G. Narendra seems again at his inventive journey
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association
“My life has been just like the sikku pulli kolam”, says Gundurao Narendra . I appreciated the imagery he had positioned earlier than me. A sikku kolam is a winding line, seemingly entangled, however not fairly, for it journeys across the numerous dots in a sequence greatest recognized to the road, however someway when it’s over, an attractive sample has been created.
The phrase additionally to me was a preamble to the artiste’s journey and the place it led him. Due to his father, who was extraordinarily keen on the humanities, Narendra discovered himself studying dance on the younger age of eight. He skilled underneath just a few academics and was 15 years into dance earlier than he reached the portals of Kalakshetra, the place he needed to unlearn to re-learn once more. He says, he was lucky to have been chosen by Yamini Krishnamurthy when he was however a younger man to be her dance associate and do the nattuvangam as nicely.
Narendra says Kalakshetra was the place the place male dancers had a job to play in a number of of their house productions. However, as soon as he left the establishment, he instantly discovered himself misplaced, if solely briefly, within the huge world of artwork. However as luck would have it, the Dhananjayans had been touring a manufacturing, and Narendra turned Rama and right here too, he grabbed consideration. He calls it a “fortunate break”. However there was a lull till he was invited by Uma Ganesan, this time to be the director of the Cleveland Cultural Alliance (CCA), which received him the nickname of ‘Cleveland’ Narendra. However after just a few profitable productions, he had a fall out out with CCA and as soon as once more was on his personal.
G. Narendra on the problem of discovering one’s area within the artwork world
He recollects the help of Mrs. YGP and Mr. Subramaniam in offering him alternatives. “ In an artiste’s journey, many individuals have a job to play — mother and father, academics, and even journalists. Journalists I realised can both make or break you. I had carried out the position of Duryodhana and the critic needed to solely write about my skinny constructed with ribs displaying. That is all you noticed within the efficiency, was my angst.”
He says there have been only a few male dancers then. Individuals didn’t look kindly in direction of the occupation and after they discovered he was a dancer, the comment could be: “That will make you seem effeminate. like a feminine then. Dancing is for ladies.” Narendra says he needed to reside with this fixed stereotyping.
Whereas Kalakshetra was the right place which supplied ample scope to the male dancer, he usually discovered himself at wit’s finish in search of solo alternatives. Whereas there was by no means any dearth for group productions, being a soloist was a giant problem .
In 2018, Narendra offered 4 performances however was paid a lot lesser than the quantity he really spent. That’s when he started to rethink areas. He sought different venue similar to temples, the place he felt comfy dancing.
Narendra says like most artistes, he too had many ambitions. He wished to be the most effective dancers however quickly was disillusioned as a result of male dancers don’t get alternatives as they need to. But, in that interval , there was by no means a second when he didn’t dance. Whether or not there was a efficiency within the offing or not, he was in his studio every day practising. After all group productions and company reveals got here his manner. He additionally skilled a number of younger male dancers, creating alternatives for them too.
Narendra says in all these years by no means did he cease taking good care of his physique and weight-reduction plan, as a result of collectively they contributed to his dance. His ardour for cricket saved him going too. He bought into performing in a bid to reinvent himself and hold the artiste in him alive.
When he was invited by the Music Academy for a night slot in 2023 , he felt he had lastly bought his due. “For me, the icing was once I was voted the Finest Dancer of the yr.” It’s undoubtedly a validation for an artiste who shouldn’t be actually in his prime. He feels, there are miles to go…
Narendra had all of it mapped out he thought when he began the journey and the dots represented the efforts he put in at numerous phases. But, it was future which drew the ultimate kolam amidst the sikkal.
