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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Udupi Laxminarayan passes away
By S. Janaki
Well known Bharatanatyam guru Udupi Laxminarayan passed away in the early hours of 17 March 2015 in Chennai. He was 88. He was well versed in Sanskrit, classical music, Bharatanatyam, and the theory of dance.
Always immaculately dressed in traditional panchakaccham, jibba and neatly folded angavastram, soft-spoken Guru Laxminarayan maintained a low profile. When Sruti started working on his cover story in 1998, we initially did not make much headway. We finally invited him to the editorial office where Ed-in-chief Pattabhi Raman and I got him talking and he soon opened up and gave us an elaborate interview. His views on various aspects of dance were interesting; as was his life story.
Laxminarayan was born on 17 September 1926 into a family of Sanskrit scholars. He learnt Bharatanatyam from Guru Kanchipuram Ellappa Mudaliar and equipped himself further by passing the Government Higher Grade examination in Dance in 1963 with flying colours.
He started performing in dancer-actor Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury’s group and soon became a dancer in Indian films. He went on to direct dance in more than 50 films. In 1962 he launched his own dance company called Bharateeya Natya Manjari which presented classical, Oriental and contemporary dances. His dance-dramas and thematic presentations like Rukmini Swavamvaram, Dharma Moorti, Silpiyin Kanavu, Mayura Vijayam, and Tala Tala Tarangam were very popular and displayed his penchant for novelty. He was also dance director for Purandaradasa– a film with an all-children cast, made under the guidance of Swami Haridhos Giri.
After quitting films he started a dance school in Chennai called Natya Manjari. Among his senior disciples are his daughter Madhumathy Prakash, Sujatha Srinivasan, Anandavalli Sivanathan, Jayanthi Ramanujam, Emi Mayuri, Divya Kasturi, and Swathi Kamakshi, to name a few. Prabhu Deva – the incredibly flexible dancer in Indian films – learnt Bharatanatyam from Guru Laxminarayan. A DVD on ‘Kanchipuram Style of Dance’ was released in August 2012 during the celebration of 50 years of Natya Manjari.
Udupi Laxminarayan’s guru bhakti was exemplary. Year after year, for several decades, he organised Guru Charana Smaranam to pay tribute to his Guru Ellappa. He was the recipient of several awards like the Natya Kalanidhi from ABHAI, Acharya Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Kalaimamani from the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram, Karnataka Kalashree from the Karnataka State Government, Natya Kala Sarathy, and the Narthaka Award.
He published a book ‘Natanattil Pudiya Paathaigal’ which contains valuable information about dance. He has composed many items in Sanskrit for the Bharatanatyam repertoire, which his daughter Madhumathy has brought out as a book titled ‘Udupi Spoorti Ranjana’. Madhumathy and granddaughter Mamtha Rao are carrying on Guru Laxminarayan’s legacy.
(Sruti published a cover story on Udupi Laxminarayan in Sruti 167, August 1998.)
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R. Krishnaswami: a gentleman sabhanayaka
By S. Janaki
R. Krishnaswami, Hon. Secretary of the Narada Gana Sabha for almost 43 years, passed away in the early hours of 18 March in Chennai. He was 78. Though he was ailing and was undergoing dialysis thrice a week in the past few months, his interest and in the day-to-day running of the Sabha remained undiminished till the very end. It was a triumph of mind over matter. Though weak, just three days before his demise, he had inspected the maintenance work going on in the sabha premises. “A simple servant of music, Bharatanatyam and drama”, is how Krishnaswami liked to be known.
A senior advocate in the Madras High Court, Krishnaswami was better known as "the most well known face" of the Narada Gana Sabha, and he played a major role in bringing it to its present status. He was a gentleman, frank and forthright in his views as also in his dealings with others. He did not encourage nor put up with hanky-panky ways of seeking performance opportunities. He believed in offering quality programmes to members and rasikas.
