Photo from Niday: Nidya and her almost 36 months old son, Vimalan.
I had lots of fun chatting with Nidya over ZOOM about her artistic practice, family, parenting and of course, songs.
She remembers a song sung to her fondly by her grandfather that she continues singing to her son. Each time she sings, she reminisces, as the song reminds her of earlier days she spent growing up in her grandparents’ house. She is associated with an environment of cool(er) weather and the ceiling fan, as well as the ‘rocking’ movement we as parents are oh so familiar with, as we were probably held the same way as our elders sang lullabies to us.
She sang me the tune, very beautifully, over zoom. It was heartfelt, very real. Stay connected with me to find out more along the way!
About Nidya
Nidya Shanthini Manokara is a mom-of-one who loves to have fun with her little Mr V!
On the professional front, she obtained her PhD in Theatre Studies from the National University of Singapore and holds a Diploma in Bharatanatyam. Dispelling the notion that everyday life and codified art are distinct entities, in her works Shanthini questions how far an urbanite can resonate contemporary issues with ideas inspired by her dance practice. Her notable works include her ongoing "Wandering Women", "Punar: Revisiting the Margam" (2019), "Mulled Wine" (2019), "Bitten: Return to our Roots" (2018) and "Becoming Mother" (2017).
P.S. Juggling mothering a toddler and 3rd trimester into pregnancy, as well as artistic practice, research work and not-so-artistic practice (some administrative work here and there), I am struggling a little to overcome the inertia of learning more about video editing to get my ZOOM interview videos out to you guys! Please bear with me and keep singing in the meantime!