“I used to follow my mother to pick up my sisters from their dance class and I would sit on her lap as we waited for the class to finish. I loved everything that was happening within the four walls, and it was such a magical experience for me,” he told FMT.

Vesh decided at that time that he wanted to be part of this world and by the time he was nine years old, he had already choreographed his first dance.

“I started training with the Temple of Fine Arts when I was 15,” said the 27-year-old who dances Bharata Natyam and Odissi.

He explained that the difference between the two classical dances is that Bharata Natyam originates from Tamil Nadu in southern India, while Odissi comes from Orissa (presently known as Odisha).

When he was 17, Vesh started his tutelage under Malaysia’s classical dance legend, Ramli Ibrahim.

In fact, he describes his most memorable performance as playing one of the main characters in “Ganjam”, a production by Ramli that was staged at Istana Budaya in 2015.

“It was then that I realised that the art is bigger than me, and it was not about me as an artist. That humbled me,” he said, adding that this realisation has stayed with him ever since.

The impact of the pandemic

Today, Vesh is also a teacher with his own school, Waran Academy. He started teaching when he was 16.

So, how has the Bharata Natyam and Odissi dance scene been affected by the outbreak?

“The pandemic changed the whole scene as classes had to be moved online, which was very challenging. Although it’s possible, it’s not the same,” he admitted.

Vesh added that moving classes online because of the lockdown took a toll on the teacher-student relationship.

Additionally, teaching through the screen also slowed the learning process of a student due to space constraints for practice and at times, even sporadic internet connectivity.

“Prior to the pandemic, although there were more schools opening, the scene was not really boisterous and, in my opinion, the situation deteriorated when the pandemic hit mainly because of the challenges of teaching through an online platform.”

However, according to Vesh, he observed that something began changing towards the end of last year.

“I started receiving more enquiries about classes and I believe today, things are starting to pick up.”

There is another fascinating change taking place.

“I find that the reception from people of other races is more visible now. A decade ago, I don’t remember seeing non-Indian students in my school.

“These days, I can see more Malays, Chinese and even Caucasians who are learning, performing, and even teaching,” he said, adding that some are even sending their children for classes.

He attributes this to the power of social media.

“During the pandemic, apart from classes, performances and even marketing activities had to be moved online. This, in turn, has increased its exposure and made it accessible to the wider community,” he shared, adding that prior to the pandemic, only 30% of the promotion was done online while the rest was dependent on word of mouth.

“There are also a lot of videos of Bharata Natyam performers of different races trending on TikTok. Viewers probably get intrigued or even curious by these videos, and subsequently decide to give it a try.”

What is also interesting is that this traditional dance form is attracting a younger group of people now.

“When I first started teaching, I had more students who were above the age of 40. But these days, there are more children and teenagers joining my classes and most of them get curious because of what they see on social media,” he shared.

“Even among the wider community in Malaysia, there seems to be an increased number of ‘arangetram’ (first formal performance) with a lot of young children involved. In fact, some of them are as young as seven or eight years old,” he explained.

Still appreciated

Vesh said he believed that parents were beginning to value this traditional art form more, and were sending their children for classes, with those of other races.

“It’s important to preserve such a rich heritage so that it doesn’t go extinct or forgotten. We need to know our roots because it’s our identity, and our identity is who we are.”

Waran Academy
9-0B, Lorong Bendahara 2
Sentosa Commercial Centre
Klang
Selangor

Contact: 012-495 0620