This dancer’s performances are invariably tied to issues

After presenting ‘Nature and Us’ in 14 countries, Sohini Roychowdhury took it to COP26

Earlier this month, at the Adelaide Place Baptist Church in Glasgow, Lord Shiva performed the Tandava, enraged by the abuse of Mother Earth — the angry god played by the Kolkata-based Bharatanatyam dancer Sohini Roychowdhury, who said she was the only Indian to perform at COP26.

Her performance at the medieval church on November 11 lasted 20 minutes, during which she was accompanied by her son Rishi Dasgupta, 22, on the acoustic guitar.

“I performed Nature and Us, one of my key productions that I have been performing all over world stages. It’s about our umbilical connection with nature. I spoke of Shiva as Pashupatinath, the protector of the forests and flora and fauna, and as Neelkanth, who drank up the poison to save our oceans from toxic abuse, and performed the Tandava to depict Shiva destroying evil to refresh and recreate the purity that befits Mother Earth,” Ms. Roychowdhury told The Hindu from London, where she has more shows lined up.