Born to groove

“I moved on to do about 350 performances in the next ten years. But then it was a difficult task. I had to be choosey where I perform. I had a list of do’s and dont’s to follow,” the lady tells us it’s the love and appreciation she received that kept her going.

With Varma having performed extensively at various art festivals,sabhas and temples,nation wide and internationally,she learned the art form at the age of ten,“My maternal grandmother Vanaja Nair inspired me to learn Mohiniyattam from Girija and Chandrika Kurup,both senior students of guru Kalyani Kuttyamma. Following which I specialized under the able guidance of guru Kuttyamma herself and her daughter,Sreedevi Rajan. I was also fortunate to learn Abhinaya,which is the quintessence of Mohiniyattam,from Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair,the doyen of the Kathakali sage,” Varma smiles and moves to the stage where the grace and fluidity of movement with which she performs has the audience spell bound.

Her dance transmitting radiance through movements and expressions that at times sigh with nostalgia,purity and sanctity,Varma’s very lively in her Nritta-Nrithya elements of Mohiniyattam,and her eyes are very eloquent in communicating the messages of Abhinaya. “It’s something I learned over time and with practice,” Varma tells us she had rehearsed on a Hindi Bhajan specially for the Chandigarh audience.

Talking about her other ventures,Varma says,“I run a Mohiniyattam Dance School named ‘Dasyam’ at Adyar,Chennai,with a vision to promote and develop Mohiniattam dance outside Kerala and to award scholarships to genuine candidates. This,along with a charity center for the hearing impaired.”