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 When
Bharatanatyam exponent Narthaki Nataraj completes yet another
enthralling performance, the elite audience in the prestigious
Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai give her a standing ovation - not a
mean achievement for a transgender ostracised and ridiculed by
society.
Winner of the state government's Kalaimamani
title this year and accorded the status of 'top grade' artiste
by Doordarshan TV, Narthaki has scripted several success stories
but not before overcoming many a hurdle.
Born as a fifth 'son' in a lower middle class
family at Anupadi in the southern district of Madurai, Nataraj
became aware of the feminity in himself at a very young age.
Nataraj's family came in for a rude shock
when the child started dressing up and behaving like a woman.
The child, who was thrashed, abused and isolated by family
members and neighbours, found solace in the company of a
classmate, Sakthi Bhaskar, who was also undergoing a similar
transformation.
An innate passion for dance in Nataraj was
kindled after watching the films of danseuse-actresses
Vyjayanthimala and Padmini in a village theatre. Ever since, it
became 'her' burning desire to master the art.
"I considered dance a medium to express my
feminity. I used to imagine myself as Padmini and imitate her
movements. Fearing that people would ridicule me, I used to
dance at secluded places with my friend Sakthi being my only
audience. I had even practised in a graveyard," she recalls.
With Nataraj's parents considering her
physical condition an affront to the family's prestige, she
walked out of the house at the age of 16.
"I was forced to dress and behave like a boy,
which I could never come to terms with. I felt like a free bird
the day I came out of the house," Nataraj says.
Having come to the streets, life became a
day-to-day struggle for Nataraj and Sakthi as they had to fight
poverty, isolation and mockery of society. But, the passion for
dance never subsided.
It was then she heard about legendary
Bharatanatyam teacher K P Kittappa Pillai, a direct descendant
of the 'Tanjore Quartet Brothers' - renowned musicians and dance
masters who lived in the 17th century.
When she came to know that Kittappa was the
guru of her idol Vyjayanthimala and stars like Hema Malini and
Yamini Krishnamurthy, Nataraj had no second thoughts and
immediately packed off to Thanjavur, the cradle of Tamil art and
culture.
"There I was, a humble person belonging to
the third gender, knocking at the doors of a huge kingdom of
art. I didn't make any attempt to hide my identity and stood
before my guru only as a transgender," she reminisces.
Kittappa took her under his wings but not
before testing for a year her steadfastness and love for the
art. He also re-christened her as Narthaki (dance exponent).
She became a full-time residential student
and learnt the original Tanjore style of Bharatanatyam - 'Nayaki
Bhava'. She stayed with her guru for 15 years until he died in
1999 and learnt everything she could and practised vigorously.
She also worked as his assistant in Tanjore Tamil University.
After her guru's death, she came to Chennai
to carve out a space for herself in the art domain, which was
hitherto dominated by upper-class Brahmins.
Narthaki knocked at the doors of several
sabhas for an opportunity to perform but only faced rejection
and ridicule.
"A much-revered artiste even asked me how
people will come to sabhas to watch the performance of a
transgender when girls looking like angels were performing," she
recalls.
But, slowly, Narthaki was able to catch the
attention of art connoisseurs through her pristine traditional
form of dance. Even some of the well-established dancers had now
learnt a few traditional 'mudras' from her.
Her ability to cut across barriers and
emotionally touch people from different cultures and languages
has won her acclaim not only in the country but also across the
globe.
"Having taken a small step from Anupadi
village, my dance has now taken me across America, the UK and
Europe. I've dedicated my body and soul completely to dance,"
she says.
Narthaki also excels in choreographing
contemporary themes like emancipation of women and women's
rights by integrating some powerful elements of her traditional
school.
At the age of 40, she looks back with
satisfaction at the triumphs of her life but it is not easy to
forget the trials and tribulations she faced right from her
childhood.
"My friend Sakthi is the driving force behind
me. Whenever I felt tired of the world, which constantly spurned
me, she was the one who encouraged me and kept me going."
"For a normal person, death occurs only once.
But a transgender emotionally dies every day. One cannot
understand the pain of being a third gender, unless you
experience it personally. If my life and success is taken as a
source of inspiration for my peers, who are pushed to the flesh
trade and begging to make a living, I will consider it the
greatest achievement in my life," she adds.
Narthaki can be contacted at:
'Narthaki Nrutya Kalalaya'
G – A, Kesava Flats, 2 & 3
Kalvi Varu Street,
Vishranthi Homes,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600004.
Phone: (044) – 24660413
narthakiandsakthi@yahoo.com
(Agencies)
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