Meet the 'doctor of Kuchipudi'

CHENNAI: For most people, medicine and classical dance belong to two completely different worlds but for this interventional radiologist and Kuchipudi artiste, Dr Pranamya Suri the two are inseparable. I don't think it's possible to compartmentalise medicine and dance," she says.

As an interventional spine physician, her work revolves around understanding movement and the human body. Years of Kuchipudi training have given her what she calls a "unique functional perspective" on the spine. In turn, medicine has transformed the way she understands movement, anatomy and her own body as a performer.

"Being a dancer makes me a better doctor, and being a doctor makes me a better dancer," she says. "At their core, both disciplines are rooted in empathy. Dance asks you to step into another person's world, just as medicine asks you to understand your patient's perspective."

"Performing at the Music Academy is deeply meaningful to me. It is one of the most revered stages in the world of dance, and every dancer dreams of performing there. To stand on that stage is both an honour and a responsibility," she shares.

Among the evening's programmes , two pieces hold a particularly special place in her heart—Marulu Minchera and Natesha Kauthvam. Marulu Minchera unfolds around the motif of a flower. The piece portrays a nayika waiting for her beloved in a garden, measuring the passage of time through flowers before finally rejoicing in his arrival. Comparing his face to the moon, she says she blossoms in his love just as a water lily blooms under moonlight, before beseeching him to hold her close.she explains

Equally significant is Natesha Kauthvam, a composition by Sri Ganga Muthu Nattuvanar in Hamsadhwani ragam and Adi tala, choreographed by Padma Bhushan Dr Vempati Chinna Satyam. The piece celebrates Lord Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. "Learning, practising and performing this piece has been a deeply humbling experience for me," she says, adding that "My mother poured her heart into creating this piece for me, while Guru Jaikishore Mosalikanti taught me Natesha Kauthvam line by line, movement by movement. I am deeply grateful to have gurus who have guided me with such precision, love, knowledge and patience,".

Pranamya is also committed to taking Kuchipudi to wider audiences through Natyanjali Kuchipudi Dance School in Dallas, Texas. Recalling a performance at the Dallas Museum of Art, she says international audiences have shown remarkable curiosity and appreciation for Indian classical traditions.

Summing up what she hopes the audience experience during her recital, she says, "Dance is so much more than geometry, technique, or physical movement. It brings a sense of unconditional, unmatched joy that is difficult to put into words. Every time I dance, I feel this incredible surge of joy, and that is what I hope to share with the audience."

Dr Pranamya Suri will present her solo Kuchipudi recital on July 9 at 7.30 pm at Kasturi Srinivasan Hall, The Music Academy, Chennai.