My Identity is Not a Hurdle

From dancing in hidden corners to avoid snide comments to performing on stage in front of thousands of people, transgender Bharatnatyam dancer Narthaki Nataraj's journey is one full of resilience. Hailing from a small village in Tamil Nadu, Nataraj's passion for dance was ignited early on. Alongside her closest ally, Shakthi, a transwoman, she overcame societal neglect and together they pursued their shared dream of training in Bharatnatyam. Nataraj's performances have gained international acclaim, and she has been bestowed with several awards and honours for her contributions to dance and her role in breaking down gender barriers. She spoke to Anisha Reddy about her journey so far.

Beginning with your early life, could you shed some light on how Bharatnatyam became your passion? What challenges did you face to get to the stage you are at now?

What I am today, and who I am today is because of my identity and my passion for dance. I was born in a small village in Anuppanadi in Madurai in Tamil Nadu. It was a very dry village, in the sense, there were no art and cultural programmes. After receiving no support from my family, I made the tough choice to leave at the age of 11. 

But I had this imagination, this dream of dancing. My best friend, Shakthi (a transwoman), who is my strongest pillar of support, and I used to play on this huge ground in front of Sonaiya Temple. We would hang on the branches of a banyan tree, and that would be our gymnastics practice. But no one else used to play with us because of our identity. As a child, I did not understand why we were being neglected. So Shakthi and I decided to be a team. We would find lonely, deserted roads—the same roads our elders would warn us not to venture on because there might be ghosts—and practice our dance there. We picked these roads because no one could see what we were doing, so no one would have a problem with it. We picked these roads so that no one could abuse, humiliate or harass us.

We did not know the A-Z of dance, but we expressed ourselves and our bodies without hesitation. Years later, Shakthi and I started training under Kittappa Pillai’s gurukulam in Thanjavur. The motive was not of fame, but that of learning under the best. Now, I feel the most confident when I dance on a stage in front of a huge crowd.  

How did the dance form help you express your emotions and identity to the fullest?