Dancing through generations: Mahitha Suresh honors her mother’s bharatanatyam legacy

For Mahitha Suresh, her passion and talent for Bharatanatyam were inherited from her mother and guru, Vidya Bhavani Suresh. Vidya, a renowned Bharatanatyam exponent and musicologist, is celebrated for her production, Tamizh Ilakkiyamum Bharathamum, based on ancient Tamil literature. As Mahitha gears up for the second edition of the recital this weekend, Indulge caught up with her for a quick chat. Excerpts:

How do you feel taking ahead the legacy of your mother?

While it is exciting, I also feel a huge sense of responsibility. My mother and guru, Vidya Bhavani Suresh is a renowned Bharatanatyam exponent and musicologist. You feel that, the expectation to live up to that benchmark, is there of you; nobody has to actually say it, but you push your limits more. Further, Tamizh IlakkiyamumBharathamum is a project that is very close to her heart and it is surreal to be staging pieces that I have admired watching her perform.

What is the inspiration behind coming up with the second edition of Tamizh Ilakkiyamum Bharathamum?

Tamizh Ilakkiyamum Bharathamum is a compilation of around 50 dance pieces, conceptualised, choreographed and sung by my mother, all sourced from ancient Tamizh literature, around 25 years ago. My mother has performed these for many of her dance programmes. These songs are unique, with varied themes, and they truly present a beautiful confluence of literature and dance. When I debuted this production for the first time, we chose six pieces for my performance. But the work is so expansive and has so much more to offer. Nalavenba and Thirukkural, which I will be performing, were not part of my first edition. So, I wanted to stage more pieces from it, hence, this second edition.

Can you elaborate on the second edition?

Nalavenba is a 12th century text celebrating the story of King Nala and Queen Damayanti, written by Pugazhendi Pulavar. This text has actually been conceptualised as a full-fledged, 90-minute standalone dance production. From this full production, we have taken an extract as the central piece for my performance. It focuses on the love of the hero, which is a total deviation from the usual narrative in Bharatanatyam where the heroine pines for her lord.

Thirukkural is hardly seen in Bharatanatyam. This piece consists of four kurals or couplets, each imparting an important life lesson. Another speciality of this piece is that the background score is drawn from the varisais — music lessons of Carnatic music.

What according to you are your biggest challenges when it comes to taking the text from ancient history?

The biggest challenge in taking texts from ancient literature for dance is the fact that those texts were perhaps not written with the intention of being adapted for the medium of Bharatanatyam. To set the pieces to music suited for dance without compromising on the actual poetic language used in the text is definitely a herculean task. I really admire the fact that my mother took on and completed a project of this scale so many years ago, at a time when the internet was non-existent and access to knowledge and resources was much harder that it is now.

How do you balance and do rehearsals while leading a corporate life?

When I know I have a rehearsal, or an upcoming programme, I plan ahead for my deadlines at work and arrange my daily schedule accordingly. I feel that planning my dance routine has improved my productivity at work, rather than the other way around. It is quite challenging to manage a corporate work schedule and pursue one’s passion alongside, because you can’t compromise on either front. But what keeps me going is the mental happiness and a sense of personal achievement that I feel when dancing, and of course, the actual high that comes with performing on stage to the lights and the audience.

Free entry. July 22. 7.15 pm onwards. At Narada Gana Sabha, TTK Road.

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