The Dance of Passion and Purpose

By LIM HWEI SHUEAN

N Miruthula, has been enthralled by the concept of dance since her early childhood. At the age of five, she started her journey in the local Indian classical dance scene, Bharatanatyam. Attending Bharatanatyam lessons once every week on Sunday, she slowly but surely made her way to performing her debut dance solo, Arangetram, 11 years later. This was where she was inspired to take the opportunity to raise funds for SHF.

Dance for a good cause

Miruthula was set to take the limelight in January 2024 to perform her Arangetram.  She was inspired by the tagline of her school’s annual dance to “Perform with purpose”. Money collected from the ticket sales of these shows are donated to an organisation. Miruthula was driven to give back to society. In December 2023, with the encouragement of her dance teacher, known as her Guru, she decided to raise funds at her debut dance performance.

Recognising the value of a healthy heart

She decided on the theme of her performance – Hridaya, which means heart. Hridaya has two meanings. Firstly, Hridaya – the anatomical heart – is the source of all life. Secondly, Hridaya is a place where passions are ignited.

Miruthula had a passion for dance, and a healthy heart which enabled her to pursue her passion. However, she understood that not everyone has the privilege of having a healthy heart like she has to pursue his/her passion. She believes that a life without passion would be meaningless.

Passion is her motivation.

“Many can’t afford to pursue the things that give their life meaning, due to the condition of their Hridayas and I wanted to change this”, Miruthula explained. Hence in alignment with SHF’s mission of championing heart health, Miruthula, together with her mum, resolved to raise funds for SHF, through Giving.sg.

The challenges

The process of fundraising for SHF was fruitful but challenging. Miruthula had to juggle both her projects at the same time.

Not only did she have to attend many practice lessons in December and January to prepare for her performance, but she also had to complete the paperwork needed for the fundraising to proceed smoothly. Despite this challenge, she managed to accomplish her endeavour; she was fortunate to have extensive help from her Guru’s husband, whom she affectionally looked upon as Murali Uncle.

The fruits of fundraising

Her efforts proved worthwhile because of its impact. At the end of her three-month campaign in March 2024, she raised over $1,000.

“I feel overjoyed thinking about how many people this could have a positive impact on!” Miruthula explained when asked about how she felt at the end of the fundraising campaign.

Are you inspired by Miruthula’s story to fundraise for SHF? Learn how you could support SHF’s work here.