Men in mudras: breaking the barriers of social stigma

We live in a world of images. Images that we have constructed in our mind, images that media has forced upon us and images that are somebody else’s imagination yet believed to be true. Unfortunately, we never confirm the validity of those images and soon they get deeply ingrained in our mind taking the form of prejudices. One such image we have built in our mind over the years, thanks to the exaggerated and somewhat false portrayal of media, is of

male

classical dancers.

Indian classical dance

inherently posses feminine grace, therefore, unlike contemporary male dancers, classical

dancers

are always questioned about their sexuality.

Nashik

Times speaks to few celebrated classical dancers from India to know how these ‘nayakas’ are fighting back the stigma forced upon them.

“People call us, ‘Lipstick, kajal lagake nachanewale ladke’ and let me tell you frankly, it hurts. Everyone puts on make-up while performing on stage. Just the style of make-up is different. But only the classical dancers are ridiculed the most. The best way to fight their bigotry is to ignore them and perform the very best on stage,” says

Gaurav Mishra

, renowned

Kathak

dancer from Banaras.

Fighting the struggle within

For some the journey to classical dance came very naturally, others have to fight a battle to be content with what they are doing. “I was an artistic gymnast but I got injured. My coach told me that I couldn’t perform gymnastic anymore so I turned to dace. I was ignorant back then so I bluntly told my guru that I am not going to learn Kathak because classical dance is meant for girls,” says Tejesh Kumar M, a classical and contemporary dancer from Bangalore. “It took me a while to understand that there is no stronger force than Indian classical dances,” he admits.

Never felt ‘less’ of a man

Society tries to discourage anyone who choose a path not taken, says

Vasant Kiran

, a classical dance academician and

Kuchipudi

dancer from Bangalore. “I am sure Sakshi Malik must have endured same taunts on her physique, her body language and her profession being a girl, as I have to endure about my profession being a guy. A dance is only complete when both the elements – Tandava, Lasya are present. If the lord of dance, Natraja, is a male dancer, my guru is a male dancer, why I should feel ‘less-of-a-man’?” he questions.