How often do we get to witness scores of women coming together in harmony and unity to be a part of a single dance performance?
On 17th September 2022, this became a reality as a group of around ninety resident women from all walks of life, of diverse ethnicities, culture, race, religion and above all, different ages came together to perform the ‘Mega Thiruvathira’ at our society, Purva Venezia, Bangalore.
It was a spectacle as majestic as it sounds!
A unique amalgamation of fluidity and grace, Thiruvathirakali is an effervescent ritualistic dance performed by women in Kerala. It is believed to be one of the most ancient dance forms of the state.
I was surprised when my friend Swati told me about this event but I was excited just the same, and to be a part of the magnificence alone, I joined the group. I am so glad I did… we created history! A group that huge, just gathering there on that hot Saturday morning, as dressed up as we were, was an unthinkable, unimaginable, and on its own an amazing feat!… Something we all will always be proud of.
We were taught the dance by an expert group of women, our neighbours from the Malayali community headed by Malini Raja. She was as vibrant and as joyous as the dance form itself😊.
When I first saw our teachers dance, my honest feeling was, ‘omg! were they born dancing or what!’ Their stance, poise, fluidity, rhythm, grace… I can go on and on… unmatchable!… and although we all carried out the steps to the best of our ability, they were a different league altogether. A fleeting thought I had was, ‘maybe it’s in their blood.’😉
The choreography was fairly simple and easy but very delicate and rhythmic. It was difficult initially but all of us caught up in good time.
Depending upon our availability and convenience, we were divided into a morning, an afternoon and an evening batch. I chose the afternoon batch and it was hot! But the sheer enthusiasm of the ladies beat the heat and humidity and although we used to sweat like crazy during the one hour session, we thoroughly enjoyed learning it and managed to grasp the steps well.
And finally, after two weeks of carefully planned and executed practice sessions, we were ready to be in the spotlight.
The vibe and energy in the amphitheater in the morning of September 17 was unlike anything else we’d witnessed before. All the dancers clad in authentic ‘set mundu’ and dark green blouses, adorning classy gold neck pieces and earrings, green glass bangles, bindis on their foreheads and jasmine flowers bordering their hairs tied into buns, made for a mesmerizing sight.
As the music began and the little children doing the ‘Vandanam’ exited the amphi to give way to our perfomance, we could hear the squeals of wonder, amazement and excitement from the audience. It seemed as if the whole society had gathered at the amphi steps that day. The ones who couldn’t come down in the sun watched it from their respective balconies as it was an open air event.
Ninety women in two big circles, one encompassing the other, dancing in grace and beauty. Each one appeared like an exquisite statue to my awestruck eyes… I am not kidding!
On a lighter note, I think I carried my malayali look pretty well too.😉
It was a good seven minute dance and even though some of us may have missed a few steps, escaped a couple of beats and forgotten one sequence or the other; together, we were magical!
I can’t thank the Malayali Committee of our society enough for giving us this opportunity and for making our experience seamless by their efficiency. Two ladies, Sapna and Vandana working in the background arranged for our costumes that too delivered literally to our doorstep. Now isn’t that amazing?!
I do not know if we will do something of this grandeur in the future, but this surely was a one of its kind, once in a lifetime, overwhelming, gratifying and humbling experience. I am so happy to have been a part of this gracious extravaganza.
P.S: This is a note to our choreographers/teachers… You all were patient, fun and overall amazing. Thank you to each one of you, Malini Di, Anuja, Reshmi, Anusha, Seena, Bonnie, Ruby, Aparna, Anandi and Rashmi… from the bottom of my heart🙏.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
This blog post is a part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla and sponsored by BakezbyDaizy
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