He was a strong believer in tradition, but took bold steps when necessary. According to natyacharya V.P. Dhananjayan, in the late 1960s and 70s when other organisations shunned male artists, Krishnaswami boldly offered him programmes at the Narada Gana Sabha. It was a revolutionary step which gradually opened up opportunities for male Bharatanatyam artists.
He was a true connoisseur and patron of the arts. When the Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India (ABHAI) approached him for office space, he readily came forward to give a room in the sabha premises free of rent. ABHAI has been functioning there for almost 25 years.
Twenty years ago, when Sujatha Vijayaraghavan and K.S. Subramaniam – troubled parents of young dancers went to him with their tales of woe about the dance scene, it was R. Krishnaswami who suggested the creation of Natyarangam (the dance wing of Narada Gana Sabha) to break the pay-to-perform syndrome for young talent, and to generate awareness among the audience on various aspects of dance appreciation.
Managing the demands of artists, the audience, the finances and yet uphold a high level of professionalism is no mean task, and R. Krishnaswami, along with his team, successfully balanced all these aspects. In recognition of his service and contribution to the promotion and propagation of the performing arts, the Sruti Foundation honoured him with the M. Venkatakrishnan Memorial Award in 2010. He received the title of Kalaimamani from the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram.
He was President, Federation of Sabhas and held important positions in several cultural and religious organisations like the DKJ Trust, Tiruppunthuruthy Sri Narayana Teertha Trust, Asthika Samajam, Alwarpet, Gnanananda Seva Samajam, Brahmasri Papanasam Sivan Rasigar Sangam, the Mylapore Academy, and the Bharathi Vidyalaya.
He was a pious man and wrote several articles and books in English and Tamil on the arts, law, religion and spirituality. Under his leadership, the Sabha provided a major boost to Harikatha and nama sankertanam. As a Trustee of the G.A. Trust he was deeply involved in the development of the village and temple complex in Thennangur. His demise is a major loss to the world of music, dance and drama. <>
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Memorial for Mandolin Shrinivas
By Charukesi
“Truly, he was a world musician, representing India at the global level. I have played for him right from the beginning till almost the end!” said Vinayakram, after declaring the renovated hall open. “I have played similarly for M.S. and I cannot but recall it at this moment!” added the maestro.
“It took nearly three months for us to organize this memorial. We had started planning from December last year and we wanted to dedicate this for his students the world over” said his brother Rajesh. Mandolin Shrinivas, the young wizard had about one hundred and fifty disciples from India and abroad and fifty are from Chennai. Many of them are very young and enthusiastic.
Shivram, one of his students, had helped put together the show containing various photos and certificates and honours. The State of Maryland’s Certificate, the honorary citizenship given by Sharan Pratt Kelly, Mayor of the District of Columbia, USA, the Birudhu patra of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, and the National Citizen’s Award given by President Shankar Dayal Sharma are some of the few frames that decorated the walls.
A large number of photos showing Shrinivas in the company of dignitaries and national leaders could be seen. One picture in particular drew the attention of the invitees. It had Rajiv Gandhi, Chandrasekhar, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Sonia Gandhi and R. Venkataraman along with the entire troupe of Mandolin Shrinivas. Shrinivas was a pious man with close connections to Sathya Sai Baba, the Kanchi Acharya, Mother Teresa and former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam and therefore, a few frames of these have been displayed in the hall. He played the mandolin along with stalwarts such as Pandit Jasraj, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Bhimsen Joshi, Amjad Ali Khan and Zakir Hussain and no wonder pictures of these eminent artistes have found a place. Photos of his western instrumentalist-friends could also be seen.
R. Rajamani Rajkumar released a Shrinivas CD, which Vinayakram received.
“I had accompanied my father to a concert at the age of five. I saw an artiste playing mandolin and I was attracted towards the vadyam and its sound. I began learning from then on!” said Shrinivas in the CD.
It was a poignant moment for Shrinivas’s father who was seen talking to the guests with moist eyes.
