Dancer and academic RLV Ramakrishnan wants to perform Mohiniyattam at every stage in Kerala. “That is how I plan to protest against the racist and casteist slurs made against me,” says Ramakrishnan in an interview with The Hindu.
Reacting to the unseemly remarks made by a veteran Mohiniyattam dancer and teacher, the 46-year-old dancer says he plans to initiate legal action against her and also protest against her remarks in an artistic way by performing all across Kerala.
A few days ago, Kalamandalam Sathyabhama Jr., a senior Mohiniyattam dancer, said that those with dusky complexion, men and women, should not dance on stage. During an interview with a YouTube channel, she went on to say that men, especially, those who are not good-looking, should refrain from dance recitals. Without specifically naming Ramakrishnan, she included several innuendos about a “dark-skinned Mohiniyattam dancer from Chalakudy”, that indicated who she was targetting. Ramakrishnan not only hails from Chalakudy but also runs a dance school there.
