ELIZABETH TAYLOR

LINK FOR BBC TRIBUTE TO THE STAR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTjZ58cjC2s

ELIZABETH TAYLOR-A LIVING HOLLYWOOD LEGEND

Does the name Elizabeth Taylor immediately remind you of Cleopatra, her famous seven husbands and the enormous rocks she wore on her finger and around her neck? Yes, but what few fans know is her unstinting charitable and pioneering work for AIDS awareness.

In 1985 her co-actor and close friend Rock Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS and many of her friends were HIV positive. Patients were persecuted, ill-treated and left to die. Medicine, treatment and awareness about the disease were nonexistent. Her pioneering efforts to raise funds have largely contributed to also raise levels of awareness and acceptance for patients. At a time when everyone looked the other way or pretended that this horrible illness did not exist, Taylor came out into the open, gave interviews and poured millions of dollars into the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). In 1991 she established her Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. She used her goodwill and fame for several philanthropic contributions. In recognition of her activism she was honoured by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1992. She was made Dame of the British Empire and named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Government.

Regardless of the fact that she herself suffered a series of illnesses, surgeries and accidents throughout her life Taylor has spent the last two decades to alleviate the pain of others. Taylor was born with spine curvature disorder, scoliosis and osteoporosis so debilitating back pain has been a companion all her life

Elizabeth Taylor known for her remarkable beauty and bewitching violet eyes was born in London on February 27, 1932 to American parents. They moved to USA just before World War II exploded in Europe. Her film debut was at ten in ‘There is One Born Every Minute’. MGM happily signed her to its studio along with other child actors like Judy Garland. She was admired for her beauty in films like Lassie Come Home and Jane Eyre. It was in 1944 that she caught world’s eye in National Velvet, where she played a girl passionately in love with horses.

In 1951 she appeared as a ravishing socialite in Gerorge Steven’s A Place in the Sun opposite Montgomery Clift followed by the epic Giant catapulting her into the big league even before she turned twenty. What remains a milestone in film history was Cleopatra (1963) where the talented, glamorous actress was paid  one million dollars, the highest ever for those times.

Taylor was nominated for Academy awards for three consecutive years for Raintree County, Suddenly Last Summer and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

In 1960 Elizabeth Taylor won her first Oscar for Butterfield 8, and the second six years later as the foul-mouthed ‘Martha’ in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Richard Burton played ‘George’ opposite her in this Mike Nichols film. This role also got her awards from the British Film Academy, New York Film Critics Circle and National Board of Review.

Taylor never failed to thrill viewers in her roles in about 60 films and was sought after by the most respected Directors like Franco Zefferelli, John Huston, George Cukor, Vincente Minnelli and Joseph Mankiewicz.

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra met Richard Burton as Antony and the pair became Hollywood’s most sought after co-stars and most famous couple. Although they divorced and married twice, it is believed that Taylor never fell out of love with Burton. They made several remarkable films together­-V.I.P.s, Doctor Faustus, The comedians, The Taming of the Shrew, The Sandpiper, Boom! and Hammersmith is Out . Her other unforgettable movies were opposite powerful actors like Marlon Brando (Reflections in a Golden Eye) , Michael Caine ( X Y and Zee), Henry Fonda (Ash Wednesday) Andy Warhol (The Driver’s Seat) and Warren Beatty ( The Only Game in Town).

In 1981 Broadway beckoned and she made her debut in Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes. Her role as Regina Giddens received many awards including a Tony Award nomination. The only other attempt to perform on the stage was opposite Burton in Noel Coward’s Private Lives.

Her private life was full of upheavals as she married and divorced in quick succession Nicky Hilton, Michael Wilding, and Mike Todd. Todd died in a plane crash in New Mexico. The next year Taylor flirted with Eddie Fisher who was married to Debbie Reynolds. 

Taylor is a follower of Kabbalah. She was devastated by the death of long-time friend Michael Jackson recently. She had supported him openly when he was accused of child –molestation and vouched for his innocence. She is godmother to his daughter and son.

