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She is one remarkable woman, one of her kind. No wonder, Prathibha Prahlad, one of India’s leading Bharatanatyam exponents, who delights you as much with her consummate mastery over dance as with her no-holds-barred approach to life, has no hesitation in saying "I like being me." And this multi-faceted "me" is not just a dancer, choreographer, a writer and an eloquent speaker but also a proud mother of twin sons. Quips she, "No doubt, dance has given me my identity, an astitva but there is more to me than just dance." That is not to say that her commitment and devotion to dance is any less. For someone who gave her first performance at the age of six, dance has been the steadfast pivot around which she has grown and blossomed. Indeed, she has come a long way from the time when she first decided to be a professional dancer at 18 to today, when her organisation Prasiddha Foundation, formed in 1991, is actively involved in pursuing the interests of the artistic fraternity. In the cutthroat competitive world, where dancers are constantly stepping on each other’s toes, refreshingly, she has decided to further the cause of fellow artists. She asserts, "Patronage is important, for unless you get a platform how will the world realise what you are capable of doing." Never mind that she was not promoted by anyone, not even by her gurus. So, to what does she — a recipient of many honours, including the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, a member of various art committees and the brain behind the conceptualisation of the Delhi International Arts Festival — owe her success? "I believe I am destiny’s child. I also know that talent can’t be kept under wraps for too long." She also agrees that to be a good dancer, starting early and finding the right guru are essential imperatives which, coupled with hard work, can reap rich dividends. As an artiste she understands the struggle of a dancer fully well, but as a guru she is a tough taskmaster. While she refrains from training greenhorns and teaches gratis, she brooks no interference from ambitious parents who want to see their progeny on television overnight. Today, she rues, "Few dancers introspect or understand the profoundness of abhinay and string together small pieces propped up by technology. It’s all razzmatazz now". Indians, however, she does concur are naturally inclined towards rhythm and dance, more so South Indians. Born a Kannadiga Brahmin, Bharatanatyam was a natural option. Over the years, her fascination for her muse has only intensified and like her new dance performance "Aatyantika" (presented on World Dance Day in New Delhi) that talks of everlasting in change, it has been an eternal influence. She avers, "No other dance form has the elements of complete surrender as Bharatanatyam, which has a solid base but allows room for so many stories and interpretations." In her various choreographies like "Seeta: Parallel Realities" she has pushed the edge and talked of contemporary issues as well. However, she is not sure whether Bharatanatyam can be used to express social concerns like female foeticide. She says. "We must understand the difference between literature, poetry and newspaper. Bharatanatyam can never be employed for sloganeering or overt conveying of message." So, even when her dance choreographies like "Krishna’s Widows--- The Call of the Flute" have alluded to modern problems like urbanisation, she has gone back to mythology and tradition since she believes, "What Shakespeare is to English language traditional repertoire is to Bharatanatyam. And whatever else you do outside the traditional grammar is like a newspaper story with a limited shelf life." For someone so steeped in tradition, what explains her uninhibited lifestyle? Is there a dichotomy somewhere? And she laughs, "Well the two me — one traditional and the other liberated — blend harmoniously within me. However, to the outside world, I remain an enigma and they are intrigued by the choices I have made." So, is there a price to be paid for living life on her own terms, not hiding a relationship outside marriage? "In a way, yes, for since people don’t understand you they don’t empathise with you." However, whether people
approve or not, Prahlad is happy being herself. And this herself with a
mind of her own would rather be admired or censured for speaking it out.
Risqu`E9, candid or firebrand`85. call her whatever, the tag of Miss
Goody Two Shoes neither interests her nor is she going to follow boring
conventions to attain it. Tradition, of course, is a different ball game
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