Darkness to Light – Dipanita Nath

The rain is coming down heavily, washing away traffic sounds and diffusing the edges of trees and buildings into a soft haze. Outside the glass windows of India International Centre’s crowded lounge, the world has changed into a green blur. Bharatanatyam dancer Malavika Sarukkai moves away from the air-conditioned tables and finds a place in the verandah outside, near a pool covered with water lilies. It is a fitting backdrop to talk about her new work. “I am thinking about the lotus,” she says, “The motif of the lotus recurs through dance and poetry. It comes up in philosophy, artistic expressions, painting, sculpture and the idea of metaphysical awakening of the chakras. It has many resonances. My new production is trying to capture some of those resonances.”