Besides divorces she had other kinds of problems too. She had a brain tumour which was removed in 1977, underwent radiation therapy for skin cancer, collapsed with congestive heart failure in 2008 and has had three hip replacements Early in 1983 Taylor admitted herself to Betty Ford Clinic to fight her dependency on painkillers and alcohol. There was worldwide publicity which shocked fans about how this glamorous actress had to wash and clean her room and clothes as part of the routine in the centre.

A collector of art, she had in her possession a Vincent Van Gogh painting. Four persons filed a case against her in 2007 saying it belonged to their Jewish ancestors. She won the battle as the US Supreme Court ruled in her favour.

Confined to the wheelchair by the debilitating condition called scoliosis, this indomitable keeps pace with the world with her Twitter and posts messages to her fans. Her love for diamonds and jewelry has made her an authority on the subject and has a book on the subject to her credit. A line of designer jewelry called ‘House of Taylor’ is inspired by her acquisitions over the years.

Elizabeth Taylor lives in Bel Air, California although she has homes in London and Hawaii.

Like an indestructible piece of art she bravely faces every new challenge. Thousands of fans pray for her even as a heart valve took her to the operating table yet again this month.

I dislike writing obituaries. I would rather celebrate icons and legendary figures happily when they are alive and pay homage to their spirit and achievements. All the information here is from the Internet but I do remember reading an autobiography published in the sixties.

[This was first published in passionforcinema.com(now defunct) just before her demise.]

Elizabeth Taylor one of the most glamorous stars of Hollywood passed away on March 23, 2011. A two-time Oscar winner, her life was full of love, pain and charity. She even won an Oscar for her charities.

Link to BBC tribute to Elizabeth Taylor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTjZ58cjC2s

ELIZABETH TAYLOR-A LIVING HOLLYWOOD LEGEND

Does the name Elizabeth Taylor immediately remind you of Cleopatra, her famous seven husbands and the enormous rocks she wore on her finger and around her neck? Yes, but what few fans know is her unstinting charitable and pioneering work for AIDS awareness.

In 1985 her co-actor and close friend Rock Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS and many of her friends were HIV positive. Patients were persecuted, ill-treated and left to die. Medicine, treatment and awareness about the disease were nonexistent. Her pioneering efforts to raise funds have largely contributed to also raise levels of awareness and acceptance for patients. At a time when everyone looked the other way or pretended that this horrible illness did not exist, Taylor came out into the open, gave interviews and poured millions of dollars into the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). In 1991 she established her Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. She used her goodwill and fame for several philanthropic contributions. In recognition of her activism she was honoured by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1992. She was made Dame of the British Empire and named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Government.

Regardless of the fact that she herself suffered a series of illnesses, surgeries and accidents throughout her life Taylor has spent the last two decades to alleviate the pain of others. Taylor was born with spine curvature disorder, scoliosis and osteoporosis so debilitating back pain has been a companion all her life

Elizabeth Taylor known for her remarkable beauty and bewitching violet eyes was born in London on February 27, 1932 to American parents. They moved to USA just before World War II exploded in Europe. Her film debut was at ten in ‘There is One Born Every Minute’. MGM happily signed her to its studio along with other child actors like Judy Garland. She was admired for her beauty in films like Lassie Come Home and Jane Eyre. It was in 1944 that she caught world’s eye in National Velvet, where she played a girl passionately in love with horses.

In 1951 she appeared as a ravishing socialite in Gerorge Steven’s A Place in the Sun opposite Montgomery Clift followed by the epic Giant catapulting her into the big league even before she turned twenty. What remains a milestone in film history was Cleopatra (1963) where the talented, glamorous actress was paid  one million dollars, the highest ever for those times.

Taylor was nominated for Academy awards for three consecutive years for Raintree County, Suddenly Last Summer and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

In 1960 Elizabeth Taylor won her first Oscar for Butterfield 8, and the second six years later as the foul-mouthed ‘Martha’ in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Richard Burton played ‘George’ opposite her in this Mike Nichols film. This role also got her awards from the British Film Academy, New York Film Critics Circle and National Board of Review.

Taylor never failed to thrill viewers in her roles in about 60 films and was sought after by the most respected Directors like Franco Zefferelli, John Huston, George Cukor, Vincente Minnelli and Joseph Mankiewicz.

