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 A special Guru-Shishya Bharatanatyam connection - from Kolkata to Ottawa- Kate Macdonalde-mail: katetmacd@gmail.com July 9, 2025 आङ्गिकं भुवनं यस्य वाचिकं सर्ववाङ्मयम् । आहार्य चन्द्रतारादि तं नुम: सात्विकं शिवम् ।। How the sacred power of Bharatanatyam crossed the seas, pierced the isolation of the pandemic lockdowns, and continues to foster connection and growth... The Beginning: December 2020 The community center in Ottawa where I teach yoga in Canada's capital was locked down due to Covid. "Sheltering in place", I found myself scrolling through YouTube. I was interested in investigating what connections might exist between yogāsana and something I actually knew little about - Indian classical dance. I stumbled upon a video that gave me pause. In it, a young dancer from Kolkata - Supratim Talukder - interpreted a trending version of the Shiva Tandava Stotram. To me his embodiment of Lord Shiva was a window into the Divine: darshana. Supratim Talukder's YouTube channel transported me to the mystical groves of Vrindavan where Lord Krishna danced with peacocks, confronted me with the profound mystery of Ardhanarīshvara, and brought me to tears with the touching story of the low caste Nandanar whose steadfast faith was eventually rewarded with a miraculous vision of his Lord. I watched these videos again and again. Eventually, their creator reached out to me with a poster advertising his online teaching. This set my heart racing. Could I, at age 62, with no prior experience in the intricacies of Bharatanatyam, be initiated into the art...? With little to lose, and so much to gain - I reached out to Supratim-ji. We arranged our first online class! Fast forward to July 2025...  It has now been 4 1/2 years since I started my journey into Bharatanatyam: 4 1/2 years of being inspired to practice (almost) every day! From my first awkward iteration of the Bhumi pranam, my young Guruji has guided me, over the years, through a repertoire of Adavus and Hasta Mudras, and introduced me to an Alarippu and a Jatisvaram. Most recently he has agreed to explore a Tillana with me. To be clear, at my age and stage, I have no aspirations of performing for a public audience: but my study of these choreographies has so many benefits! It definitely challenges my physical and cognitive abilities, and is, in fact, considered one of the best activities for healthy aging. When I attend a Bharatanatyam performance, I have a new appreciation for the demands of the form and the commitment that it requires. Supratim-ji's teaching has not been limited to a transmission of the traditional forms. He continually challenges me to explore these in novel ways. For example, when introducing an adavu, he will ask me to embody it using different emotional tones. This makes the outward form come alive in a special way. Observing that I am sometimes overwhelmed with the very precise work of recreating a new adavu step, he balances my practice of choreography with improvisational movement challenges. Interestingly, this periodic release of structure has very beneficial effects on my embodiment of the structured vocabulary of Bharatanatyam. His innate creativity keeps our online classes engaging - something I look forward to twice a week! The Guru/Shishya Paradigm  A retired high school teacher, I have been privileged to discover that the transmission of Bharatanatyam is made possible through something both ancient and sacred: the Guru/Shishya relationship. In my own experience in the classroom, and in contemporary western culture in general, I think that this has, to a large extent, been lost. The traditional relationship that provided the foundation and support for an initiation into the arts has often been supplanted by a transactional paradigm. Supratim Talukder has given me so much more than a checklist of adavus and choreographies. In the spirit of the traditional Guru/Shishya relationship, he has shown a concern for my well-being on multiple levels, which I have been inspired to reciprocate. From this has developed a beautiful connection from my side of the world to his! Sādhana  The ground of Bharatanatyam is truly holistic: those entrancing moments on stage grow out of the minutiae of life lived. Sacred dance is, after all, a great deal more than the correct execution of dance steps. By sharing with me his own experience of dance as a pathway to the Divine, my Guru has broadened my understanding of the art. As an example, Supratim-ji shared with me the intense and transformational process that he undertook to embody Vaibhav Arekar's choreography Ardhanarīshvara. Studying the elements of this choreography in Mumbai with its creator, Vaibhav Arekar, whom Supratim-ji honours as one of his Gurus, was just the beginning. Once back home in Kolkata, he dug in deep: how are the divine feminine and masculine energies embodied in the individual? How do these energies find expression in movement? And how can these energies find expression in this particular choreography? The process required a deeply focused and devotional approach and the results of this soul-searching can be witnessed in the power of his live performance of Ardhanarīshvara. On the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnimā 2025, I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation for all that my Guruji has given me over the last 4 1/2 years. Returning to my practice space with anticipation every evening, I perform the Bhumi pranam before my statue of Nataraja and thank Supratim Talukder for helping me discover the ecstatic path of embodying divinity through sacred dance.  Kate Macdonald is a retired English teacher who discovered the joy of Bharatanatyam at age 62. Her Guru, Supratim Talukder of Kolkata, believes that learning can happen at any age. She loves to investigate and report on Indian classical dance in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where this exquisite art is flourishing. Post your comments Pl provide your name and email id along with your comment. All appropriate comments posted with name & email id in the blog will also be featured in the site. |
