The Many Gifts of Chandralekha
Reader's Digest India|January 2023
Remembering a master of movement, architect of modern Indian dance and a friend to all she met
Suresh Menon
The Many Gifts of Chandralekha

There was an aura about Chandra that lit up everything around her. Chandralekha-dancer and choreographer, activist and designer, poet and painter-had the gift of friendship. She had too the gift of elevating the most ordinary of actions-opening her gate or waving to a friend-into a narrative poem.

It didn't matter what time of day it was, Chandra always looked her best, gentle white hair framing a delicate face, with a red bindi on her forehead and kajal lining her expressive eyes. Her choice of colours spoke of a person who celebrated life and was keen to pass on its joys and excitements to anyone who met her. It was my wife, the sculptor Dimpy, who introduced me to Chandra and Dasrath, the iconic designer, at their Besant Nagar residence in Chennai which faced the Bay of Bengal. Dimpy's artistic sensibilities were highly refined; mine needed polishing. We were in our 20s then; in my case it was an age when I knew everything. What I didn't fathom, I put down to something lacking in what I was expected to understand. Initially, I didn't get Chandra or her art. I was too full of myself, a journalist, who had travelled the world and was raised in a family where Bharatnatyam was the dance form. My sister and some friends trained as dancers when young, so it was difficult to absorb the idea of someone questioning the very basis of the form. Truthfully, I hadn't given it a lot of thought. Chennai-and Chandra-gave me a second chance. After stints in Delhi and Dubai, I returned to work there. This time, we lived minutes away from Chandra, and we had a young son who then was a fan of the rock-opera Jesus Christ Superstar. Someone had given him a video, and Chandra came with her companion Sadanand for dinner and a viewing. 

Esta historia es de la edición January 2023 de Reader's Digest India.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición January 2023 de Reader's Digest India.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE READER'S DIGEST INDIAVer todo
Why Water Workouts Work
Reader's Digest India

Why Water Workouts Work

Swimming and other aquatic exercises have special benefits

time-read
3 minutos  |
June 2024
Surf's Up... Again
Reader's Digest India

Surf's Up... Again

A Hawaiian helps victims of a devastating fire in the most Hawaiian way possible

time-read
3 minutos  |
June 2024
HUMOUR in UNIFORM
Reader's Digest India

HUMOUR in UNIFORM

I got sloppy with my shaving one morning and nicked my skin.

time-read
1 min  |
June 2024
NEXT STOP: WHO KNOWS?
Reader's Digest India

NEXT STOP: WHO KNOWS?

We wanted to do a once-in-a-lifetime trek in northern Laos. Just getting there became the adventure

time-read
10+ minutos  |
June 2024
Leave the WILD Things Be
Reader's Digest India

Leave the WILD Things Be

Wild animals have been made to serve a variety of human needs, including recreational ones. It’s up to everyday folk to decry the use of animals for entertainment

time-read
6 minutos  |
June 2024
GOTCHA!
Reader's Digest India

GOTCHA!

We asked for it: What’s the best prank you ever pulled?

time-read
3 minutos  |
June 2024
Doing Dad's Bucket List
Reader's Digest India

Doing Dad's Bucket List

Laura Carney's father died suddenly, with unfinished business. So she started checking off the items for him

time-read
4 minutos  |
June 2024
Buried beneath a Mountain
Reader's Digest India

Buried beneath a Mountain

The amazing 17-day-long, multi-agency effort to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel

time-read
10 minutos  |
June 2024
IS EVERYONE ON OZEMPIC?
Reader's Digest India

IS EVERYONE ON OZEMPIC?

Everything you need to know about the new diabetes drugs shaping the weight-loss revolution

time-read
8 minutos  |
June 2024
DO MORE WITH YOUR TECH
Reader's Digest India

DO MORE WITH YOUR TECH

You're undoubtedly missing out on cool features that can help make life easier, safer and even more fun

time-read
9 minutos  |
June 2024