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra met Richard Burton as Antony and the pair became Hollywood’s most sought after co-stars and most famous couple. Although they divorced and married twice, it is believed that Taylor never fell out of love with Burton. They made several remarkable films together­-V.I.P.s, Doctor Faustus, The comedians, The Taming of the Shrew, The Sandpiper, Boom! and Hammersmith is Out . Her other unforgettable movies were opposite powerful actors like Marlon Brando (Reflections in a Golden Eye) , Michael Caine ( X Y and Zee), Henry Fonda (Ash Wednesday) Andy Warhol (The Driver’s Seat) and Warren Beatty ( The Only Game in Town).

In 1981 Broadway beckoned and she made her debut in Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes. Her role as Regina Giddens received many awards including a Tony Award nomination. The only other attempt to perform on the stage was opposite Burton in Noel Coward’s Private Lives.

Her private life was full of upheavals as she married and divorced in quick succession Nicky Hilton, Michael Wilding, and Mike Todd. Todd died in a plane crash in New Mexico. The next year Taylor flirted with Eddie Fisher who was married to Debbie Reynolds. 

Taylor is a follower of Kabbalah. She was devastated by the death of long-time friend Michael Jackson recently. She had supported him openly when he was accused of child –molestation and vouched for his innocence. She is godmother to his daughter and son.

Besides divorces she had other kinds of problems too. She had a brain tumour which was removed in 1977, underwent radiation therapy for skin cancer, collapsed with congestive heart failure in 2008 and has had three hip replacements Early in 1983 Taylor admitted herself to Betty Ford Clinic to fight her dependency on painkillers and alcohol. There was worldwide publicity which shocked fans about how this glamorous actress had to wash and clean her room and clothes as part of the routine in the centre.

A collector of art, she had in her possession a Vincent Van Gogh painting. Four persons filed a case against her in 2007 saying it belonged to their Jewish ancestors. She won the battle as the US Supreme Court ruled in her favour.

Confined to the wheelchair by the debilitating condition called scoliosis, this indomitable keeps pace with the world with her Twitter and posts messages to her fans. Her love for diamonds and jewelry has made her an authority on the subject and has a book on the subject to her credit. A line of designer jewelry called ‘House of Taylor’ is inspired by her acquisitions over the years.

Elizabeth Taylor lives in Bel Air, California although she has homes in London and Hawaii.

Like an indestructible piece of art she bravely faces every new challenge. Thousands of fans pray for her even as a heart valve took her to the operating table yet again this month.

I dislike writing obituaries. I would rather celebrate icons and legendary figures happily when they are alive and pay homage to their spirit and achievements. All the information here is from the Internet but I do remember reading an autobiography published in the sixties.

[This was first published in passionforcinema.com just before demise.]

Elizabeth Taylor one of the most glamorous stars of Hollywood passed away on March 23, 2011. A two-time Oscar winner, her life was full of love, pain and charity. She even won an Oscar for her charities.

The Chembai Connection

Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar

You can click on the Wikipedia to read a referenced biography of Bhagavathar. It will inform you that he was born in 1896 and passed away in Ottapalam in 1974. What about the man, his immense talent, unmatched bell-like voice or his rock star like popularity? Only those who have been close to him, or in his magnetic presence can tell you about the amazingly strong personality that he was.

I knew him personally for a very brief period, 1970 to 1974. But it was an intense period when he stayed at our humble home on every visit, insisted on my making his special dishes (palak dal/mulagootal was his favourite). He made me feel very special, encouraged me boldly to continue my career in dance (against opposition from other quarters) and treated me with a tenderness of a grandfather. He knew my maternal grandfather F.G. Natesa Iyer, a patron of music, and was extremely close to my married family.

I first met him at his palatial bungalow in Santhome, Chennai. My then fiancé took me there and said we must take his blessings. He was seated in on the thinnai (patio) and gave us a hearty welcome. He was delighted at the prospect of our imminent wedding and called out to his daughter and wife to see me.

