A Time to Dance, by Padma Venkatraman
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A Time to Dance, by Padma Venkatraman
PDF Ebook A Time to Dance, by Padma Venkatraman
Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit. Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.
A Time to Dance, by Padma Venkatraman - Amazon Sales Rank: #31671 in Books
- Brand: Speak
- Published on: 2015-05-12
- Released on: 2015-05-12
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.20" h x .90" w x 5.40" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 336 pages
A Time to Dance, by Padma Venkatraman From School Library Journal Gr 6 Up—Despite the pressure from her parents to become an engineer, Veda dreams of being a dancer. She studies the classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam, and has reached the competition finals. Impressed with her graceful lines and skill, the judges award her first place, and Veda is ecstatic. After posing for pictures, she is injured in an accident on the way home and her leg has to be amputated below the right knee. Devastated, she lies in her hospital bed devoid of hope until one day her doctor introduces her to a specialist from America. He sparks optimism in her because he understands that she needs to dance. Eventually Veda receives a prosthetic limb that allows her to walk and dance once again. She finds a new teacher for whom dance is more than a technical performance; it is an art form. Veda is placed with a student teacher, Govinda, who not only supports her as she relearns and strengthens her dancing but also becomes her friend. This exceptional novel, told entirely in verse, captures beautifully the emotions of a girl forced to deal with a number of challenges and how she overcomes them on her way to becoming a confident young woman. It is sure to appeal to readers who are also trying to find their place in the world.—Laura Fields Eason, Henry F. Moss Middle School, Bowling Green, KY
From Booklist *Starred Review* Veda lives with her warm, traditional parents and sweet grandmother, Paati. She blissfully expresses herself through dance, even though engineering is her expected career goal. When tragedy strikes, she struggles to find her rhythm using her new, severely diminished physicality. In Venkatraman’s delectably scented, sensual world, lyrically told through verse and through Veda, life is illuminated as a beautiful celebration of doing what comes naturally as well as one is able. Veda’s awakening of her gift throughout her altered body and revolutionary prosthesis provides a spiritually uplifting premise. As her dance instructor and love interest, Govinda, persuades her, “Our ancient scriptures say the best dancers must have ten talents: balance, agility, steadiness, grace, intelligence, dedication, hard work, the ability to sing well, to speak well, and to see deeply and expressively. You’ve only lost the first three talents. Only for a while.” The acclaimed author of Climbing the Stairs (2008) deftly shapes readers’ comprehension of physical ability into a new arc of understanding. To even have a passing thought that Veda is disabled, rather than differently abled, would be utter madness. Set amid a cardamom-, melted butter-, and semolina sojji-infused landscape, the novel’s emotional expression and accompanying music impel the reader to share Veda’s belief that “Shiva dances everywhere. In everyone. In everything.” Grades 7-12. --Gail Bush
Review "Venkatraman has created a rich, exotic, and fully human world that dazzles and delights. Her way with prose reflects Veda's with dancing: 'Nothing else fills me with as much elation as chasing down soaring music' This novel accomplishes exactly that."--Providence Sunday Journal"[A] powerful depiction of a teen girl struggling to recover from an accident."--The Chicago Tribune* " Set against a cardamom, melted butter, and semolina sojji-wafted landscape, the novel’s emotional expression and accompanying music impel the reader to share Veda’s belief that “Shiva dances everywhere. In everyone. In everything.”--Booklist, starred review* " A beautiful integration of art, religion, compassion and connection.”--Kirkus Reviews, starred review * “ Told in verse, this story is magnificently strong as Veda’s determination dances off the page and into the reader’s heart.”--VOYA, starred review * “This exceptional novel, told entirely in verse, captures beautifully the emotions of a girl forced to deal with a number of challenges and how she overcomes them on her way to becoming a confident young woman. It is sure to appeal to readers who are also trying to find their place in the world.”--School Library Journal, starred review — various
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Inspirational Story Set in Modern India By Sandra In A Time to Dance, Padma Venkatraman introduces readers to the dynamics of three generations of a contemporary Indian family. Even though the story is told through the perspective of the granddaughter, the reader is able to understand how the mother and grandmother’s choices affected their respective lives. Each character reveals a different layer of personal strength and sacrifice as they respond to the expectations of Indian culture.At a young age, the main character, Veda, develops a passion for dance and is willing to endure whatever is necessary to pursue her dream. Early on Veda shares her sentiments. “Pain is proof of my hard work, proof of my love for dance.”(18) This career objective puts her in direct conflict with her mother. She prefers that Veda excel in science or mathematics and eventually become an engineer. Despite her mother’s objections, Veda continues to study dance.After the emotional high of winning a Bharatanatyam dance competition, Veda’s aspirations are unexpectedly curtailed. A van accident causes the death of the driver and amputation of Veda’s right leg below the knee. Suddenly, her world that was previously filled with music is now silent. She candidly admits, “ I don’t know who I am anymore.” (45)Using first person verse, Padma showcases the physical and emotional challenges that Veda faces as she copes with her disability in Chennai, India. The author’s conscious word choice and simple structure promote a quick read that leaves a lasting impression.For consolation, Veda turns to her family members, friends, medical personnel, Hindu beliefs, and eventually dance. Veda’s special relationship with her grandmother, Paati, is highlighted. Her grandmother was widowhood at a young age. Bucking the Indian norm of her time, she became an independent woman who chose not to rely on anyone for financial support. Throughout the book, Paati offers tidbits of advice that help Veda come to terms with her situation. While in the hospital Paati says, “some things you never get used to being without.” 