Tribute to a guru
SUBHA J. RAO
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Three generations of dancers shared the stage during a recent arangetram.
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PASSING ON KNOWLEDGE: K.J.Sarasa (centre) with Lavanya (right) and Saranya.
When Bharatanatyam teacher K.J. Sarasa first saw Lavanya Sankar, she was a girl of four. Over the years, she has seen her mature into a fine dancer, television anchor and a teacher of calibre. It was but natural for ‘Sarasa teacher’ to
be present during the arangetram of Lavanya’s disciple, M. Sharanya.
The event was a first for Lavanya’s school, Abhyasa, and she was particular that her guru blessed her disciple. Sarasa, who has more than 500 arangetrams and countless star pupils to her credit, is thrilled that ‘her second generation’ is coming up. “Good artistes should become teachers. Only then can they create good dancers,” she says. Lavanya, she says, has absorbed teaching. “You need imagination, must know music, sing well and understand tala to become a teacher.”
And, it is vital to give. “We must not hold on to our knowledge,” insists Sarasa. Lavanya, into her 25th year of dancing, agrees. “Teacher has never said no to creativity. She would permit us to interpret an item in our way. I try to do the same with my students.” And, taking to teaching at the prime of her “performing age” was a conscious decision. “There is no one teaching the Vazhuvoor bani (the one Sarasa follows) in Coimbatore. So, Abhyasa took shape. I try to strike a balance between teaching, anchoring and performing, though,” says Lavanya.
As for Sharanya, her big day was rendered even bigger due to the presence of her guru’s guru. “I was very happy, but also scared that I should not let my guru down in front of hers,” she says. She did not.
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