One morning, a few weeks ago just as February had arrived, I drove to spend time with Meera Krishnamurti, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam artiste and a theatre person, who is also the woman behind creating Art on the Terrace, a spot of calm and of sharing in Chennai's Besant Nagar, and listen to how this space came to be.

Full of warmth, kindness and a sense of hospitality, Meera busied herself with fixing us both some jaggery-infused filter coffee while I walked around the Terrace, a space that resonates with a palpable sense of energy - both individual and collective - and infused, day after day, by the energy of its creator and all those who work to keep it quiet but alive with the arts.

In a quiet alleyway off in Besant Nagar, opposite the St John's School, Art on the Terrace, found its genesis in 2016 when Meera and her family had moved to Chennai after a long stint in the United States, and Bangalore, thereafter. “We lived on the first floor and I'd covered the terrace so we could use it as a practice pad. The Magic Lantern theatre group that I am a part of, used this as its rehearsal space, initially,” Meera says, recounting Terrace's early days, “But every day, the more time I spent here, I realised how beautiful this space is, throbbing with an energy of its own, and I felt this energy had to be shared with like-minded people.”

Growing up in a family of artists and with dance, music and drama as her constant companions, thanks to her father, Meera formally inaugurated Art on the Terrace in 2016 with a music performance that featured her niece, well-known classical musician, Ananya Ashok, who is currently based in the United States. Right from the start, Meera was keen on keeping things “informal and organic. I was and continue to always be open to wait for the dynamic of the experience to unfold in itself and for the magic to happen.”

As an intimate space that doubles up as a practice pad and a performance venue, Meera has allowed for Art on the Terrace to become a space for intimate experiences that are diverse, eclectic and inclusive, all at the same time. Over the years, storytelling and dance, music and art, textiles and weaves have found a home in this 600 sq ft that is dotted with plants on one side and sparkles with a quality of beauty that is inspired by simplicity.

In its own way, in a manner that is unfussy, Art on the Terrace has created for itself, a voice, and a following of its own. In 2017, a spontaneous decision to curate a Margazhi festival of its own, received a generous response from a bunch of artistes who supported it financially and made it work. “We managed to cover the cost of basic lights, sound and payment to the artistes,” Meera says.

Paarvai, as the Margazhi festival was titled, featured a host of performances by artistes, young, aspiring and experienced and was dotted with poetry readings that unfurled in a spontaneous way and had the participation and attention of an audience, no matter its size, elevated the experience of it all. “We are not hung up on some heavy duty marketing or going out of the way to invite people,” she says, “I still remember an event where a Tamil poet named Eshwar read his poetry to a tiny group of ten,” Meera says, “He used a small light and made the experience rather memorable.” After memorable please add this sentence. Terrace also has its own set of regulars. Since its inception, Pralayan’s Chennai Kalai Lushun has been using this space for its rehearsals.

With basic performance lights that work for dance, and performances alike, Meera's philosophy of sharing stems from her own journey as an artiste who is committed to learning, and growing, and not necessarily in a linear way. Her initial training in her childhood years was with Dr Padma Subrahmanyam. “I am still devoted to Padhu Akka and what her dance stands for,” Meera says, “But when I was a teenager, as I cycled my way through the streets of Besant Nagar, searching and dreaming, I drifted away and went to learn dance from Balagopal Sir in the Kalakshetra.” It is Balagopal who introduced Meera to Chandralekha, who was, at that point looking for dancers to travel with her for a performance to Russia.

“Needless to say,” Meera adds, “Chandra had a huge influence on me; even today, I think about the influence and inspiration I have drawn from her. I was only 17 when I met her and for more than ten years I was with her performing a whole host of her productions that include Angika, Lilavati, Prana, Yantra, Raaga, just to name a few.”

In 2012, following the birth of her second son, Shreyas, who had developmental challenges, and who needed assistance and therapy, Meera recognised her body and mind becoming rigid with the stress around, and within. “I felt a great need to open up the space within,” and Mohiniyattam came to her rescue.

As a student of Mohiniyattam, under the watchful eyes of Dr Neena Prasad, Meera continues to learn the nuances of the form and is hoping to get back to sharing her art, as a solo artiste, sometime soon. Meera's sense and understanding of energies also comes from her own initiation into healing and spending quality time with spiritual teachers and mind-body experts who have helped reinforce her faith in the body's ability to heal itself and the role of the mind in being able to do so.

“It's basically about celebrating the natural work of everything,” Meera says. In December 2022, Art on the Terrace kept itself busy with dancers from across the world using it to rehearse and share their art in small groups as well as a Margazhi festival that had full houses with arts lovers coming together to soak in the sanctity of this space and feel the energy that comes with the magic of collective sharing of energies. “I must add that I wouldn't be able to do this all without the support of my friends, Varsha Venugopal , Revathi and my son, Aniruddh Narayanan, who help with communications as well as being there during an event and ensuring that all goes well.” And by that she means in the most pure, unadulterated way!

Art on the Terrace is at 2nd cross, Customs Colony, Besant Nagar, Chennai.