Credo of a Dancer - Part 2 l Who was Balasaraswati behind all the eulogies and accolades l MOPA

[@parthasarathyep5644]

Tears rolling on my cheaks when I am hearing how BALA the legend struggled both financially physically and mentally to come up in this art form which she solely placed in the international arena. Bharathanatyam performers and rasikas around the world should always be grateful to BALA.

[@Nandakii]

Goodness! I've been an admirer of both the doyens-- Balamma and Rukmini Devi, but wow, RD speaks so viciously here, completely unexpected

[@narthaki]

Brilliant work. Living the other time you gave us a rare chance to feel her genius. I sensed her soul. Thank you!

[@nagabhushana1150]

Beautiful video for posterity. Pranams.

[@aneeshgbanerjee]

8:11 passive aggression!

[@Powerpuff772]

And casteism, appropriation, erasure, outright stealing, all the worst things.

[@missbond7345]

Stealing what? Is knowledge something that could be stolen?

[@sutanukapal7928]

It's an amazing experience to watch these documentaries

[@naatyakalakshetra-bangalor6655]

Awesome compilation ,loved the journey of a great legend like Balamma

[@jayshrik]

Thank u so much for posting this!

[@neelimasridhar]

Great to see such iconic persona

[@BGR2024]

Wow... Such a remarkable journey...

[@naatyakalakshetra-bangalor6655]

Wish you can put more of her solo performances with the place she performed ,it will be nice too

[@vedapushpa9803]

To Be Surely Preserved for Posterity.

[@Likit257]

I lost all respect for Rukmini Devi after this.. she seemed so so so jealous.. and i wondered if she killed the dance of all its complexities and nuances.. in her pursuit to "purify" ... what she said was barely flattering or nice..

[@mopa9946]

While everyone is free to draw their own conclusions from such documentaries, it is advisable to pause for a bit, to remind ourselves that there are many sides to a story, especially in an oral tradition such as the Indian performing arts. Any black and white interpretation, given how much time has passed and that the main protagonists are not around to clear the air, does not serve any constructive purpose.

[@Powerpuff772]

Rukmini Devi was a HORRIBLE person

[@Powerpuff772]

@@mopa9946please don’t excuse rukminis horrible behaviors. She was not this great legend that everyone makes her out to be and was credited for “reviving” an art form that never died in the first place. Such disgusting abuse of privilege, caste, and so much more. What vulgarities? Such a casteism and colonel white brainwashed statement. Bharatanatyam was perfect the way it was before rukmini devi walked her big butt into the class and unfortunately appropriated and stripped it of all its essences, creating something so alien and disgustingly far away from what it actually is so that it’d be “acceptable” to Brahmins and Victorian brainwashed “theosophicals” Really, really sad, yet she’s regarded today as some stupid “hero” and you all keep saying “revived” and rebirth. How can you say there was a revival for a tradition that NEVER DIED but was oppressed? Shame on Rukmini and here disgusting supporters. Casteism, colorism, body shaming, and sooooo many more underlying problems. OPPRESSION of and STEALING from hereditary families. Rukmini “learned” for a mere two years from hereditary artist Mylaopre Gowri ammal after she unfortunately agreed to teach her after being rightfully reluctant before going off and feeling the audacity to start that idiotic “Kalakshetra” in the name of Brahminical “purity” and all the other bullshit horrible casteist things. Shun the hereditary people and carry on with the upper class stealing their traditions??? Disgusting. Please don’t try to be neutral or credit both sides without knowing a damn thing. Even Bala’s Grandson seems to be white washed and brainwashed by the upper class appropriators unfortunately which is such a horrible shame. Anyways, stop praising appropriators and thieves.

[@Powerpuff772]

@@mopa9946 please shut up. There are not “many sides to this story” it was complete cultural appropriation, casteism, and THEFT committed by people like Rukmini Arundale and E Krishna Iyer in pure brahminical hindutva cleansing and “purity” and to erase hereditary families and lineage whom these arts belong to. Bharatanatyam and Carnatic. please don’t comment on things when you don’t know a damn thing about them.

[@missbond7345]

It is easy to judge when we are in the comforts of posterity and hindsight. With Rukmini Devi, would Bharatanatyam even have survived until now? India was under colonial rule that was Victorian & having puritan elements was necessary to make it socially acceptable. And now we can talk about bringing back other aesthetics but first for it to be brought back, it had to survive.