Down Memory Lane - Pt.4

Under the Banyan Tree

Thanks to facebook, I have been able to contact a few of my friends after 30 years ! Yes incredible isn’t it? I used to wonder all these years, whether I will be able to meet these people, since I did not know their whereabouts other than remembering their names.

It was so exciting to know that they too remembered me. Exchanging some messages, I find that, I may be able to get in touch with some of the other girls too. I am excited to know that they are around somewhere, and I have another chance to catch up with the people that I thought, I had passed by in this journey of my life. I thought that I may never be able to meet them in this lifetime. Sounds huge but isn’t that the reality? We sometimes end up never meeting some people who made an impact on us.

Memories of us being a little naughty runs through my thoughts. Can you imagine, going for a movie was taboo, back then. We would literally spin some stories to the wardens, to able to go out of the hostel on Saturday afternoons. A 20 to 25 minutes walk, depending on our pace, would take us to the bus stand close by. From there we used to go to the city to go to some theatre there for a movie. After the movie, we may go for an ice-cream before returning to the hostel. Coming back was a little difficult sometimes and we used to sneak in quietly without Padhu teacher’s knowledge.





Classrooms










She was some disciplinarian. There was always the worry, that someone might catch us rushing back late from our outings. Sometimes we had to hush them and rush in time for dinner at the dining hall. Exhausted but feeling happy and at the same time a little relieved, to be able to come back without any problems, we will go to bed to prepare for the next day. Imagine that was the level of mischief we were allowed!

There were times we were a litte bolder than that, but somehow it had to be within the limits. Sarees were the only attires allowed. Anything else was unacceptable. Some found difficulty in adhering to such strictness, but since it was a part of the culture there, we had to dress accordingly. I was not too experimental like some of the girls, who would wear pants beneath a saree and remove the saree on their way out during their jaunts !





The dining hall does look better now. There were no fans then.








That was Kalakshetra then, a different time, a different generation. Nevertheless it was fun. Sweet memories of coming together with students from all over the world. We gathered at this idyllic place, which also happened to be the place we had come to learn the arts. The pace was slow moving with ample space to be in tune with the natural setting of the environment.

Lying in bed at night, I would sometimes listen to the winds howling when the night was quiet and if it was going to rain. When the sea was rough we could hear the sounds of the waves on the beach close by. In retrospect, what a beautiful environment to be in. Walking on the sands of the campus was cumbersome at that time. Sometimes I wonder if given another chance, would I have looked at the place in the same way? I guess, I would have greater appreciation now.

I was too busy with my classes and practices. Getting up at 4 or 5 in the morning to practice my music. Bathing in cold water and having to only be in a saree was quite a challenge, but the fun was there too. We were not allowed to listen to any other music other than classical music. It took me some years later to be able to get used to listening to other genres of music. But it was fun to be able to come together from different parts of the world and living in the same environment and learning to adapt to the time and place there.

We had to adhere to the strict discipline, not to the extent of a monastery though! But I remember meeting Padhu teacher a few years later, when she told me that the place was not the same now. Times had changed and they could not expect the girls to follow their strictness as we would!

Wow! What a compliment coming from her. Yes dear Dr. Padmasini who was also a doctor of homeopathy, was in here sixties when I met her. She was a slim lady with silver hair and was always seen in a white cotton saree with the pallu wraped around her shoulders most of the time. She would have been a beauty in her younger days. You could see from her features. We used to fear her for her strictness. She was the doctor we would have to see when we fell ill.

Nostalgic memories of my times in Kalakshetra. Though the years have gone by so swiftly, the memories are still fresh like the jasmine flowers. I always consider it as one of my greatest gifts amongst other gifts, to have been given the opportunity to be in such a wonderful and beautiful place.

Down Memory Lane - Pt.2

Kalakshetra is synonymous with Rukmini Arundale. Fondly called athai by every one around her, one cannot imagine Kalakshetra without her. We used to be in awe of her. She set up Kalakshetra which provided an institutional setting for the students of music and dance. Here she retained the positive aspects of the system and persuaded outstanding musicians and dance gurus to join the faculty and created for them an ambience devoid of commercial considerations. I still remember there was so much of excitement in the college, when the then prime minister Morarji Desai offered the chair of the President of India to Rukmini Devi Arundale in 1977. She declined, preferring to dedicate herself to the arts .