Charukesi
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Criticism, malice and slander
By V Ramnarayan
A recent article in Sruti by a Bharatanatyam dancer seems to be a cry in anguish, a lament over the less than inspiring atmosphere in which our classical arts are seen to be performed. To quote the blogger, "The arts scene, especially in India, sometimes feels like Hollywood. We, as a society, pride ourselves on having resurrected the status of Art from when it was looked down upon and disrespected. It has its origin in worship, and even though it has moved from ritual to performance, we still proclaim it to be sacred. But look at the way it is talked about and perceived now. Besides the rampant politics, it is sensationalist and it is a “scene” where an words like “diva” are thrown around. Constructive criticism is often replaced by sarcasm and even malice."
The writer continues: ''What happens to art in all this? Where is the reverence? Is it possible to find beauty and silence in all this chatter? Is it possible to feel transformation for both the rasika and the artist, amidst all this noise?'' And again, ''Why are opinions valued so much? Immediately after a performance, what is most important to the artist? How he or she felt about the experience? Or what everyone else thought?''
Unfortunately, it is not only the so-called critics and rasikas who tend to vitiate the atmosphere with below-the-belt comments thrown away casually, with no regard for the feelings or reputation of their victims. Sometimes artists are themselves guilty of launching such unethical attacks on their colleagues and, in their eyes, their rivals. The discourse has sunk to an unacceptable low in the recent past.
No one is immune from such scurrilous assaults, it seems. Magazines are not, for sure, to go by some of the virulence launched at us on occasion. After we put one of our topnotch musicians on the cover a couple of years ago, one correspondent who should have known better, given his considerable age, asked us if we were financed by said artist. We drew his attention to the libel laws of the land, after which silence has reigned. In his defence, it could be said that he perhaps did not fancy the music of that particular artist, or that he liked some other musician's music more.
Much worse has been the bile directed at us after another cover story apparently riled an artist (not the subject of the cover story, but a fellow artist) so much that we have been accused of favouritism and much worse. And this, when we carry our commitment to impartiality and fairness to such extremes that other critics find us dull. Of course, the word ''artist'' is used in a loose sense here, for jealousy, cynicism and malice cannot an artist make, we are sure.
On another occasion, an author who merrily slandered musicians in print, took such strong objection to our mild criticism of his efforts that he described us as the Mylapore mafia. An artist-cum-critic we did not feature and therefore felt neglected called us a provincial magazine for that reason. Hell hath no fury like a performer scorned!
Wonder what Bharata--of Natya Sastra fame--whom every artiste swears by had to say about all this.
A recent article in Sruti by a Bharatanatyam dancer seems to be a cry in anguish, a lament over the less than inspiring atmosphere in which our classical arts are seen to be performed. To quote the blogger, "The arts scene, especially in India, sometimes feels like Hollywood. We, as a society, pride ourselves on having resurrected the status of Art from when it was looked down upon and disrespected. It has its origin in worship, and even though it has moved from ritual to performance, we still proclaim it to be sacred. But look at the way it is talked about and perceived now. Besides the rampant politics, it is sensationalist and it is a “scene” where an words like “diva” are thrown around. Constructive criticism is often replaced by sarcasm and even malice."
The writer continues: ''What happens to art in all this? Where is the reverence? Is it possible to find beauty and silence in all this chatter? Is it possible to feel transformation for both the rasika and the artist, amidst all this noise?'' And again, ''Why are opinions valued so much? Immediately after a performance, what is most important to the artist? How he or she felt about the experience? Or what everyone else thought?''
Unfortunately, it is not only the so-called critics and rasikas who tend to vitiate the atmosphere with below-the-belt comments thrown away casually, with no regard for the feelings or reputation of their victims. Sometimes artists are themselves guilty of launching such unethical attacks on their colleagues and, in their eyes, their rivals. The discourse has sunk to an unacceptable low in the recent past.
No one is immune from such scurrilous assaults, it seems. Magazines are not, for sure, to go by some of the virulence launched at us on occasion. After we put one of our topnotch musicians on the cover a couple of years ago, one correspondent who should have known better, given his considerable age, asked us if we were financed by said artist. We drew his attention to the libel laws of the land, after which silence has reigned. In his defence, it could be said that he perhaps did not fancy the music of that particular artist, or that he liked some other musician's music more.
