The resilient dancer

Finding fuel in discouragement 

Venugobal, hailing from Visalakshithottam, Vaniyambadi is a dancer. His house is adorned by awards collected by him, his tokens of appreciation and more. In a family where his mother works as a maid, father an electrician, brother and sister as mechanic and tailor, respectively, Venugobal stands out as dancer, specialised in the form of streetstyle.

It was his friend, Arul who had introduced him to dance classes. However, he did not receive enough support from his household, as there was no guarantee of income from the artform.

He recounts himself being judged on the basis of his caste and not being given practice or a stage to perform. For a span of 3 years, he was made to sit out the dance competitions while the other disciples of the dance master participated. He now uses the discouragement to push himself beyond boundaries and perform better.

He is now taking free classes for several students and survives on the meagre income that he receives as fees from those who could afford to pay. His mother, hopeful that her son will progress further in life and have stages for himself, stands against the discouragement aimed at him.

Venugobal works to provide support to the next generation and expose them to new stages, helping them to grow with the help of their talent. He envisions the same for himself, as well.