I could say that I had the greatest honor of coming across some great legendary figures who have amazed and inspired me. Some of them were in Kalakshetra. I was young and quite naïve then. I had no idea that these were some of the greatest musicians, dancers and artists of our time.



I remember going to MD Ramanathan sir's classroom whenever I found some free time to listen to him singing. Ramanathan Sir is known for his unique style of singing. He had a fabulously deep and resonant voice which used to keep us all in awe. He would be with his students teaching them and sometimes singing all by himself.

Another legendary figure I have to mention is the maestro Shri Bhoodalur Sastrigal who used to play the gottuvadhyam. He used to look so fragile yet so magestic since he was of advanced age during that time. A sweet natured person who was always lost in his music. Such a blessing to have been able to sit before him when he was free, and he used to demonstrate the gottuvadhyam to my friends and me.

I also have to say about my vocal master, Mr. Mani Iyer who was a disciple of Shri Papanasam Sivan. A gentle soul with so much of simplicity. I remember him walking with his black umbrella in his hand. An unassuming man, Mani Sir was a patient and genuine teacher. When he was not teaching he could be found in his class with his tambura all by himself singing. I had the privilege of learning a number of Papanasam Sivan’s kritis under him.

Down Memory Lane - Pt.1

Just the other day someone I know asked me about the great maestro, MD Ramanathan and immediately memories of many great legends who have left an indelible mark in my life rushed in. I suppose as we grow older we have the privilege of going down memory lane often. If not for anything else, it is because we have the time to sit and ponder. When we are young we are always rushing to get things done and miss out on the valuable experiences and relationships that we come by. The passage of time teaches us to value and cherish the wonderful journey we have taken.

Yes , today this journey of mine when I look back has been above all a sweet one. Everyone’s journey is beautiful if we only know how to appreciate all that we have experienced. Time is a wonderful gift to us. It teaches us patience. Time soothes us and heals all the wounds.

So, my journey too has been with it’s ups and downs. However insignificant one may seem to the rest of the world, we as an individual are in our own world. I realize that I came to this beautiful land called earth – to experience all the joy that it has to offer. How strange that I have mistaken it to be a mixture of pain and joy. It is only pure joy if I only know how to embrace it. I have been given this beautiful gift of appreciation and when I can learn to use this tool , what a journey this can become !




Yes , who can forget this banyan tree? This is where our mornings started off. Our daily prayers accompanied to the sounds of the tambura .
We would gather every morning under this beautiful tree. Students from every where came to this beautiful place to learn the arts. The peaceful atmosphere and holistic approach was the secret to it’s attraction. Remembering this banyan tree brings calmness to me. I am back 30 years ago, sitting under this beautiful tree. We would start off with the shlokas in Sanskrit followed by songs dedicated to the various gods.

Words of Wisdom

Taking time even though it may be a few minutes to feel the breath ! Listening to the sound of music. We stray away, getting lost in the happenings of each day forgetting that there are more profound and subtle things to life than the daily chores we attend to. Yes they are merely chores that we as human beings perform. I heard from someone that a friend of his was speaking to the sea once and asked it why it was always so restless. The sea answered him with these words of wisdom : How do you know that I am restless, have you you seen me beneath the surface ? I am still. Yes the sea is still deep inside and we too need to learn to become still within.

Following my heart

Listening to a veena piece by HRH.Prince Rama Varma. Rare to find a musician who is not only knowledgeble in music but in many other fields too.
I feel honored and blessed to be able to follow my heart. Many of us become lost in the day to day happenings and forget to follow our passion. We need to take time off and do what is close to our heart. Life is incrediblly short. A few decades go by before we even wake up to the fact that we have lost it ! It is better late than never. I have started pursing my passion for music in small ways by first listening then learning new pieces. The process may sound slow but The Journey is the Destination. There is nothing to achieve finally but isn't the achievement and contentment in the process itself? This we come to learn along the way.