When Ganesh Anandhakrishnan posted a video clip of his Kuchipudi performance on Facebook on Tuesday, his friends were pleasantly surprised. For the 35-year-old Tripunithura resident’s chief claim to fame lay as one of the leading lotus breeders in the country, with several patents in his kitty. While the Facebook viral video was of a performance in Tripura when he was based there a few years ago, Kuchipudi aficionados will have an opportunity to watch Ganesh in action at Tripunithura later this year, after a gap of 14 years.
Currently posted at Mukkada in Ranni as a farm assistant with the Rubber Board, he has been training under Tripunithura Vijayan during weekends when he visits his hometown. During his stint in Tripura, Ganesh had performed on nine stages. The experience of performing at one of the 51 Shakti Peeths was an enriching one, he said. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu had cut the body of Sati into 51 pieces with his Sudarshan Chakra. The body parts fell at different places, known as Shakti Peeths, one of which is in Tripura.
Though he was performing after a long sabbatical, Ganesh, as a Kuchipudi dancer, had always ensured that he maintained his body like a “chiselled sculpture”. “I was always conscious of my body. When I was in Tripura, I did yoga regularly and also went to the gymnasium. Just like a chisel is a carpenter’s tool, my body is my tool,” Ganesh said.
But he is a bit disappointed that his home state lacks a permanent stage for dance. He recalled that the ambience of the stage in Tripura was a different experience altogether. Ganesh is a breeder of a variety of lotuses, including the recent hybrid ‘Akhila’, which he named after his late friend, who belonged to Kancheepuram.
Ganesh’s expertise in horticulture saw him make it to ‘The Garden’, published by the 216-year-old Royal Horticultural Society in the United Kingdom. Ganesh and his friend, Somnath Pal from Maharashtra, were featured in the renowned horticulture magazine in 2020 for excelling in lotus breeding. They are among just a few Indians to have been featured in the publication.Among the most bachelors in town, Ganesh’s family comprises mother Alamelu and three brothers, who are based in Tripunithura.