Much worse has been the bile directed at us after another cover story apparently riled an artist (not the subject of the cover story, but a fellow artist) so much that we have been accused of favouritism and much worse. And this, when we carry our commitment to impartiality and fairness to such extremes that other critics find us dull. Of course, the word ''artist'' is used in a loose sense here, for jealousy, cynicism and malice cannot an artist make, we are sure.
On another occasion, an author who merrily slandered musicians in print, took such strong objection to our mild criticism of his efforts that he described us as the Mylapore mafia. An artist-cum-critic we did not feature and therefore felt neglected called us a provincial magazine for that reason. Hell hath no fury like a performer scorned!
Wonder what Bharata--of Natya Sastra fame--whom every artiste swears by had to say about all this.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Panguni Vizha
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Kalai Mudu Mani Award
Chennai based Hindustani vocalist Soumya Madangopal received the 'Kalai Mudu Mani' Award from the Department of Arts and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, on 8 April 2015. The award was presented by Minister for Textiles Gokula Indra.at the Collectors Office in Egmore, Chennai.
The award is in recognition of Soumya's work in the field of voice culture techniques and their application. She has trained several music students including playback singers.
Soumya hails from a music family. Her father the late R. Ranganathan was a committee member of the Madras Music Academy, and served as Secretary for some decades. Her mother Rajeswari Ranganathan is a graded Carnatic vocalist in All India Radio, and her brother R. Visweswaran was adept in Carnatic, Hindustani and Western music. Soumya is the niece of GNB, and granddaughter of Gudalur V. Narayanswami Iyer, who served as Principal of Hindu High School, Triplicane, as Secretary of Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, and was a member of the Experts Committee of the Madras Music Academy.
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Appreciating Carnatic Music
All those keen on acquiring an informed rasika's level of appreciation of Carnatic music, even if they have little or no prior knowledge of the art form, may register for this course and benefit. To learn more about the course, please go to https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc15_hs03/
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Violin Workshop
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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N. Sasidharan
Musicians for classical dance
By Anjana Anand
N. Sasidharan is a well known Bharatanatyam vocalist whose voice and presentation remind us of of his guru K. J Yesudas. A recipient of titles including that of Isai Chemmal and the Best Vocalist award Sri from Krishna Gana Sabha, Sasidharan believes that singing for dance has enriched his musical experience. He speaks to Sruti about his extensive training under his guru and his experience of over two decades in the Bharatanatyam field.
Tell us about your early exposure to music.
Music was not new to my family. My mother was a good singer and she was trained by Kanchipuram Naina Pillai. On my father’s side too, we had trained musicians. My aunt was a knowledgeable musician. Though none of them sang professionally, music was a part and parcel of their lives. I had no intention of becoming a musician. In fact, I had dreams of joining the army! My mother however felt that I had talent in music and that I should become a musician.
Your early gurus…
My mother Srimati N. Thirupurasundari was my first guru. After that, I was with Sri B.V Lakshmanan for about six years. I continued my training at the Chennai Music College. The turning point came when I met Dr. K. J. Yesudas. To this day, I continue my learning with him. I have also received training from Vidwan P. S . Narayanaswamy.
How has the experience of learning from Yesudas been?
Meeting Yesudas Sir was the biggest blessing in my life. When we went to his house for the first time as students from the Music College, I was awed by his gracious attitude. I sang for him and when I was leaving, he asked me to come whenever I was free to learn from him. I jumped at the chance and after my course, I came under his wing. It was true gurukulavasam. I would reach his house early morning, help with small household chores, listen to him practise and learn. When I was in a dilemma about taking music full time, my parents came to meet him. He said “That is not for me to decide. The decision has to come from Sasidharan. Only then will he understand the choice he is making”. He then said that if I planned to become a full time musician, I must increase my practice sessions. In a few days I made my decision and on January 14th 1987, my life charted a new course!
Having spent over 20 years in gurukulavasam, you must have many fond memories.
