Dancing sisters have been an interesting phenomenon in India. It could be the innocence of what pioneer Dutch writer Beryl de Zoete saw of Bhanumati and Varalakshmi at a command performance in the 1930s or the beauty of Zohra-Uzra sisters of the Rampur nobility in the 1940s, or the Travancore Sisters, Padmini-Ragini-Lalitha in films of the 1950s. All added to the glitter and glamour of Indian dances then.
Then as now, we have had Saswati and Bhaswati (Kathak); Anita and Pritha (Bharatanatyam), Nalini-Kamalini (Kathak); Nair sisters (Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattom) and Bianca-Natasha (Bharatanatyam).
What makes sisters dance and not really be competitive? Why do they need to dance together? What are the challenges?
Parental choice or push used to be the first step in earlier generations.
A good example is M.K. Selvamani and M.K. Saroja. Their grandmother, in the 1930s, hosted at home a great guru from Kattumannarkoil, Chidambaram, because he was new to Madras and had no place to stay. Since he stayed for free, he decided to give something in return to this family, which had no dance tradition. The two sisters, aged 6 and 9, thus learnt Bharatanatyam from vidwan Muthukumaran Pillai.
Upon attaining puberty, the elder sister Selvamani stopped dancing but the guru had by then also taught her nattuvangam, which she put to good use and conducted Kumari Kamala’s arangetram, before Kamala went to Guru Ramaiah Pillai to learn his style.
Varalakshmi-Bhanumati hailed from a clan of devadasis and were born to the manner. Travancore Sisters came to dance because of their mother Saraswathi, says their nephew actor-dancer Vineeth.
Anita and Pritha’s mother Leela wanted them to dance and supported their efforts. Nalini-Kamalini were adopted by their Guru Jitendra Maharaj, so they danced as a pair since they were teenagers. Bianca-Natasha came to the field as their guru Radha Shridhar was like a mother figure.
The Nair sisters say they were not pushed, but were fortunate that their mother exposed them to classical literature, music and dance. “Dance and music were never hobbies, but a part of life. We were initiated into Bharatanatyam by Guru Padmini Ramachandran and later, we trained under Guru Narmada.”
Love for dance
One common denominator is, love for dance. Earlier, parents took the decisions for their children, but today, the influence of globalisation and other social and economic factors decide, not parents.
On the joys and challenges, the Nair sisters say, “The joy comes from kinship. Our brother is also a part of our team, he is a trained vocalist/ mridangist and always accompanies us on the nattuvangam. We are siblings, best friends, great travel companions and share a rapport on stage. Each of us have different sensibilities, but our aesthetics are aligned, so though we do have our creative differences, there is no ego at play, it is just the simple joy of art.”
Anita Ratnam recalls, “I liked dancing with my sister... we were a great combination. Also when there were not too many dancing sisters in the late 1960s and early 1970s, we were quite the rage. My mother fought to give us the opportunity to dance. There was resistance from her father and in-laws, but my father supported us silently and completely.”
Sisters dancing together also shows how the same form, learnt from the same guru, often sits differently and manifests itself as an independent art.
Often one sister stays with the art form, while the other opts out. Vani Ganapathy and Meera are one such example, as the former continues to dance, teach and mentor. So it is with Anita, who dances, mentors and choreographs.
“I was always the natural dancer,” says Anita. “Pritha liked to dance but was keen to excel in studies. She was a gold medallist and class topper. I was the main dancer, learning learnt all the important items...varnam.. padams.. intricate footwork, abhinaya, etc. Mohiniyattom was something very rare in the late 1960s. Only Hema Malini and Vyjayantimala were performing one or two pieces items in that style,” says Anita.
Nalini-Kamalini are the only ones from that generation, who are still dancing and also incharge of the prestigious Kathak Kendra. They have set a record dancing at the height of 18,000-ft Kailash Mansarovar and Badri Nath. They have performed at Rameswaram, Chidambaram, Tirupati, Vrindavan, Kanya Kumari, and at the various ISKCON temples all over Europe, and at Deva Sharif, Dargahsa of Bareilly, Ajmer and Kalia Sharif for cultural Integration.
Sisters performing together are indeed unique to Indian dance. Let's celebrate this sibling bonding.
The writer, a critic and historian, is the author of several books and edits attenDance, the yearbook
