MY FESTIVAL - Meenakshi Chittaranjan
Balamma's recitals taught one all about bhavam
Margazhi conjures up many beautiful images for me. Though I started learning dance from a very early age, I developed a serious liking for the art only when I was about 15. My father was in the civil services and based in Delhi. But come December, it would be destination Madras. My parents ensured that I was exposed to every aspect of the art form. And the best way was by watching the performances of wonderfully gifted artistes such as Kamala, Vyjayanthimala and Balasaraswati. My guru (Subbaraya Pillai) would say, `One imbibes more by seeing.' From Balamma's recitals one could learn A-Z of bhavam. I particularly remember her performance once at the morning session of the Music Academy. Clad in a bright pink sari with just a bullaaku for an ornament, it was dance in its purest form, shorn of all the modern fuss and frills. Every emotion on her face is still clearly etched in my memory. She took up just one padam, "Krishna Nee Begane Baro." And it was amazing to watch the different ways in which she beckoned the little Krishna, beautifully singing the lines herself. She always preferred to describe dance as `music in movement.' When I started performing I realised how true it is. Once the music gets into you, the movements follow.
A sound knowledge of music is what makes a dancer complete. Attending kutcheris could do a lot of good. I sometimes feel sad that today all of us (artistes) are so engrossed in our preparation for the season that we hardly take time out to attend kutcheris.
Those days many senior artistes could be seen seated in the front rows of the sabhas. My first performance at the Academy was on the inaugural day of the December festival. It was exciting at the same time unnerving to perform before stalwarts.
I loved the ambience at home during Margazhi. My cousins would await our arrival every year. It was great fun putting together the list of concerts we had to attend, pulling out colourful pavadais, shopping last minute for matching blouses, wearing the best of accessories, grandmother diligently keeping up a supply of fresh flowers, packing sandwiches to munch between concerts... Oh! Those were the days.
(As told to Chitra Swaminathan)
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