I make my own rules, says Mallika Sarabhai

mallika sarabhai, a thinking dancer, acreative experimentalist and an activist is in kolkata for a private performanceof schubert’s . aprolific bharatnatyam and kuchipudi dancer, mallika is associated with the danceinstitute darpana academy which is also a centre for non-violence. she speaks to about her institute,creative dance and the message she wants to deliver to her audience, herforthcoming films and on mallika as a person. i am gratefulthat i have been brought up in a liberal family. my mother taught me that therewas no stronger line of communication than art. i strongly feel that we cannotremain custodial to traditional things. my performance cannot be restricted topleading in front of lord krishna when there are so many burning issues aroundus. we have to change. my use of bharatnatyam and kuchipudi, my use of theatreand storytelling is to get the issue and the idea across. i am a communicator and i use different languages tocommunicate with people. i deal with problems which are related to human lives.i use my art form to understand why the common people are easily manipulated andthe invalidity of the fear growing in them. i use dance to communicate to them.i challenge my audiences to sit up and think and realign themselves to theburning issues around them. it is the same as an activist — the onlydifference is that i use a different language. the centre works with schools, ngos and governmentbodies to create performances and creative projects dealing with social issues.for example, we organise workshops in schools where we try and make studentsunderstand the nature of violence. we ask them to maintain a diary where theycan write the events of the day. it may be seen what is violent behaviour to oneis not to another. the pattern is different. sometimes we play music forchildren and ask them to draw. we have noticed that after listening to technomusic they draw ragged lines and after listening to classical music they drawrounded images. we analyse behavioural patterns. of course, i am if only i get the right kind of role. my firstmalayalam film, danny, has been released recently. i am playing the lead role ofa 75-year-old retired school principal. the film is directed by national awardwinner t.v. chandran. i have also signed a bengali film which is written andwill be directed by jayabrato chatterjee. the film is about falling in love at50. the other characters are dimple kapadia and arjun chakraborty and theshooting will start at the end of this year. it will probably be called kichupolasher nesha. i love the city and the audience here. i make it a point to comeat least twice a year. i am just afacilitator in trying to open windows in people’s life. i am all ofthat but not bounded by any of them. it defines my personality. it just shows that imake my own rules.