Yes absolutely! There is no better way to learn music than to be full time with your guru. It is not just about learning compositions. When you are with a guru who is as learned and devoted to his art as he is, every moment becomes a learning experience. I travelled with him and accompanied him on the tambura, listened to him teach, heard his film music recordings and discussions about music. He used to often talk about life.’ Love, marriage and day to day problems are all part of life. They will come and go.’ He said the mind must be focussed on what we are doing without getting distracted He also encouraged me to watch good films and not waste time on those which would not contribute to cultivating good taste. He would often say, 'Great artistes have given their life to music and enriched it. We are just standing at the shore of this vast ocean. It is only by tapas through your music that you can achieve a small percentage of your aspirations.' These little pointers have influenced my outlook on life and my music.
How did Bharatanatyam enter your life?
Well, I might say with marriage - as I married a dancer (Gayathri Sasidharan)! Initially, I had no connection with the field. I used to go to Gayathri’s performances but was not singing for Bharatanatyam. I was working in the Padma Seshadri school as a music teacher. An opportunity to sing for the Dhananjayans came at that time through a colleague. I remember the first time I met them. I entered a Bharatanatyam class for the first time! He stopped the class and asked me to sing. He then asked me with a smile if I had come to sing for Bharatanatyam because I was interested or because I was cornered! I laughed and replied truthfully that it was neither and that I had come with an open mind with no expectations or experience in this line! On 12thDecember 1994, another chapter in my life began.
Did you get any specific training?
Yes, both Master and Akka trained me in the nuances of singing for natyam. Both of them were extremely musical and taught me how to tailor my music to sing for Bharatanataym. I learnt how to watch the dancer and use music to create the mood needed. They spent a lot of time teaching me. We never recorded anything then. We notated everything. I had to focus and learn on the spot. My first performance was a recording. I remember the first tillana I sang; I had to repeat the pallavi 24 times! I was so tense but Shanta Akka encouraged and guided me. I can never forget the boost they gave me. My life as a Bharatanatyam vocalist began at Bharatakalanjali.
Did you continue teaching at Padma Seshadri?
No. I had to leave the job as rehearsals and performances took my time. Mrs YGP too was so magnanimous to let me resign with her blessings. She said that if at any time I wanted to go back, the doors would be open for me. I was touched. I feel that all these artistes and rasikas put art before their personal needs.
Do you sing for other Bharatanatyam artistes?
Yes. After many years of training at Bharata Kalanjali, I started singing for others.
Any regrets at not being a concert artiste?
Initially, I did feel bad that I could not pursue music as a mainstream vocalist. However, the high calibre of artistes I met and the challenges of singing for dance drew me into this field. I gradually found that my music was taking on another dimension because of singing for dance. Firstly, my attention to sahitya bhava improved tremendously. Secondly, finding ways to use the raga to highlight emotion opened up new ways of looking at raga delineation. As a musician, I have to be creative to decide whether a niraval, tanam or raga would be suitable to the dancer's sanchari bhava.
Can you give an example?
Once, Dhananjayan sir was performing the Tyagaraja kriti Nagumomu as part of a production. He asked me to sing and I sang in the same kala pramanam as I would in a music concert . He let me finish and then asked me to watch him do abhinaya to my music. There was a total mismatch! I then realized I was singing without paying attention to the sahitya and pace required for the dancer. For a Bharatanatyam artiste, the whole art form revolves around the sahitya. If I paid attention only to the raga bhava and not the sahitya, the music and dance would be on separate tracks! From that day on, I always ensured I knew the meaning of what I was singing.
Some musicians believe that sahitya bhava is secondary to raga bhava. Please comment.
As far as Bharatanatyam is concerned, I feel both are equal. One does not need to reduce the classical quality of the music to achieve emotion. We are just finding more ways to use the raga to create the desired effect. In that sense, the scope of the raga only increases.
Any advice for aspiring vocalists?
We have to first remember that the platform is shared by two art forms and both have to move forward together to create a shared space. A Bharatanatyam performance is only successful if the music supports the dance. As musicians, there should be no ego. We have to sing according to the way the dance is visualized. A key requirement to be a Bharatanatyam vocalist is adaptability and an open mind.
