what distinguished Balamani was her preference for destitute women who were disenfranchised by anti-devadasi legislation. Her company, it has been noted, was in fact ‘almost an asylum for women who needed shelter and security’. Of course, none of this alleviated the stigma that came with being ‘the dancing girl’ of Kumbakonam, but Balamani flourished as a businesswoman and a patron of the arts, as much as an individual of singular personality.
