When you think of a Bharatnatyam dancer, you think of a woman with a big bindi, beautiful kohl-lined eyes, draped in a bright Kanjivaram saree and jewellery. Charles Ma breaks those stereotypes. Born and raised in Bangalore, he’s a Bharatnatyam dancer of mixed Northeast Indian, Nepalese, and ethnic Chinese heritage. Here, from his home in Bangalore, Charles shares with me, Mehar, how he wants to return to the roots of the Bharatnatyam tradition and how dance is a reflection of life.