AN INTERVIEW WITH PADMA BHUSHAN KALANIDHI NARAYANAN

Padma Bhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan is the guru of ‘abhinaya’ - the mimetic aspect of the art of Bharata Natyam. A dancer, housewife, mother and now a teacher, the hallmark of Kalanidhi’s approach to teaching dance, is to develop in her students an inner understanding of the songs and to let their interpretations evolve out of their own ideas and thoughts. Her lectures, demonstrations and workshops have elicited widespread interest in Europe and North America. In recent years, she has been a visiting scholar and teacher at the New York University and the University of Austin in the U.S.

Kalanidhi has choreographed and presented several dance programs focussing on 'abhinaya'. Her presentation is characterised by a touch of reticence and refinement-a style that lays emphasis on total involvement.

My mother was very interested in dance. In those days there used to be a big hue and cry about learning dance. My father would not have objected my mother learning, but others would not have accepted it. So she was very keen that I should be taught dance. My father’s friends were dance and music connoisseurs. They suggested that I be put under the guidance of a good dance master. So I started learning the rhythmic aspects of dance from Kannapa Pillai and 'abhinaya' from Gauri Ammal.

It was called the Kanjeevaram style. The famous Balasaraswathi belonged to this style.

In those days, dance classes used to be a daily affair. Not two or three times a week like these days. I remember I used to get up at 6.30 every morning, finish my chores and start dancing. I went to school only after the dance class. On weekends, the duration of the classes was longer. The teachers were committed and dedicated to the art. They used to devote time to teaching. They would want to popularise the art through the students. In today’s fast world nobody has the time to teach properly. So naturally the quality of dance has deteriorated.

In the olden days, only the 'Devadasis' (temple dancers) used to learn music and dance. After they had reached a certain level of perfection, they would perform in front of the teachers and a few known people. They would also give a gift to the teacher in kind, as in those days the teachers did not take fees. It was just a way of telling people that she is available for performances.

Nowadays, an arangetram is becoming a social symbol. It has become prohibitively expensive. Another thing that was unique in those days was that, the dance brochures given to the audience at the time of the show had the song and their meanings printed, to enable better understanding of the item.

The main reason for my discontinuing dance was the death of my masters, followed by my mother’s death. I lost interest and decided to stop. I got married when I was nineteen years old, had children and settled down to being a housewife. I had nothing to do with dance.

Thirty years later when I was forty-five years old, a very close friend of ours. Y G Doraiswamy who was a dance connoisseur came to my house and persuaded me to come back to dance as a teacher. He said he had one student who was ready to learn. That student was, the now famous Alarmel Valli. I asked my husband and my children who were grown up if I could teach. They consented and Valli started coming to my house to learn.

Yes, but for him I would not be where I am today. He encouraged me a lot. I used to accompany him to dance performances. After the performance, he would go up on stage and talk highly about me to the audience. This way people got to know me and I started getting students. Y G Doraiswamy had the knack of spotting talent. He brought out the talent of leading dancers like Alarmel Valli, Kanak Rele and Sonal Mansingh.

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