Yato hastah tato drishṭih|
Yato drishṭih tato manah|
Yato manah tato bāvah|
Yato bāvah tato rasah|
"Where the hands go, the eyes follow;
Where the eyes go, the mind follows;
Where the mind is, there goes the expression;
Where the expression is, ther...
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•••
Chandni had never seen her life having so many things with regards to her occurring all at the same time.
On one side, her parents, along with Aakash's, were going to an astrologer to check about their wedding dates.
On the other hand, there was her dance class sessions with her two favourite students—Rakshan and Aakash.
Then there was the rigorous practice sessions for the Chidambaram performance.
Of course it was one of the longest Varnams that they were going to perform but it would be suitable for dancing parts of it solo and parts of it together as a group.
The entire month had flown by through a blur of Aakash and dancing but Chandni couldn't ask for anything better; especially with the former part.
It was a day in the Chidambaram-performance practice, almost coming to a wrap what with mere weeks left for the day.
They had chosen to practice Varnam in the end, halfway through which Aakash came to the class like he did whenever he got off work early enough to watch them dance or sometimes even dance some adavus with them for icebreaker.
Chandni's expressions through the Varnam turned naturalistic as she pleaded her Sakhi to not play with her at this time and to bring her swami to her.
In the anupallavi, Chandni looked visibly flushed, especially while explaining to her Sakhi that her swami was to be called for "ullasa villasa kalaavum nilaavil kulaava".
She could barely look towards Aakash because her true emotions were hanging by a thread, ready to unleash themselves during...er...certain verses of the Varnam, what with their meanings and all.
Chandni remembered feeling embarrassed the first time she was taught this Varnam.
She was just twelve, two years prior to her arangetram.
Aisha had somehow brought the expression by faking it back then, although now it came naturally.
But Chandni had struggled.
She never allowed herself or paid mind to romantic feelings. When her teacher had explained that the meaning was about the lead pleading their friend to not jest with them at this time, and requests the friend to bring Lord Vishnu, Chandni had nailed the part.
But later on, when the meaning got more risqué and more on the romantic side of devotion, she'd felt nothing but awkward.
It was upon Aisha telling her to imagine anyone or anything inanimate to show her love towards did Chandni get the hang of it.
