Raghunath Manet's place is among the stars of bharata-natyam. The thirty-three-year-old dancer from Pondicherry (a region of India under French protection) is considered the Indian Nureyev. Not only is he an extraordinary dancer, but Manet is also an excellent musician. When he expressed his desire to study bharata-natyam as a child, his family's disapproval led him to pursue musical training. Still grateful for his parents' strictness, Manet has the rare fortune of excelling in two parallel careers.
Perpetuating the centuries-old tradition of bharata-natyam as described in the Sillappadikaram treatise, Manet replicates its structure and geometric poses, the striking of feet adorned with golden bells, the undulations of the torso and neck, facial expressions, and the hand gestures known as mudras. However, he disrupts the interpretation inherited from British presence in India, which is modest and feminine, pushing it toward a virile and sensual turbulence. His art is the tandava, the male version of bharata-natyam (originally reserved for young girls performing in temples before deities), refreshed with modern choreography inserts. Possessing a sculpted body that could make the god Shiva envious, this aesthete of gesture and expressiveness captivates audiences at every performance.
His recent appearances in Avignon, at the Trianon, and at the Amphitheatre of the Opéra Bastille in Paris have been triumphant. Following this success is his latest show, Pondicherry, centered around the figure and talent of Indra Rajan—a no longer young bayadère expelled from the temple by the British—a sublime bharata-natyam dancer and an outstanding singer. Pondicherry features the last temple dancer known in India and one of her chosen, Subasree Natarajan, who embodies grace and feline spirit. The music in this work is also excellent: Manet, a graduate of the Kalakshetra Academy in Madras and an extraordinary veena player (a traditional South Indian instrument resembling a large lute), has selected the best percussionists from the Madras school for his show.
Additionally, the group of Pondicherry artists includes the enchanting mezzo-soprano Preema Kuman, who, behind a harmonium, accompanies the dancers with her singing. Pondicherry is more than a show; it is a true hymn to life that transports the audience thousands of miles away from everyday life into a world of rhythm, music, and dance.
