A girl whose thoughts were filled with classical dance, when grown up, married into the royal family of Maharaja Sri Swathi Thirunal—whose contributions to Mohiniyattam are priceless, and whose lifetime is considered the golden era of Mohiniyattam. She considers it as a blessing. Now, years later, she has again been handpicked by the Almighty to portray the life of Adi Shankaracharya through dance. In this conversation with Gopika Varma, PSB Nambiar Sooryavamsham explores the inspiration, research, and process behind ‘Namami Shankaram’, a Mohiniyattam portrayal of Adi Shankaracharya’s life. A dancer often senses a spark for a new choreography. Can you tell us how ‘Namami Shankaram’ first took shape in your mind? I was invited to perform for Adi Shankara Jayanthi in Indore in March 2017. I was confused about what to perform. One day, I went to my friend Krithika Subramanian’s house for dinner. Her mother-in-law was reading a commentary on Adi Shankaracharya. I asked her f...