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TS Sankaran is no more
By Samudri
Chennai
9 April 2015
Veteran flute vidwan TS Sankaran, a disciple of TR Mahalingam, passed away at Chennai on
9th April. He was 85.
Sankaran was known for the subtle nuances of his music and delicate blowing technique. He was also a kind and generous man, with a strong patriotic streak in him.
Young flautist JA Jayanth, his grandson and prime disciple, has been hailed as one of the bright prospects in the Carnatic music concert circuit.
Chennai
9 April 2015
Veteran flute vidwan TS Sankaran, a disciple of TR Mahalingam, passed away at Chennai on
9th April. He was 85.
Sankaran was known for the subtle nuances of his music and delicate blowing technique. He was also a kind and generous man, with a strong patriotic streak in him.
Young flautist JA Jayanth, his grandson and prime disciple, has been hailed as one of the bright prospects in the Carnatic music concert circuit.
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Ghatam vidwan EM Subramaniam passes away
Another unsung hero exits
By Ghatam V Suresh
Eminent ghatam artiste, Sri E M Subramaniam, a quiet legend in every way, died of multiple organ failure this morning in a private hospital in Chennai. Having lost all his spinster siblings one by one earlier (he was unmarried as well), he had no blood relations. Gathered in mourning around his mortal remains today were an impressive line-up of his students at the Government Music College, Chennai, for some years.
Among the mourners was auto rickshaw driver Shankar who served EMS for close to 15 years--more as a son than a paid chauffeur. Heartwarmingly, Madurai Balasubramanian, a noble violinist, and a trustee of a voluntary trust, has taken up the duty of performing the last rites for Sri EMS. There were a handful of musicians visiting to pay their last respects to the percussionist, an amazingly power packed ghatam player for close to five decades. Nobody knew whom to console! As I went in for my turn, it struck me that the intricate, embellishing, entertaining laya contributions of this unpretentious artiste all these years that had been noticed by musicians, music lovers and connoisseurs had neither resulted in a reasonably comfortable life for him nor would their worth be hailed in perpetuity. May his soul rest in peace!
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Sruti Contributors honoured
Nritya Vachaspati Award for Dr. Sunil Kothari from Chancellor of Alliance University
on 28 April 2015 at Bangalore on the occasion of World Dance Day
Shrestha Kala Pracharak Award for Sujatha Vijayaraghavan,
from Ganesa Natyalaya, Delhi on its 41st anniversary, on 19 April 2015
Nataka Choodamani Award for Dr. Gowri Ramnarayan,
from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai on the inaugural day of the 23rd Chithirai Nataka Vizha, on 14 April 2015
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Remembering Veenapani
By Gowri Ramnarayan
What can you say when a friend dies of heart failure at age 67? An artiste with a singular aesthetic vision, intriguing creativity, amazing originality? A theatreperson whose intuitive grasp was matched by her intellectual acuity? A woman whose spiritual orientation did not distance, but sensitized her to the traumas of the material world? Whose one-of-a-kind theatre strove not for emotional catharsis, but epiphanic wisdom?
Veenapani Chawla’s pluralistic vision came from many fields. With postgraduate degrees in history and political philosophy, courses in piano and singing, voice training in London and theatre apprenticeship in Denmark, Veenapani acquired skills in several Indian performance traditions -- Mayurbhanj Chhau, Kalaripayattu, Koodiyattam and dhrupad.
When I first met young Veenapani in old Madras, I found her glance as arresting as her tasseled choli. We exchanged giggles as only adolescents can. Decades later, when we reconnected -- as theatre personality and journalist -- we instantly slipped back into that effortless camaraderie. I saw Veenapani was engaged not merely in creating theatre “shows”, brilliant as they were, but in building a modern performance methodology steeled by traditional Asian theories and techniques.
