Living legend
T. S. PARTHASARATHY
NIRMALAM — The Genius of S. Sarada: Anita R. Ratnam — Editor; Pub. by Arangham Trust, 10, Cenotaph II Lane, Chennai-600018. Rs. 200.
"Srimathi Sarada is my right hand and is a rare embodiment of knowledge, devotion and artistic ability," wrote Rukmini Devi. One of her former students writes, "Listening to Peria Sarada teacher is like leafing through a precious manuscript and the information she provides is both profound and valuable." Others describe her as a `living legend', `mobile library' and `walking encyclopedia'. Sarada (91), who is happily in our midst today, was not only respected by generations of students of Kalakshetra but adored by them. She identified herself so totally with Kalakshetra that she was called its `the alter ago'.
Her grandfather, Pandit S. Subrahmanya Sastri of Thanjavur, was known as the `Pandit of Pandits' and he diligently taught her kavya, nataka, alankara and also vyakarana (grammar) at home. Sastri was an ardent Theosophist and when he was requested by Dr. Arundale to come to Chennai and work in the Adyar Library, he came in 1937 and settled down at Adyar till his end. It was Sastri who suggested the name Kalakshetra to the new institution and everyone accepted it. Sarada joined Kalakshetra in 1939 and with her proficiency in Sanskrit and her expert knowledge of the nuances of classical dance, she became the head of the research section handling the theory and practical classes for advanced students in Bharata Natyam. She became the chief adviser to Rukmini Devi and made a substantial contribution to the composition and production of more than 25 dance dramas choreographed by the latter.
Rukmini Devi would select the theme and it was Sarada's responsibility to ferret out all the relevant material on the subject. She greatly appreciated Sarada's industry and largely depended on her judgment.
Tributes
This book contains more than 50 tributes to Sarada mostly by her former students many of whom are presently eminent dancers and heads of dance schools in India and abroad. The savant Kapila Vatsyaya has paid rich tributes to Sarada for her erudition and decades of devoted service to Kalakshetra. The photographs and brief biographical notes on all the contributors have been furnished.
Sarada has also rendered another unique service to Bharata Natyam by writing the book Kalashetra — Rukmini Devi (Reminiscences by S. Sarada). It is a veritable treasure to posterity as it contains the memoir of Sarada's life at Kalakshetra, sketches of the eminent persons who shaped it and complete details of 26 dance drams staged by the artistes of the institution and the sources on which they were based.
Anita Ratnam, the editor and herself a former student of Kalakshetra and Lalitha Venkat, the associate editor have done an excellent job in consultation with G. Sundari, lifetime companion of Sarada. Admirers of Sarada will be happy that this book has been published while she is alive. The editor has added a note that the somewhat uncommon title `Nirmalam' for the book was chosen because it reflected "the soft, radiant and luminous nature of Sarada."
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