Mysuru Dance Guru in Global Glare

• Title :  Vasundhara – Odyssey of a Dancer
• Author :  George S. Paul
• Pages :  220
• Price :  Rs. 1,699
• Year :  2019
• Publisher :  Notion Press, Chennai

This splendidly illustrated biography of Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy traces the 50-year spirited journey of the renowned Bharatanatyam exponent, a revered Guru for thousands of her students initiated into the classical dance form and enabled to enthral countless connoisseurs of the art on numerous occasions across not only India but also many countries of the world, where her name is virtually a byword for the classical art form.

Printed with excellent quality on art paper, the volume in coffee table book style has hardly any page without a photograph, many of the pictures showing the dazzling artiste in captivating poses shot on stage during her concerts.

The author has presented in words and images the septuagenarian dancer’s matchless artistry and a breath-taking saga of her blossoming through the years of dedicated and committed life single-mindedly devoted to Bharatanatyam bringing to bear her own bani, adhering to Pandanallur tradition of the dance form. In her foreword, Tara Rajkumar of Melbourne-based dance school, a close friend of Vasundhara has paid glowing tributes to Mysuru’s own icon, praising her as a Karma Yoga with youthful exuberance both on stage and off stage.

Set out in 19 chapters, the volume aids the reader to get a glimpse of both personal and professional sides to the dancer’s highly gratifying course hailing from a village and earning of global glare. The appendix at the end of the book includes a list of productions based on stories drawn from the land’s epics and fables, list of awards and accolades, names of giants of the music world honoured at Vasundhara’s Performing Arts Centre, names of teachers at her dance school and names of institutions of her students.

Beginning with the quote “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations,” Vasundhara has recorded her message in a five-page script thus: “If there is one thing that life had taught me over time, it is this — a few impediments should never be the end of our dreams. We should always believe in ourselves and work towards our goal as the great future only belongs to those who have strong vision and determination.”

— BRS