Let me now talk about my tryst with Bharatanatyam.

My guru Padmabhushan awardee C V Chandrasekhar told me this: One life is not enough to learn Bharatanatyam. As I went through the process of learning the beautiful dance form, I too reaslised it soon.  
“Abhinaya”--  the art of expression in Indian aesthetics is not easy to get mastery over. It is making the audience the experience (bhava) of a sentiment (rasa). It requires intense training.

It needs focus, and it needs absolute coordination between your mind and body, a singleness of purpose that the artist needs to possess through practice. Perfecting the movements, getting the rhythm.

When I look back, it was not easy. But I was so driven that I stayed the course and the grind. Well, it took me ten years to claim to myself that I am a dancer.

I can dance and I can teach dancing. Initially it was not the case. When things didn’t go my way, well I was, I can say 25 per cent angry and 50 per cent sad. But that’s how it is. It tests both your patience and perseverance.

Knowing Gitagovinda eased the situation. My guru told me one life is not enough to learn Bharatanatyam. He also told me: “you can dance Yoko’s dance.” 

I was first in Baroda, then as my guru moved to Chennai, in South India, I followed him there. 

Let me tell you something about coming to India, a huge country. I was also walking into a new culture, new people and a new environment. Many things seemed different. For example, in Japan we are not used to having friends come over without prior appointments. In India, everything is so people oriented. You can get a swarm of visitors in the evening over ‘chai’ (tea) and they discuss everything under the sun. People here can visit relatives and stay over for days over even a month.

Back in Japan, soon after guests arrive, they seem like they are getting ready to go back. That was something different here. In Japan, circles are small. Families are small. In India it is hugely different.  More of my continuing journey in my next post.