Dr. Divyatha Arun, a bharatanatyam exponent and an alumnus of PSG IMSR, was awarded the title ‘YUVA KALA RATNA’ on Jan 6, 2018, as part of ‘Kadambari’ Music and Dance Festival, organised by PSG & Sons Charities at PSGIM grounds, Coimbatore.
Dr. Divyatha Arun, a bharatanatyam exponent and an alumnus of PSG IMSR, was awarded the title ‘YUVA KALA RATNA’ on Jan 6, 2018, as part of ‘Kadambari’ Music and Dance Festival, organised by PSG & Sons Charities at PSGIM grounds, Coimbatore. “The title is precious as it was given by my alma mater,” she says.
A consultant diabetologist at Diacon Hospital in Bengaluru, Dr. Divyatha has done her MRCP (UK) in General Medicine and further specialisation in diabetology. She efficiently handles her career and her passion -- bharatanatyam - thanks to proper planning and perseverance.
Divyatha’s interest in dance was identified early by her mother and she was put under the tutelage of Kalaimamani K.J. Sarasa. Though the Guru was a little apprehensive when she saw four-year-old Divyatha, she soon noticed the potential in the child and trained her seriously. K.J. Sarasa would travel from Chennai to Coimbatore, stay for 10 days or 2 weeks and train students here. A strict task master, she made sure little Divyatha learnt each one of her adavus, mudras and abhinayas perfectly and got her ready for her arangetram in just 2 years; the six-year-old on stage looked like a dancing doll. After that, opportunities started streaming in, and she performed at the inaugural of Natya Kala Conference at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai.
She has given more than 100 bharatanatyam performances at all the leading sabhas in Chennai, including Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, The Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Kartik Fine Arts, Bharat Kalachar, Mylapore Fine Arts, Parthasarathy Swami Sabha & Natya Rangam, to name a few. She has also performed in Tamil Isai Sangams in Pollachi, Karaikudi and Tirunelveli, Music Triangle - Mumbai and Perur Natyanjali Festival. And, among them, she cherishes her performances at the inauguration of Chidambaram Natyanjali in 1994, at the The Music Academy under the auspices of Rajalakshmi Fine Arts and her annual performances on the first day at Rajalakshmi Fine Arts, Coimbatore, during its September Season.
Divyatha won the prestigious Government of India Scholarship given by the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, New Delhi, and the Tamil Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram Scholarship.
A graded artiste with the Chennai Doordarshan, she has won ‘The Kamala Ranjan Award’ at the Spirit of Youth festival conducted by The Music Academy Chennai, ‘Seetharama Anjaneyalu Award’ given by the Krishna Gana Sabha Chennai, and the ‘Best Performer Award’ - from Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha for the year 2017, among others.
She has conducted lecture demonstrations on ‘The Works of Papanasam Sivan’, ‘Pada Varnams’ and ‘The Basic Adavus in Bharatanatyam’. Her thematic presentations include ‘MaragadaVadivae’- on Goddess Meenakshi, ‘Moham’- on love in the Universe, Margam, Rupakam & AshtaNayikas. She has also taken part in group productions such as ‘Meenakshi Kalyanam’, ‘Shakthi’, ‘Krishna’ & ‘Margam’- by Sarasalaya, besides, ‘Penn’ - by Shobana Balachandra.
Being a traditionalist, Divyatha sticks to the ‘Margam’ that includes the usual items starting with ‘Pushpanjali’ and ending with ‘Thillana’. Within that frame, she tries to improvise and showcase contemporary and relevant themes. She mostly follows her Guru’s choreography and whenever there is something new, works with a set of musicians and designs her own choreography. Divyatha knows Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English and a little bit of Sanskrit and Telugu, and makes sure she understands the compositions perfectly before setting out to choreograph.
An elegant performer, Divyatha is particularly fond of the varnams ‘Mohamana’ in Bhairavi by Ponnaiah Pillai and ‘Engum niraindha Param porulle’ in Panthuvarali by Madurai N Krishnan. She loves ‘padams’ and ‘Baaro Krishnayyaa’, ‘Thaayae Yashodaa’, ‘Yaarukaagilum Bhayamaa’ are some of her favourites.
A busy doctor and the mother of a toddler, she somehow steals time for practice. “This divine art form takes me closer to the Almighty. Dance is my prayer; my offering to God” she says.
She loves her medical profession with equal fervour. She feels blessed that she can treat and help the needy. “Medicine and Dance are my two eyes and I can't definitely choose between the two.”
Divyatha also trains a few students in bharatanatyam and hopes to start a school and pass on her art to more students.