THE UNDOING DANCE Hardcover

Srividya Natarajan's "The Undoing Dance" is a compelling novel that explores the complex and often painful history of devadasis and the evolution of Bharatanatyam in newly independent India. The story centers on Kalyani, who comes from a lineage of celebrated devadasi dancers but must hide her heritage and abandon her mother, Rajayi, to secure a respectable life as the wife of a wealthy arts promoter in Madras. When a contemporary Bharatanatyam dancer sets out to film Rajayi's traditional dance repertoire, Kalyani's carefully constructed life is threatened as her past, and the profound art form it represents, begin to unravel, forcing her to confront societal prejudices and the true meaning of her artistic legacy.