51Paati helps Veda overcome her anger and her belief that God punishes people. Paati comforts Veda by stating, “I believe in a compassionate God. To me, Karma is about making wise choices to create a better future. It’s taking responsibility for your actions. Karma helps me see every hurdle as a chance to grow into a stronger kinder soul.” 98As Veda learns to adjust to the limitation imposed by her disability, she is forced to deal with rude stares and inconsiderate words. She must dig deep to regain her confidence and to eliminate self-pity. A young American doctor gives her hope by fitting her for a state-of-the-art artificial limb that will have sufficient flexibility and range of motion for dance. His special attention to her plight causes her to fantasize about an unrealistic romantic relationship.Veda’s initial attempts to return to dance are disheartening and filled with frustrations. Her former dance instructor deflates her further with his callous actions and thoughtless words. “So many of us blessed with able bodies can’t meet the demands of a professional dancer’s life. Maybe for you it’s time for a new dream.” 118Veda’s grandmother once again helps her overcome a hurdle. She suggests a new school that focuses on pure abhinaya, emotional expression. This type of dance moves the mind and the heart, not just the body.After being accepted into a new program, she must start in a beginner’s class. As Veda perseveres, her character develops and matures further. A blossoming relationship with her new dance instructor adds a few tender moments.By the end of A Time to Dance, Veda is able to look past her disabilities by acknowledging her pain and loss. Despite her limitations, she ultimately regains the joyful dance spirit she had as a child. Her dancing takes on a new shape and form as she rediscovers her identity.Anyone unfamiliar with Indian culture, Bharatanatyam dance, or Hinduism will gain a significant amount of new information. Simultaneously, readers will enjoy an inspiring story about an Indian teenager’s desire to pursue her dream in the wake of a tragic accident. Young adults and adults will likewise be encouraged to overcome whatever barriers may be in their path.In exchange for an honest review, I received a copy of this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Awesome Novel in Verse By Crystal From the very first scene of the book, it is obvious that dance is not just something that Veda does, it is her passion. When she dances, she is fully alive and she feels beautiful. Her accident threatens to bring all of her dreams crashing down, but Veda finds the determination to start again. She has a doctor and family that believes in her and it helps that she is stubborn too.Not long ago, I saw a comment on Twitter about how not many young adult novels deal with religion. In A Time to Dance, religion and spirituality play a very big role. By the second page, the connection between God and dance has been made. Veda and her family visit a temple with sculptures of dancers on the walls. When she climbs up to see them, a priest explains, “You don’t have to climb ladders to reach God. He dances within all He creates.” In the aftermath of her accident and other issues she faces throughout the book, Veda questions her belief though. She questions the value of prayer and wonders what God is. Veda has a physical journey as she relearns how to walk and dance, but she also has a spiritual journey as she begins to see dance as more than just a skill to learn. As she had been competing and performing, she was working for the applause and awards, but she begins to learn that there is more to dance than she had imagined.I really appreciated the family relationships in the story. Her grandmother is very influential in her life. She models a spiritual life and she nurtures Veda daily with snacks, massages, hugs, listening and much more. Their relationship is beautiful. Her grandmother is also the person who suggests a new dance teacher for Veda – one who is focused on the emotional expression and devotion in dance and not on competition. This new school brings Veda much to think about and also happens to contain a young man who catches her eye.Padma Venkatraman manages to pack a lot of content into this book. Part of that economy is the verse format. I tend to gravitate towards novels in verse because I enjoy poetry and I find the format keeps me from speeding through a book. The poetry causes me to pause more and savor the text. Venkatraman’s writing brought me to tears, but also gave me many opportunities to smile. Above all, as Veda found out more about herself and explored her beliefs, readers will be likely to think about their own beliefs and spiritual life. Here is one quote that got me thinking:“Meditation isn’t about pushing your body,it’s about respecting it,the way you’d respectevery other space within which God dwells.”While reading A Time to Dance, I became curious about Bharatanatyam dance. There are many videos on YouTube and it was wonderful to see what it looked like. If you are unfamiliar with this dance form, I highly recommend seeking out some of the videos. Learning about this particular type of dance was fascinating. It was also intriguing to learn more about Shiva especially since I had just spent time in the Indian section of the Art Institute of Chicago last weekend and saw a great sculpture of Shiva as Lord of the Dance.Recommendation: Get this one soon. The story is rich and inspiring. Veda’s journey is one you won’t want to miss.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An amazing and moving read By kn_s I loved this book on so many levels. You can really feel and identify with Veda and her struggles through the vivid characterisation.Then you can identify with the art form brought to life by understanding the immersive devotion required by its practitioners. The author captured the spiritual and meditative release practicing any art offers. And the heartwarming story arc of not letting the loss of a limb and societal emphasis on physical perfection define you was the bonus.
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