Krupa Ravi elaborates how Bharatnatayam shaped her personality not just as an artist, but a leader and mother

When it comes to performing arts, it is believed that years of practice and discipline leave a mark that extends far beyond performance. In the special segment of TOI Women, as we connected with Krupa Ravi, a renowned Bharatnatayam performer, she highlighted how the discipline, emotional depth, and storytelling embedded within the art form seamlessly got carried into her roles as a leader, a mother, and a performer.

It influenced and is still leading the way she navigates both personal and professional spaces while balancing her work at Argusoft.“The discipline, commitment, and dedication that learning Bharatanatyam or any other artform requires continue to refine my personality as a leader. I recall being on a multi-city tour in North America several years ago, where I had to push my limits physically and mentally to be able to perform on stage,” she said while speaking to us exclusively.

“Getting through such situations has helped me see the larger purpose and vision on difficult days, and as a leader, to show up in tough times. Thereby empowering my team to be able to do so,” she continued.Further, sharing how the classical dance form impacted her role as a mother, she mentioned, “I feel I can story-tell and carry myself joyfully with empathy, around my kids - little things like switching into characters and enacting stories to help them shift their energies when needed, and moving and vocalizing like animals they like.”

“But more importantly also pass on the artform to them joyfully and playfully, helping them build emotional awareness and intelligence as well as empathy - becomes a bonding activity that leads to a stronger parent-child connection built on authenticity,” Krupa added.“As an artist, I see stories, imagination, metaphors in the mundane - trying to make meaning of the world around us in the seen and unseen. I also believe that the discipline that Bharatanatyam training requires has made me also realise the responsibility of artists to create art that represents the people and stories that aren’t often heard,” she said as we concluded our conversation.