In 1972 December we took a road trip to Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We met Palghat Mani Iyer in Thanjavur and later in Palghat. Our mission was to bring together the two once again. They had split on a very small misunderstanding fuelled by their mischievous sycophants. If they could come together on the stage we offered them a special occasion in our family, the Shastiabhdapoorti celebrations of their dear friend P. A. Raman in March 1973.

The violin maestro T.N. Krishnan joined the clamour and wished to accompany them. They agreed and the rest is history. It is especially significant that both souls were at peace and we witnessed this memorable reunion at our home. Mani Iyer later said that he was relieved that he could pay his respects to him before Bhagavathar passed away.

I have had the privilege and honour of cooking and serving food to Palghat Mani Iyer, Alathur Srinivasa Iyer, Shri. T. N. Krishnan, D.K. Pattammal and R. Iswaran besides my dance Gurus Adyar Lakshman and Shri. V. P. Dhananjayan.

After that function, Bhagavathar came once again to stay with us. This time he was to perform with Yesudas accompanying him. His well-wishers thronged our home. When Yesudas came in, he humbly remained standing throughout. He would not sit down in his master’s presence. They later withdrew to another room where they were closeted for two hours as Yesudas prepared for the concert.

We drove into Chembai in a small premier Padmini, our bags loaded on the seat behind. We stayed at the ancient Chembai abode, visiting relatives and temples around the villages. Villages in Kerala were not a huge area. This street is Chembai, the next street is Ayyapan Kavu in Kottayi. Forty-four years ago the villages and towns were sparsely populated and we covered a good distance each day. We had to come back for lunch on time as both Bhagavathar and his wife would wait for us. Evenings were for his concerts and visits from his disciples and well-wishers.

Among his other star disciples are T. V. Gopalakrishnan, P. Susheela, K. J. Jesudas, Chembai Narayana Bhagavathar, Mangu Thampuran, V.V. Subramanian (Violinist), Poomulli Raman Namboodiri and Guruvayur Ponnammal. 

Two highlights of this trip are unforgettable. The first was his concert and award function at Ottapalam. We were amazed to see the roads choc-a-bloc on either side with men, women and children lining a two kilometre drive to the hall. Bhagavathar and his disciples Jayan and Vijayan went ahead in a car sent by the organisers. We were next in the convoy. People joined hands and bowed as his car passed by slowly. Flowers, elephants and a battery of photographers awaited his arrival with breathless expectancy. For them he was the saintly soul who had made Guruvayoor Krishna his own and breathed every breath for Him, and sang His praises with utter devotion. After the award function was a concert performed with an energy that belied his age and health. Chembai had taken an oath that he would charge only one thousand rupees for every concert so that he could perform Udayasthamana Puja at Guruvayoor. It is a well-known story that Narayan Menon, then Director of NCPA, refused to pay him that princely sum so Bhagavathar never performed there.

The second function was at Poomulli Mana where his disciple Raman Namboodiri resided. The Poomulli family were patrons of arts and Ayurveda.

The drive was a little uphill but we reached safely with Bhagavathar. We were just getting out of the car when another car came up, pushed by two men. I was shocked to see that one of them was Yesudas.  He was at the peak of his career as playback singer. Yet modest and humble, he immediately crossed his arms against his chest and bowed his head to Bhagavathar.

That evening, their concert was a climax after a variety of dances by artistes from Kalamandalam. Chembai suddenly turned to me after lunch. ‘I want you to dance today on this stage. I can sing ‘Thaye Yashoda’ and Paras Thillana. Will you do it? This is the only chance for me to see you dance’.

And there I was, with a little help from the make-up artistes and other dancers on the stage before a crowd of forty thousand audience gathered to hear Yesudas and Bhagavathar. Thrilled, I danced as if in a dream. What greater blessings could I desire?

My research on Tyagaraja’s kritis began on this trip. It later culminated into ‘Sumati Tyagaraja’. I discussed the meanings and lyrics with Bhagavathar and later with M.D. Ramanathan (MDR) in Chennai.

