If I ever wanted to get my kid all riled up, I'd call her a baby or say she is 4 (when she is 6). When she gets riled up, she pouts in the cutest way possible (for my eyes anyway) and whenever she does that, I remember Mallika. I first saw her about 11 years ago at a birthday party. She wore the perfect little party dress and had the brightest smile. I asked her how old she was and she said 5. I pulled out four fingers to confirm. That's when she got all riled up and visibly pissed. NO, I AM FIVE!!!
That's the same pout I saw when Mallika was up on her Rangapravesam (dance debut) stage, portraying Yashoda in her gorgeous white and purple outfit, feigning to be annoyed by that naughty little Krishna. She looked stunning up there- beautiful, graceful and precise in every movement and minutia of expressions. I have two left feet and know nothing about classical Indian dance, but I knew I was watching something special. The confidence and pride on her teacher's face as the dance progressed confirmed my own observations. During the second half, Mallika was dressed as Goddess Durga and was demonstrating the killing of demon Mahishasura. When she stuck her tongue out and widened her eyes, it scared the daylights out of my 6yr old. "She is so angry, her cheeks are getting redder!". The concluding dance, Thillana, had an interlude of jathi in what sounded (to my amateur ears) like Kathanakuthuhalam raagam. I remember my grandmother singing that raagam (Raghuvamsa sudha) when I was a kid. The impeccable orchestra and the beautiful vocal rendition joined hands with the magical dancer on the stage and cast a spell on me.
I had never connected to dance like I did that night. I don't know if it was Mallika's cousins talking about their fun memories together, her parents nearly choking out of emotions during their vote of thanks or her teacher attesting to all the hard work that went into this endeavor. I don't know what it was- but I started tearing up and could not stop. It was an emotion I was quite unfamiliar with. When I eventually snapped out of it, I tried to get my kid to the dining hall but she refused to leave. She was still staring at her newest role model on stage, apparently still spellbound.
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| Raaga with Mallika after the latter's dance debut |
I have to be honest-I am very selfish about choosing the classes I sign my kid up for. Telugu/ Sanskrit/ Carnatic music, for instance, are all activities I enjoyed and dragged my child to. Kuchipudi dance is an exception. She recently saw some other kids perform this art on stage and specifically asked to go to these classes. Unlike the other classes she goes to upon my insistence, she does not need my constant reminders for dance practice. On the contrary, I have to remind her to walk normally instead of walking in her 1 (tap)-2 (tap)-3 (back)-4 (tap) dance steps and taking twice as long to get into the car in the mornings.
After seeing Mallika's Rangapravesam and the amount of hardwork and dedication that went into choreographing and training for this event, I know my Kuchipudi-obsessive daughter is in amazingly safe pair of hands. And tonight, we are quadruple-y pleased to hear our kid sing the song of her very first dance lesson. It is a classical carnatic tune with Sanskrit lyrics describing lord Ganesha on the very night of Ganesh Chaturthi. It is a win(Ganesha)-win(Dance)-win(Music)-win(Sanskrit) for our family! I am not certain if her music teacher approves of all of her incorrect notes, however :).
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