Maalika, a gender change for the better

Maalika Girish Panicker, a Bharatanatyam exponent from Singapore, is in Hyderabad for the arangetram of her student Katyaini Reddy.  Maalika, who was born as Girish, was lucky to have joined Kalakshetra, Chennai, for her initial training in dance. The 44-year-old is proficient in Mohiniyattam and is a guru to nearly 200 students at her dance school Aakash Ganga. 

 

Having served as a dance teacher in Singapore Fine Arts Society, Maalika truly enjoys the feminine aspects of dance. It was, thus, a natural decision for her to go in for ‘gender change’ which is legal in Singapore.

 

Like Ardhanarishvara — an amalgamation of the male-female form in Lord Shiva — Maalika soon imbibed the two forms in her real life. “Art is a process which takes a lot of time to sink into the young minds. Therefore, it is a responsibility of the parents to guide the children. In Singapore, it is compulsory for every student to take up co-curricular activities and they also have an opportunity to go for Art Elective Programmes,” Maalika said. 

 

Talking about legendary artistes from India, Maalika said: “Actress Vyjayanthimala and Padmini have always fascinated me. I was always inspired by eminent dancer Kala Krishna who hails from this region. It was a pleasant surprise to see him perform in a female role on stage so gracefully. 

 

“I take lot of care in nurturing and training students. I do not want to teach in a hurry and I ensure that the soul of a student awakens through the medium of dance,” said Maalika.

— The writer is a musician, creator of ‘Jaywant Guitar’ and a freelance  photographer