Before we left for Chennai, Bhagavathar said, “I want to give you something. I don’t know what...” I had spotted the small tanpura in the open attic in the Chembai house. The base was cracked and it was lying forlorn and abandoned, covered with dust. This was the family tanpura that he and his brother had used when they were younger. I asked him if I could have it. He was puzzled that all I wanted was a broken musical instrument but immediately ordered that it be taken down and given to me. I am still in possession of that tanpura and have promised his family that I would gift this heirloom to them soon.

This photo was taken on March 13, 1973 at a family function.

In August 1973, Chembai visited Mumbai again. This time he could not stay with us as he could not climb the flight of stairs. In July I had given birth to a son who was born in distress and doctors and the staff of Breach Candy Hospital were fighting to save his life. I asked that Bhagavathar be contacted immediately so that he can pray for my son seek some remedy. I too reached out wordlessly and desperately to Bhagavathar to save my son. He sat in the car as I showed him the baby swaddled in flannel. He murmured a few prayers and gifted him a gold pendant of Guruvayoor Sri Krishna.

I sensed an intense spiritual connection with Bhagavathar among others. He seemed to understand me and the troubles I was facing during that time. His twinkling eyes and hearty laughter-filled speech exuded love and enveloped me with a healing energy. I am overwhelmed by Bhagavathar’s affection and grateful for those few years in his presence.

A Gentle Meandering

A GENTLE MEANDERING

Arun Khopkar’s ‘Sanchari’ is an enduring romance between camera and choreography capturing Leela Samson’s artistry in his own perceptions of time and space.

ONE has become skeptical over the years about attempts made to film dance. A classical style like Bharatanatyam is multi-dimensional by itself. A Bharatanatyam dancer is like an ancient Thanjavur painting springing to life to animate frozen sculptures and personify lyrics. Add to this that esoteric mysticism which veils the interpretation. Can a modern medium like film capture this magic?

 Sanchari is a 33-minute film by Arun Khopkar on Bharatanatyam dancer Leela Samson. His previous films have international and national awards. Leela, who teaches in Delhi, is the author of the book Rhythm in Joy. She was awarded the Padmashri in 1990. Khopkar has tried to recreate the myriad flavours and the varied spectrum that constitute Bharatanatyam. Sanchari gently meanders (sanchari) in and around the life and personality of a dancer.

The film opens with a round of applause as the curtain goes up. We are taken into a classroom with the dancer in her role as a guru. The intense concentration and tension of the strenuous practice session is offset by a nostalgic trip inside the dancer’s Chennai-based alma mater Rukmini Devi’s Kalakshetra.

The dance sequences of Sanchari were filmed in Chandigarh’s Rock Garden. The items performed are slickly condensed versions of the Alarippu (Misram), Varnam (Rupamu Joochi in Thodi) and a Thillana in Natabhairavi. The melodious music is one of the high points of the film. Adyar Lakshmanan, Sai Shankar and Geetha Raja have sung with vibrancy and charm. Here the work of Vikram Joglekar and Rajat Dholakia have to be commended by the excellent sound design and recording.

What is striking is the unique approach of this film-maker in filming dance. Sanchari (one who moves along in step), is an enduring romance between camera and choreography. Khopkar emerges like a Degas working at his Ballerinas. His treatment of dance is unique. He has transcended the director’s role; his sensitive artistry and feel for aesthetics capture the thrust of the dancer’s movements in a most arresting manner, his perception of contour and space, geometry and fantasy, mime and movement, all reveal an insight that comes out of doing one’s homework.

The directorial focus is on a delicate probe into the mysterious relationship between light and shadow. The simplicity of traditional lighting like an oil lamp is attempted by simulation, albeit with modern sophisticated equipment. The chiaroscurist approach conjures up for us the sanctified tranquility inside the sanctum sanctorum of a temple. Careful conscious choreography of camera, light and dance movements ___ imparts and ethereal quality to the dance. The textured background of the rocky grotto is a perfect foil to the sensuous sheen in the silk of the costume. The lights catch the dancer’s sprightly pirouettes in space. Piyush Shah’s cinematography and Khopkar’s directorial brilliance are in perfect harmony throughout.

