Gurucharanaambujha Nirabharabhaktah

The lotus feet of the Guru liberate from the birth-death cycle

Gurucharanaambujha Nirbharabhaktah
samsaradciraadbhava mukhtah

With the passing of my dance guru Radhakrishnan, an era has passed,- the era of dancing chalangais, tinkling nattuvangam,tireless and repeated rehearsals done with feverish pace to the grand finale of an Arangetram or a stage performance.It has slipped away quietly and swiftly, much in the manner of my Guru’s passing, leaving not a trace behind, only the fragrance of a bygone era.

Raadhai Saar, as he was known to his  close circle of students and friends  trained under the legendary Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai and took up Nattuvaangam for Kamala Lakshman, the famous disciple of Ramiah Pillai. Thereafter he started teaching Bharatha Natyam in various cities  where many conoisseurs spotted his talent and requested him to come over to their city and start  dance classes, promising him all help.It was one such assignment that brought him to Sindri, close to Dhanbad in Jharkhand, where my father was working. Raadhai Saar belonged to my mother’s native village of Kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, a place equally well known for industial barons who had their roots there as well as patronage of the fine arts. When one is away  and outside the native orbit, one tends to move in an emotional comfort zone, by seeking out people who  belong to your place. Raadhai Saar was known to my mother’s family and he had been told that my mother lived in Dhanbad, even before he embarked on his journey to Sindri.One Sunday, after finishing his classes in Sindri, he stepped out to look up my mother and thereby stepped  into my  childhood world-shaping and nurturing my aesthetic abilities. 

Mine was a musically inclined family. My mother was a good singer and since I did not have a good voice,she put me into dancing.I had already learnt the basic  Bharatha Natya addavus but at this point of time, my mother was keen that I adapt to the Ramiah Pillai school, with its emphasis on Nritya and Bhava. That was how I started learning from Raadhai Saar. It was hard work in the beginning; to relearn some and redefine many more addavus involving hours of rigorous practise. But Raadhai Saar was untiring in effort and unflagging in his almost child-like enthusiasm. He had the ability to achieve the best results without driving hard, patient and persevering  till the student got the Bhava and Addavu absolutely the way he wanted it. Herein was his greatest ability as a teacher-he was flexible. If a student had a problem in grasping or executing a movement, he would seamlessly alter it to an easier one, not for a moment losing sight of laya or tala. As a trained classical musician, he could effortlessly synchronize addavus with sangathis and mrugaas-for instance, he would choreograph a movement to match the elongated sangathi of the aananda nadanam aadinar pallavi in the Gopalakrishna Bharathi song of that name.

Learning with Radhai Saar was always very interesting. Under Raadhai’s guidance, my mother would sing the padams to which I would dance. Raadhai’s speciality was the Oothukadu Venkatakavi  Padams,  in which he never repeated a sangathi. His  vocal rendering and choreograph of “Parkadal alaimele “ ( immortalized by the great MLV) were exquisite.In those early days of rigorous addavu practice, I rememeber one particular gruelling session when nothing seemed to be going right.Sensing my frustration, Raadhai suddenly broke out into the lively folk dance of Kutrala Kuravinji set to the lilting Aananda Bhairavi song,” Pacchamalai Pavazhamalai”, completely transforming the mood  and need of the hour. 

Guru Raadhai taught  me for  a  short time, perhaps only three years or so but in these three years,I lived and breathed dance which is why, at the end of it, I turned out to be fit for an Arangetram ( Debut Dance Performance). Mine was the first and last Arangetram in the family and it almost became a social occasion, with relatives attending it and my grandparents even making me presents! It was a very happy occasion, with my mother and aunt singing the padams. After the Arangetram, there were a few stage performances but  somehow I started receding from the routine of daily and rigorous practice. Raadhai also left Dhanbad and I also got immersed in my educational pursuits. But we always got news about him. Radhai went on to teach in the Rishi Valley School and other prestigious places. The Tamil Nadu government also awarded him with a KALAIMAMANI title in recognition of his contributions to Bharatha Natyam. By then, my mother had also moved to Chennai  and she once again came in contact with Raadhai, who was leading a semi- retired life-earning pressures were off his shoulders and he was teaching and training dedicated students for the sake of art’s sake. 

Then suddenly last year, a strong desire to meet Guru Radhakrishnan possessed me. After fixing an appointment, I went over to meet him. I was seeing him after a gap of nearly forty years but was happy to see him, pretty much the same. Brisk and active at eighty-two, he was his usual warm self, playing host to the hilt. Together we rewound the past. He talked of his ongoing choreographs and I could catch a glimpse of the old sparkle in him. He insisted that we ( my mother was also with me) have lunch with him, his family hosting us with great affection. While leaving,I presented him with a cache of money, which he accepted after some persuasion. Later on , he was to call me to thank me for the “handsome”present.

That was the last time I saw him. The end came swiftly and peacefully. I always think of him as a competent Bharatha Natyam Guru, innovative yet never veering from his classical roots. Soft-spoken and simple, he lived according to his values. But the greatest legacy that he left  me was the aesthetic awareness that he created in me. Which is why I am able to transport myself into the celestial KANAGASABHAI reverberating with the Lord’s mighty dance, even when I am watching “Nadanam Aadinar” in a concert.

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