Multi-talented Tiruchi artiste Sandhya shares her knowledge with underprivileged children

Whether it is silambam, karate or Bharatanatyam, T Sandhya is always in the groove to both teach and learn

Grace and finesse mesh as T Sandhya wields her Silambam staff and shows the moves to her students at the grounds of the Pudukottai Palace in Tiruchi. Dressed in Bharatanatyam costume, she commands attention not just as a martial arts teacher, but also as a dancer.

“People often wonder why I chose to learn Silambam (the ceremonial folk art of stick-fighting), karate and Bharatanatyam simultaneously. After all, how could martial arts ever be compared to a classical dance? But if you observe carefully, all three have a certain ‘nalinam’ (elegance),” says Sandhya.

The 23-year-old started training in Silambam and karate under her master Karthik Raghunath, who also taught her Bharatanatyam, when she was in senior school. “My master is my mentor and like a foster father to me, who has guided me all along,” says Sandhya.

She followed up the home-based dance training by joining degree programmes in Bharatanatyam at Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, Tiruchi. Among her Masters course projects was a comparative study of 20 ‘adavus’ (gestures) of Bharatanatyam and Silambam.

Sandhya is currently pursuing an M.Phil in dance from Tamil University in Thanjavur, where she is researching five folk dances — sakkai attam, ettukutchi attam, oyilattam, kolattam and karagattam – of Tiruchi district. “Every folk dance has variations that are intrinsic to the region, which is interesting to observe,” says Sandhya.

She is also skilled in parai drumming.

Sandhya’s days are packed with lessons for others and herself.