Kali Wants to Dance
by Aparna Karthikeyan (Roots)
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How many dance forms across the world do you know? Use the clues given below and complete the crossword.
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Complete the following fact file for Kali.
Full Name : Kali Veerapathiran.
Age : 32 (in the year 2024) Kali was eight years old in the year 2000.
Place of Birth : Kovalam in Kerala.
Qualification : PG Diploma in dance.
Profession : Dancer.
Specialization : Bharatanatyam, as well as three ancient Tamil folk dance forms.
Achievements : Various awards including the Music Academy's 'Spirit of Youth' award.
2. Write if the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
a. Kali had the support of both his parents while growing up. [F]
b. Kali had a role model when he was young. [T]
c. Kali got an opportunity to be trained in dance because of his talent. [T]
d. Kali was sure that he wanted to be a dancer right from his childhood. [F]
e. Kali learnt a different language to speak to his friends at Kalakshetra. [F]
Reflect and answer
3. "In the struggling fishing village of Kovalam in Kerala, Kali Veerapathiran is a hero. Not because he is an actor, and not because he has fought off villains."
What do these lines tell us about the people who are usually considered heroes in India? Is this a good definition of a 'hero'?
= These lines tell us that the people who acts in cinema or theatre and fight against the villains, are considered as heroes in India.
No, this is definitely not a good definition of a 'hero'. A hero should be a brave and bold pioneer in any field of life to lead the society forward in a positive way. He should be different from the typical conventional prejudices of the society. He should be the dominator of the rogues and the saviour of the frail.
4. ' "Who has ever learnt dance and made money afterwards? It's a waste of time!" growls Kali's maama.
"Only girls dance! You'll become girlish," his friends tease him.'
What do these lines tell us about people's opinions of different professions? What do you think we can do to change these views?
= People are accustomed to think according to the old prejudices of our society. All this only hinders our progress and makes complication in the success of people. People judge very ignorantly. They actually fears to cross the line drawn from the ancient times. They believe that some professions are meant for boys and the others are meant for the girls. They can not imagine boys being chefs and the girls being pilots.
I think we are in the era of twenty-first century. We need to change our way of thinking for the sake of the goodness of our society. Most of the people are educated enough to change our thoughts. They are only afraid of the family or the society. Charity begins at home. We have to initiate changing the thoughts of the people of our home. This will definitely make a drastic change in the society as a whole.
5. 'Amma asks Kali what his heart wants. "Do you love dancing? Does it make you feel good? Is that what you want to spend life doing?"
"Yes! Dance is all that and more for me, Amma," he replies.
"Then don't listen to anyone. If it makes you happy, learn dancing." As usual, Amma has all the answers.'
What does this conversation tells us about Amma's nature? What do we know about Kali's relationship with her?
= This conversation reveals the very modern aspect of Kali's mother's character. She is not worried about the society or the future. She is not thinking about whether her son will be able to earn money by dancing or not. She prefers to give priority to the wish of her son. She chooses the happiness of her son among all.
Kali's mother is the representative of a ideal mother. She feels the inner happiness of her son. She is a friend to her son. She just ignores the temporary criticisms of the society for the happiness of her son. Further, we can see that she is cheering her son while he becomes tired off all the things he was doing. She does not want her son to herd buffaloes. She inspires him to go back and do his best.
6. How did Kali evolve, both as a dancer and as a person, through the journey described in the lesson?
= Kali belonged to the struggling fishing village of Kovalam of Kerala. He was different from all his contemporaries as he loved to dance. He danced so well that he was asked to dance in his school programmes.
He caught the attention of Sarah Chanda, a manager of a hospital in Chennai while performing on stage. She arranged him to get admitted to Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, a premier dance school of India. Leela Samson, a renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and the head of the school, found him to be fit for classical dance.
Kali was judged by the society and his contemporaries for choosing dance as a career. But his mother was always with him to support him in his passion.
He found it difficult to communicate with his friends in the dance school. He used to speak with them using mudras. He becomes a skillful dancer. He learns Carnatic music as well.
He starts getting invitations to perform all across India and the world. He wins awards for his performance. He completes his PG Diploma in dance. He stars a dance school called Koothambalam in Kovalam.
He has been featured in a documentary film by People's Archive of Rural India, and many newspapers and TV channels have carried his interviews. He also won various awards for his dance, including the Music Academy's 'Spirit of Youth' award.
7. A boy in your class loves to sew. The other students in class tease him, including some of your closest friends. What do you do?
Think about how the best thing to do may vary according to the situation. If you try to discuss this with you friends, and they do not listen to you, you may need a teacher's help. In some cases, the best solution may be to try to involve the boy in your group and initiate a discussion about how everybody has different likes and dislikes.
= I think I shall talk to the boy and the students as well. I shall try to make them out that this is normal. Talent has no gender preference. I shall give them the examples of renowned chefs and designers who are boys and they have name and fame world wide. This may help them understand that limitlessness of talent. Talent can not be confined to any caste, religion or gender. Everybody has different likes and dislikes. I shall take the help of our class teacher as well the settle the matter down.
About the Author :
Aparna Karthikeyan is a storyteller and independent journalist. She writes about culture, books and livelihoods and has published books for children, while working on two for grown-ups. She volunteers with the People's Archive of Rural India (PARI) and lives in Mumbai.