Artiste sculpts her way through her love for Bharatanatyam

CHENNAI: In her olive green kurta, with little printed detailing in white, sat Brindha Kannamma,alongside the sculpture of a Bharatanatyam dancer in the making.

“My father, A Selvaraj, is an artiste, who settled down in Cholamandal Artists Village. My fondness for craft grew by observing him from close quarters. He persuaded me to take up medicine, but I knew I was meant to be an artiste, even as a teenager.” she says.

In 2015, the dancer tried her hands in sculpting, and shaped her first sculpture of lord Ganesha, which came out crafted well.

Also a trained classical Bharatanayam dancer, Brindha has rendered her love for the dance form through her sculpture, which took her two weeks to complete. ‘Narthaki doing a bhramari,’ is how she describes her artwork.

“As part of the Bronze Sculpture Camp at the Cholamandal Artists Village, I decided to put my skills to test, crafting one of the most difficult artwork yet. Molding the hot wax into a Bharatanayam dancer balancing on one foot, required patience and a keen eye for detailing,” describes the sculptor, who worked round the clock to perfect each part of the Narthaki doing a bhramari.

Brindha knew she would craft a Bharatanatyam dancer, as it represented her true self in the best possible way. “Being a true artiste, I let my art define me,” she states.

The beautifully crafted one-foot long sculpture, defines a frozen movement of the classical dance form, which captures the grace and poise of a dancer while circling. “Owning a sculpture is an investment, as the value of it will only go up. But the value for any sculpture adds on depending upon the work that has gone behind it,” the artiste highlights.

“Sculpting as an artwork, requires immense attentiveness and the resources for it,” which Brindha feels is a beautiful path to embark upon, if one is resolute for it.