Planting a seed

The noted US-based danseuse Bala Devi Chandrashekar is opening a branch of her Bharatanatyam school in Kochi 

Photo by Arun Angela 

By Shevlin Sebastian 

When Bala Devi Chandrashekar sweeps into the lobby of a five-star hotel in Kochi, she catches the eye with her elegance. The Kanjeevaram saree is a mix of saffron and gold. Her earrings are also a mix of emeralds and rubies. So is her necklace. 

Bala, a Bharat Natyam exponent, is the founder of the Shree Padma Nrityam Academy of Performing Arts at New Jersey. But now she has come to Kochi to lay the groundwork for opening a centre at Kakkanad. Her former student Vidya Hari will be the Director. The inaugural ceremony is slated for January 5. 

“Kerala is steeped in art and culture,” she says. “So, I thought it would be appropriate to have a centre in Kochi. It would be a place, not only for the students but for scholars of literature, art, music and theatre.” 

Unusually, Bala takes an intellectual approach to the art form. She takes subjects based on ancient texts and follows it up with intense research. Thereafter, she collaborates with renowned scholars to produce a dance for a contemporary audience. Thus far, she has produced eight critically-acclaimed productions including Nandanar Charithram and Krishna Arpanam. 

And as she performs all over the world, she is amazed by the power of classical Indian art. After a performance in London, a pregnant woman went up to her and said, “I am going through a lot of pain.” 

She told Bala she had suffered three miscarriages. “I feel that if you touch me, it will all be fine,” she said. So, Bala hugged her. And later, the danseuse came to know that the woman had delivered a healthy baby. “That was soul-stirring for me,” says Bala.  

And she says that nowhere in the world can you see the depths in literature, music, dance and theatre as it is there in India. “The people abroad find our culture very powerful,” says Bala. “They are looking for something authentic which also has a history.” 

As for Bala’s personal history, she grew up in Hyderabad. Showing a talent for dance early, she trained under Guru Jayalakshmi Narayanan and Dr Padma Subrahmanyam in Chennai. And unlike most artists, she was also academically inclined. She secured masters degrees in management, public administration and human resources, and an M Phil, too. Soon, she began teaching.  

However, in 1992, she left for Abu Dhabi where her husband had got a job. While there she started teaching dance and began a corporate career. She also taught business ethics in the local branch of the City University of London. In 1999, the couple left for New Jersey where she started her academy. She also began a teaching career, too. Today, she is an Associate Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. 

However, the more she travels, the more she feels that despite stating that Indian culture is very powerful, art is beyond any country. “I don’t think art can be compartmentalised as belonging to India, Africa, Europe and Latin America,” says Bala. “You don’t have to have an Indian heart or mind to produce art. It comes from the soul. Many a time when I am performing, several non-Indians connect with me so instantly. So art is beyond a country.” 

She gives an example. Once a Bedouin invited Bala to perform the ‘Uddhava Gita’ in Spain. The man said, “I called you because Uddhava is my guru.” 

Uddhava Gita is Chapter 11 of the Srimad Bhagavatham. “It is one of the toughest chapters,” says Bala. “The subject matter in all our epics is meant for people all over the world. It is universal because it transcends religion and caste.”