Danseuse Sohini Roychowdhury takes ‘Feel’ to Europe through Bharatanatyam

In May, Bharatanatyam artiste Sohini Roychowdhury will embark on a unique cultural journey across Austria and Germany, bringing with her not just a performance, but a deeply rooted artistic and philosophical experience. Through a series of interactive sessions in schools and universities, she aims to connect with audiences ranging from young children to young adults, using movement, rhythm, and storytelling as her medium.Titled Feel, her initiative goes beyond conventional stage presentations. Instead of instructing, Roychowdhury invites her audience to experience—encouraging them to engage with emotion, stillness, and rhythm in a personal way. Her performances and interactions are designed to dissolve age barriers, creating a shared space where a five-year-old and a university student can respond to the same artistic impulse in different yet meaningful ways. Drawing from the Vedas and Puranas, Roychowdhury uses Bharatanatyam as both language and bridge. Her interpretation of Shiva moves away from distant mythology, presenting the deity as a living, breathing concept—symbolising rhythm, silence, creation, and dissolution. Through precise movements and expressive storytelling, she introduces the Navarasa, not as classical theory, but as relatable human emotions such as love, wonder, anger, and peace.What sets her work apart is its accessibility. In classrooms and auditoriums far from India, complex mythological ideas are made intimate and relatable. Young children instinctively respond to the sense of wonder, while older audiences engage with deeper themes of stillness and introspection. At the core of her presentations lies a subtle but powerful message about humanity’s connection with nature. Through her gestures and narratives, Roychowdhury highlights the elemental forces of wind, earth, and the cyclical nature of existence—encouraging audiences to reflect on their relationship with the natural world. As Roychowdhury puts it, “When Shiva speaks within us, we remember that humanity is one—and in that knowing, there is peace.”