The dance between ambition and adaptation

Politician Tejasvi Surya married Carnatic singer Sivasri Skandaprasad earlier this month with great fanfare and predictably some controversy.

- Shoba Narayan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP does not shy away from social media. He speaks his mind and does crazy things like opening an aircraft emergency exit. He doesn't seem to court controversy but doesn't shy away from it either. When he said not to bring bouquets, the florists took umbrage. In a video that he posted on X, he talks earnestly in Kannada about people waiting for hours to attend his wedding reception to bless him and his new wife. Surya is ambitious and wears his Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) opinions on his sleeve. He seeks attention and makes good choices, the latest being his choice of wife. All of which led me to wonder about ambition and adaptation.

In order to achieve anything in life, you need a few things: ambition, effort, persistence and luck come to mind. But one quality that is equally important is not spoken about as much. Ambition requires nimbleness and adaptation. You need to change your stance, quite literally sometimes.

Consider Bharatanatyam dancer Malavika Sarukkai who premiered "Beeja: earth seed" at Chowdiah Hall in Bengaluru. The bravura performance, supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, connected the flora and fauna of planet earth with story, song and dance. Lots of senior Bharatanatyam dancers, including Praveen Kumar, founder of Chithkala School in South Bangalore, were in attendance. All spoke about how "Mala-akka," as she is called, adapts and evolves the dance form that is her metier to suit the circumstance and time.