Who is alarmel valli

Noted poet and writer Arundathi Subramaniam says of her work, " Her art may invoke the mystical, but it never mystifies. It understands abstraction, but is never abstruse. It is capable of soaring, but it never loses its vital connectedness with the earth. On the one hand, it has meant trying to come to terms with loss - of dear family members and friends, people I grew up with and with whom I shared great memories.

That has been difficult. On the other hand, I now also have a sense of fulfilment and quietude which stems from knowing I have had a life rich in meaning, colour and creative joy - and the freedom to carve my own path in life. Honestly, I have never been obsessed with the desire to perform; as a child I was anything but stage-struck and in fact, after a performance would try and hide from people who came up to praise or congratulate me.

For me, to be able to dance, is in itself the boon. Also, in a field where, often, even superb artists don't receive their due, I have been extraordinarily fortunate in the recognition my work has consistently received, both in India and internationally.

Today, there is no pressure to prove myself to the world, no urge to re-invent myself, merely to cater to the 'market'. There is a quiet contentment that comes from this conviction. I realize too, almost every major turning point or shift in my life has happened as a gentle, seamless and organic process of change.

I think this holds true of the way I am journeying into my 60th year as well. How would you like to ring in the big day? My birthdays have long been rather low-key affairs, although I do have heart-warming memories of colourful, festive birthday parties as a child Throngs of happy, noisy children accompanied by their parents, long tables laden with all kinds of goodies, cakes in myriad shapes, festooned with a veritable garden of icing flowers and sugar roses, exciting games and my all-time favourite, a treasure hunt in the sprawling grounds of the old colonial house we lived in But given the frenetic pace of my life and career over so many decades, there have often been occasions when I have woken up, oblivious to what day it was, until my mother or husband reminded me.

This year, my mother insisted that at least my 60th birthday should be celebrated "in a more fitting manner", to quote her than with a mere chocolate cake and bouquet of flowers. I gather she first mulled over the notion of a surprise party before abandoning the idea, as she felt it wouldn't be easy, given my " hawk eyes", to quote her again to keep it secret from me.

So, this year we are taking the opportunity to celebrate special bonds and relationships, to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of some those who have travelled with me on this eventful journey. Most fortuitously, I learnt that the priest from our family temple, a beautiful Ramar Kovil in our ancestral village of Chunampet, was very keen that the kumbhabishekam should be performed on 14th September, as it was the ideal day for the consecration.

So, by a wonderful coincidence, on my birthday I will be at the kumbhabishekam at our family temple, participating in that most auspicious of ceremonies. What better way to celebrate my 60th birthday-milestone?

This is one of those instances I spoke of, when I said the best moments and the best transitions in my life have occurred spontaneously, without any conscious effort in my part.

Secret to grace and beauty! I have never thought of myself as beautiful. But the secret, if at all there is one, is dance, dance, dance. Of course, I must thank my genes too. My mother is 86 and she is still looks much younger than her years. But it is to dance that I owe my well-being - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, and I say this with much more conviction today, than I did a few years ago.

If I still perform a full margam without any concessions or compromises, it's a result of the relentless practice and discipline of dance, over the long years. When I don't practice for even a week or two, I can feel the rust setting into my body, so to speak and my limbs cease to respond with the seamless ease that the dance calls for.

Certainly, there is tremendous wear-and-tear and like most dancers, I too have my generous share of aches and pains. But in dance, I have discovered time and again, that there's a strength that transcends the physical. Time and again, I have found myself drawing upon reserves of strength I didn't know I possessed.

In stories, asking wishes of genies always proves dangerous - a two edged sword. And since I've just been talking at length about seeking fulfilment and learning to be content in myself, I would do well to send any genies who come my way, packing. But jokes apart, if I could have three wishes, I think they would be - health for my mother, equanimity and a serene mind for myself.

And, increased global environmental sensitivity and responsibility! We noticed that you are renewing your subscription 1 month later than the renewal date. Would you like to receive the missed editions? If yes kindly click on the "include missed issues" icon. Alarmel Valli was trained in Bharatanatyam under Guru Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai and his son Guru Subbaraya Pillai and has been performing for more than four decades. Valli has done research for around 12 years on classical Tamil anthologies of Sangam poetry years old and she has worked to give the richness of the poems a visual and melodic dimension.

Valli has evolved her own distinct style and extended her tradition within the broad framework of classical Bharatanatyam. Contact Us. Related Posts S. Aishwarya April 19, Subhadra Marimuthu April 19,