At yet another level, Khopkar reveals his insight into the spectator-dancer link. His camera moves in smooth curves, and sometimes against the flow of the dancer’s movement. This creates for the viewer a felt experience of near physical resistance. One can feel this ‘pull of gravity’ in the Thillana where the dancer glides away from the camera in a linear movement in one frame, and sweeps towards the lens in the very next, in a continuation of the step.

In the choice of items the balance is tilted towards nritta or pure dance sequences. Abhinaya, the art of telling the story with facial expression, is in reality the emotive core of Bharatanatyam. The shortening of the elaborate Varnam is effected by reducing the abhinaya portion. The brevity of the exposition of Pallavi in the Padam Balavinave (Kambhoji) was disappointing. It is here that one felt the need for more close-ups of the dancer’s expressive eyes and gestures that come alive in the Sanchari bhava. The clean bodyline and clarity of footwork - the hallmark of the Kalakshetra style- in Leela’s dance excludes any dramatic attempt at sensationalism.

Sanchari deserves to be screened by Doordarshan both as an art film and an exposition of classical dance. The film is a pathfinder. A modern with a classical tradition behind her emerges as a new identity in the hands of an art film maker.

Published November 10,1991 in The Sunday Review , Times of India.

( It was my privilege to share hostel rooms with Leela at Kalakshetra. I have followed her brilliant career with admiration and respect. Leela is one of those rare wonderful artistes blessed with a charmed life as a dancer exploring every aspect of dance as a serious challenge.)

Gurus of Tradition

T.S. KRISHNASWAMY and  A.S. PANCHAPAKESAN have devoted a lifetime teaching music.

‘An oil lamp placed inside a vessel, sheds a gentle glow of light and burns steadily.’ This Southern saying comes to mind when you are face-to-face with two eminent Carnatic vidwans who have both devoted a lifetime to teaching instead of pursuing the limelight. T.S. Krishnaswamy and A.S. Panchapakesan can look back with satisfaction to the years they have spent in being a source of inspiration to scores of students. The former retired as Professor of violin of the Shanmukhananda Sabha’s Sangeet Vidyalaya and the latter as Principal of Bharatiya Music and Arts Society’s Music College. Both began teaching in their respective institutions in 1974 will bid them a fond farewell in 1991.

A.S. Panchapakesan’s notable contribution to music teaching has been his textbooks. He received no assistance or monetary grants from any quarters. His books were painstakingly typeset and printed on a humble treadle machine by his son. These, with uncluttered layout and large type, are now widely used here and abroad.

The Ganamrita Bodhini series are now available in five languages, including English. Both T.S.K. and A.S.P. belong to the old world, but have successfully adapted themselves to the changing scene of music and the world around them. They have had to devise the means to make children of the computer age interested in traditional music.

How did all begin? How did they learn music themselves? “As a school dropout!” exclaims A.S.P. with disarming candour. “At 14, I ran away from home, unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere in a family of eleven. But then, hungry and homesick, I returned home to learn music at the feet of Mayavaram Rajam Iyer and my elder brother Alathur Srinivasan.”

T.S.K. was born in Vasishthagudi, better known as Tittagudi, in South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu. “My ancestors were traditional musicians attached to this unique temple , ” he says, “My father Sivarama Iyer was himself a musician and when he saw that I could tune a tambura perfectly at the age of six, he decided to start my lessons. “A graduate from Annamalai University in 1934, it was here that he perfected the technique of violin playing, under M. Balakrishna Iyer, Madurai Subramanya Iyer and T.S. Sabhesa Iyer who was then the Principal.

So, why did he opt to teach instead of pursuing a concert career? Says T.S.K., “Does one preserve art by only giving concerts? I believed that my mission in life was to teach the art that I had learnt to as many as possible.” T.S.K. has accompanied the great Vaggeyakara Papanasam Sivan, flautist Mali, and he even toured Burma in 1937 with B. Raja Iyengar. Not content with playing second fiddle, he jumped at the offer of a teaching job in Delhi. In 1941 he came to Bombay.

His growing popularity as a teacher encouraged the Shanmukhananda Sabha to request him to open a violin department in their school. In a graceful gesture, he shut down his own successful private school, Sri Krishna Music Academy in 1974 and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the public institution.

