Masculine Rhythm

The ebb and flow of the life of a male Odissi dancer

- AISHA NAZAR

The morning sun really hits the hardest without caffeine in the bloodstream. I shielded my eyes with a single hand and squinted hard; left, right, left, and again, between two lanes. Several motorbikes zoomed past me, snapping me out of my concentration. I was in Brickfields where I was meant to meet someone. I looked for the likes of a wet market, just as I was told to. This was not supposed to be difficult, yet there I was, confounded and above all, in dire need of coffee.

A limber figure with a pair of bright yellow, knee-high rubber boots promptly appeared from the sun’s glare. It was my first time meeting Harenthiran Pulingam. “Call me Haren”, he said, wearing a wide smile and a tonne of confidence as he led the way. It was his area and he knew it well. At 38, Haren is a market vendor by day and a principal Indian classical dancer at Sutra Foundation by sundown. Outside his dancing profession, he helps run his family business of over two decades selling a variety of meat and fresh produce in a back alley wet market.

“My day starts as early as three in the morning every day,” he said as he skillfully cleaned a fish at his makeshift stall under the protective shade of several brightly coloured umbrellas. “About 20 years ago after I completed my STPM, I decided to help my parents because they were struggling with the business. I gave up on taking my Bachelor’s Degree but that didn’t stop me from dancing.”