00:00In the early morning hours, Karenden is a fishmonger, but as the night falls, his other
00:12story comes alive.
00:25Leading a double life for nearly 20 years, this Kuala Lumpur native is a familiar face
00:31at the wet market in Brickfields, where he sells fish at his family's stall.
00:43Helping his parents since the age of 12, Karenden has mastered the art of gutting, slicing,
00:50and selling fresh fish.
00:52And surprisingly, it's these same hands that move rhythmically when he dances to music.
00:59As the principal dancer and teacher at Sutra Dance Theatre in Kuala Lumpur, he told FMC
01:05Lifestyle that his fascination with traditional Indian dance began when he was a child.
01:12So I started to dance when I was nine years old.
01:16My auntie used to be a dancer.
01:18So I used to see her, how she danced and everything.
01:21Somehow I got attracted to it.
01:24Karenden has decades of training in Odissi, Bharatanatyam, ballet, and contemporary dance,
01:31and has performed major roles in many of Sutra's productions.
01:36He has even toured worldwide to showcase his talents.
01:40As one of very few male dancers in the country at the time, he said that convincing his family
01:47about his passion for dance wasn't easy.
01:51That's very tough.
01:53Actually, my parents, not my parents, my grandfather, my grandfather who said, you are not allowed
01:59to dance.
02:01And on top of that, I'm the first male grandson.
02:04Boys cannot dance.
02:05He straight away said, ah, boys cannot dance.
02:07It's only meant for girls.
02:08I said, no, I see boys dancing on TV.
02:17Today, his family couldn't be prouder of him as he juggles both careers.
02:30Every day after completing deliveries on his motorbike, Karenden and his mother clean up
02:35the stall around noon before heading back to their home in Patalingjaya.
02:46After freshening up, he gathers his costume and heads to Sutra Dance Theatre, where he
02:52transitions into an elegant odyssey dancer.
03:01For this 39-year-old, there's little distinction between the market and the dance floor, for
03:06he shines in both arenas.
03:08Maybe for me, I'm very used to it already.
03:11For outsiders, they'd be like, wow, you are this, and to that, to, as if like, that extreme
03:17to this extreme, but actually it's not, it's both are same.
03:21It's both are same.
03:23My work is my rice bowl.
03:26And this is my passion.
03:28I never say that, oh, working in market means you are just downgraded, you are dancers means
03:33you upgrade.
03:34No such things.
03:35Same.
03:37As Karenden continues to light up the stage, his story reminds us that you really can have
03:43it all if you're willing to put in the hard work and keep your passion alive.
03:48Divya Raghu, FMT Lifestyle.
