories of other male dancers in the realm of Bharata Natyam, she pays tribute to their extraordinary commitment, their talent and their courage.
Tulsi Badrinath was born in 1967 in Madras, Tulsi Badrinath has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Stella Maris College and an MBA from Ohio University, Athens. After four long, dreary years in a multinational bank, Tulsi quit her job to pursue her twin passions, dance and writing. She brings both passions together in Master of Arts, her first work of non-fiction.
Her poems, articles, reviews and short-stories have appeared in various magazines and publications. Meeting Lives, her first novel, was published by Niyogi Books in 2008. Man of A Thousand Chances, her second, was published by Hachette in 2011. Both novels were longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2007 and 2008 respectively.
Tulsi learnt from the age of eight the classical dance-form Bharatanatyam from her gurus The Dhananjayans and as part of their troupe danced at the Festival of India, USSR, 1987. She has performed solo widely in India and abroad.
Her book is about men who make an unusual career choice when they become dancers. 'Who wants to watch sweaty men dance' is the usual reaction they face, or, 'Male dancers are gay.' They face all these humiliations because of their passion for the art. Tulsi Badrinath takes the reader on a breathtaking journey into the lives of these dancers, including that of her guru Padma Bhushan V.P. Dhananjayan.
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| Tulsi Badrinath |
V.P. Dhananjayan was one of the first men to make a successful career as a Bharata Natyam dancer. In the late sixties, when he made this choice, Bharata Natyam – the classical dance form that Rukmini Devi helped evolve from the dance of the devadasis – was almost exclusively the domain of women. Indeed, in making Bharata Natyam his profession, Dhananjayan had to create a space for his dance where none existed. It is only recently, in the relatively short span of the past seventy years, and to a great extent because of the creative efforts of versatile and innovative dancers like Dhananjayan, that greater numbers of men have performed Bharata Natyamas men; without needing to dress as women to appear on stage.
As Dhananjayan’s student for nearly forty years now, and a trained dancer herself, the author, Tulsi Badrinath, chronicles the story of his brilliant life in dance with the insight of one who understands each nuance of it. Weaving her own life-long passion for Bharata Natyam with his remarkable story, she brings to light the difficulties faced by a male dancer in establishing himself in what was thought to be a somewhat unrespectable profession, and tells the compelling story of his life, with empathy and understanding. Writing of his years in Kalakshetra and his ultimate disillusionment with it; of the love that blossomed between and his wife Shanta, and the incredible dance partnership they forged, making them famous as The Dhananjayans; of his international collaborations with Pandit Ravi Shankar; and of his ability, as guru and teacher, to impart his passion for dance to his disciples, she explores her own understanding of what the dance, and her guru, have meant to her.
Interspersing this remarkable tale of guru and shishya, with the stories of other male dancers in the realm of Bharata Natyam, she pays tribute to their extraordinary commitment, their talent and their courage.
Tulsi Badrinath was born in 1967 in Madras, Tulsi Badrinath has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Stella Maris College and an MBA from Ohio University, Athens. After four long, dreary years in a multinational bank, Tulsi quit her job to pursue her twin passions, dance and writing. She brings both passions together in Master of Arts, her first work of non-fiction.
Her poems, articles, reviews and short-stories have appeared in various magazines and publications. Meeting Lives, her first novel, was published by Niyogi Books in 2008. Man of A Thousand Chances, her second, was published by Hachette in 2011. Both novels were longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2007 and 2008 respectively.
Tulsi learnt from the age of eight the classical dance-form Bharatanatyam from her gurus The Dhananjayans and as part of their troupe danced at the Festival of India, USSR, 1987. She has performed solo widely in India and abroad.
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