She told me, “Night after night, Koodiyattom maestro Ammanur Madhava Chakkiar refracted emotions with the same power and freshness. Watching him I realized that, by varying multiple patterns of breath, we can depict different shades of emotions accurately. Fear can even momentarily stop breath. Japanese Noh drama and Koodiyattam have honed breathing techniques for centuries. If we could create a hybrid methodology from different traditions, what infallible means we shall have to texture each moment in performance!”
With the next breath, she could say, “Wow!” as she bit into a piping hot potato bonda, dipped in roasted khuskhus, fresh from the kitchen, and add with a conspiratorial smile, “Shall we watch “Kakka Kakka” (a Tamil thriller!) tonight?” All her scholarship could not dislodge her childlike joy in small, unexpected things.
I knew the journey had not been easy. Veenapani had to virtually squeeze water out of rock. Her indefatigable fundraising efforts managed to establish her Adishakti theatre commune in Pondicherry, with residential quarters for the repertory, and a gem of a theatre. She conducted workshops to exchange knowledge with diverse experts, including the yearly Ramayana symposium. She had the endearing generosity to offer her space to other needy theatre persons for developing their work.
Veenapani’s internationally acclaimed theatre has been described as an amalgam of myth, metaphor and magic. Certainly much of her scriptwriting and directorial work reinvented myths with multidimensional meanings. Her “Impressions of Bhima” place the archetype in a subaltern landscape, with cartoon and caricature to inscape his psychical evolution. “Ganapati” reinterprets creation/creativity, by retelling primordial birth myths in a cyclical structure, from multiple perspectives. Her interactions with rhythms of many kinds, genres and folk traditions, found new narrative resonances in this play of few words.
In “Brhannala”, incomparable archer Arjuna crosses the gender divide to become a woman teacher of dance and music. Focusing on his name “Savyasachi” (ambidexterous), Veenapani melds science (Einstein), psychology (Niels Bohr), metaphysics (Sri Aurobindo) in actor Vinay Kumar’s superb movements, gestures and expressions. She shapes her own metaphors -- modern and universal -- to prove that polarities can be resolved in a startlingly new apprehension of reality.
Veenapani belonged to the tradition of epic makers who strove to dispel darkness, discover dharma. She embraced modern technology, relished layering hybridity. Pioneering such theatre was experimenting with truth, heightening sensuous and spiritual awareness.
Fortunately, Veenapani had the foresight to delegate responsibility, respect creativity in co-workers. Surely these legatees will find the adishakti, elemental power, to continue the quest.
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Veterans pass away
Adyar K. Rama Rao, veteran vocalist, nattuvangam artist and gottuvadyam player, passed away on 3 May 2015 in Chennai. He was the elder brother of Guru Adyar Lakshman, and an alumnus of Kalakshetra. He served his alma mater for several years and was also associated with Darpana Academy in Ahmedabad. He also provided accompaniment for senior Bharatanatyam exponent Komala Varadan in Delhi. On his return to Chennai he became part of the faculty in Vyjayantimala Bali's dance school and soon became an integral part of his brother Adyar Lakshman's institution Bharata Choodamani. ABHAI – Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India – honoured him with the title of Kala Seva Nidhi Lifetime Commitment Award in 2014.
G. Karunambal of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir, Mumbai, passed away on 29 April 2015. She was the daughter of natyacharya T. Kuppiah Pillai, wife of A.T. Govindaraja Pillai, and sister of Gurus T.K. Mahalingam Pillai and Kalyanasundaram Pillai. She and her husband were among the first teachers to travel to Bombay to teach Bharatanatyam. Starting with private tuitions they went on to become part and parcel of the Rajarajeswari school from the day it was founded in 1945. She was the leader of its cultural troupe which performed in 15 cities in America and Canada in 1995, as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Kala Mandir. She served as principal of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir for several years and trained over a hundred students including famous dancers like Damayanti Joshi, Kamini Kaushal, Nalini Jayawant, Guru Mani of Kalasadan, Praveena Vashi, Sudha Chandrasekher, Lakshmi Iyer, Jayam and Asha Amarnath.
Sruti's heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families.
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