It is believed that the Natua dance tradition started with Lord Shiva. The word Natua itself may be a derivation of Nataraj, a depiction of Shiva as the cosmic dancer. For centuries together, the dance has continued as an integral part of Gajon rituals in Purulia , during the 3rd and 4th days of the Charok puja in honour of Lord Shiva. It is also occasionally performed during weddings. The most famous exponent of this tradition today is the 72 year old Hariram Kalindi.

Hariram belongs to a family of traditional Natua dancers. His father and grandfather and their ancestors, were Natuas and his sons and grandsons carry on the legacy. Natua is a threatened form and there numbers have dwindled to only a handful of groups in all of Purulia. 

In the past, hundreds of young men from various communities used to train under his father and grandfather as Natuas. But the rigours of the dance demand abundant food, and the shortage of this eventually forced them to move away to other occupations.  Hariram has been one of the lucky ones. Accustomed to performing only at local fairs near his village, he first came to the limelight in 1986 when the local authorities sent him to Delhi to perform at Apna Utsav. Recognized by the government after this significant event, he has since travelled across the state and various part of India with his group. His sons have even performed in Paris, thanks to the efforts of an NGO. He has also performed for television shows and is now easily recognized wherever he goes. 

Hariram has never been educated, opting to concentrate on dance rather than schooling. Given his obvious strength and good health, (he could lift huge dhaks and dhenkis with his teeth) he was offered a couple of jobs as a young man, in the police force and as a security guard. These too he turned down, declaring that he needed his dance more than wages.   More recently, he was offered yet another job by a supportive and sympathetic local administration that would support him in his old age. But Hariram has remained true to his calling and requested that his eldest son be given the job instead.

Besides teaching his two younger sons and grandsons, Hariram has taught his art to at least 15 other young men from the Mahato and Bauri communities.  Though his strength is not what it used to be, Hariram continues to perform with his group, leaving the more arduous and extreme parts of the performance to members of his group. But his passion for the form remains undiluted. It is an inner calling. It is this that has fed his soul and given him the motivation and strength to even walk all the way up to the Ajodhya Hill, several times over, to perform at fairs there. Even when he is not performing, he spends his time singing the songs of Natua. 

In spite of the support that he has no doubt received in the last decade or so, life has always been tough. Though his family owned some land in the past, they no longer have this. Thus, the four or five annual performances they receive (usually in the winter months) are the mainstay of their earnings along with a bit of bamboo basketry. The weaving is done by the women in the family and the baskets are sold at local fairs. 

Hariram has a favourite  story about the phenomenal strength of a Natua: One day,  a tigress and tiger were resting in a forest  when they spotted a  Natua dancer  returning home. The tigress challenged the tiger to overpower the man, but it was the Natua dancer who emerged the victor.   

His dance group, “Harijan Natua Nritya Hariram Kalindi” is now managed by his elder son, Gurupada Kalindi.