“Teaching came to me naturally,” said A.S.P. He was fiercely independent and started coaching children even as he studied music. In 1944, A.S.P. joined Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Madras, as a music teacher and later became Principal for 30 years. In 1974, The Bharatiya Music & Arts Society invited him to take over as Principal of their music college in Mumbai.

Traditional teaching methods are being questioned now. Do they also agree with the prevailing popular notion that, it is better to teach the child easy little compositions at first instead of swara exercises? “Well,” replied A.S.P. after a pause, “the modern generation does seem to have an uncanny knack of mimicking people and learning very quickly. It may be possible to teach them simple compositions like Dikshitar’s ‘notes’. Purandaradasa systematised the primary lessons in a graded manner. It has served us well till today.

“Swara exercises are very important,” states T.S.K. categorically, taking the opposite stand. “A student must have a firm grasp of the swaras and the exercises, which are designed to give them, practice in the various talas. I have never swerved from this method and I have got excellent results. Student of the violin must learn to sing. The sahitya (lyrics) of a composition is vital to music.”

And what did they expect from aspiring students? ‘Regularity and diligent practice, came the unanimous answer, were an essential prerequisite for any degree of mastery’. T.S.K. adds that students must cultivate the attitude of enjoying their lessons. “Of course, the Guru should have the same qualities too!” he says with a twinkle in his eye.

A.S.P., on his part, feels that it benefits a student to observe the teacher’s mannerisms, diction and presentation. Later, adapt them to suit one’s own style. A.S.P’s keen sense of humour surfaces much like an unexpected sangati (thematic variation). “Learning theory to sing,” he said” is like cooking with the book in front of you. Put 10gms coriander, 5gms cumin seed, stir, etc! After the student has mastered the practicals and has been exposed to recitals of other artistes, he may venture into learning theory. It will then be as easy for him as it is for the chief cook at a feast, who eyes the dish casually and throws in the condiments with a flourish.”

T.S.K., holds quite the opposite view as he feels that theory is very important even at the beginner’s stage. “The arohana-avarohana or the swara frame of a geetham or varnam must be clearly explained. The usage of phrases special to the raga, must also be taught. Simple rules of the Carnatic tala system must be introduced as they form an integral part of the music.”

Music, a highly individualistic art, is now taught to groups. “The golden age is here,” declares T.S.K. emphatically. “The music scene is more extensive and intensive than ever. With a competitive atmosphere, there is more incentive and there are better opportunities!”

Indeed, the golden age of music is here. T.S.K. and A.S.P. can look back with pride. They were after all, the waves that sent the golden age gushing to the shores.

(Published in the Saturday Times of Times of India, March 30.1991.)

A Poet on celluloid

The news of the film director G. Aravindan’s death, sent shock waves throughout the film industry. With only half a dozen films and documentaries to his credit, Aravindan was already a highly respected director. For him, winning awards came naturally. His first film Uttarayanam and his last Vasthuhara, were both award winners. He was working with a leading dancer Alarmel Valli on a documentary on classical Indian dance, when he passed away.

Born in Kerala in 1935, Aravindan began his career as a cartoonist in one of the country’s most popular weeklies, Mathrubhoomi. Called ‘Little man in a big world’, his cartoons exposed human follies and the hypocrisy rampant in modern society. He dabbled in painting, promoted Kerala theatre and studied Hindustani classical music under Saratchandra Marathe. He worked as a development officer for 22 long years with the Kerala Rubber Board.

Aravindan’s personality and genius flowered only after his entry into cinema. Soft-spoken and gentle, he was an unlikely contender in the Indian film industry. His entry into cinema was just a fortunate accident. Hobnobbing with a motley crowd of creative writers and struggling artists, he felt drawn to their problems. He discovered that the most effective medium to portray them would be in cinema…..and cinema discovered the real Aravindan.

Kerala’s film goers are loyal followers of serious cinema. The educated, thinking public in Kerala, was fascinated by the layers of meaning that could be unearthed in an Aravindan film. Aravindan thus was confident about the viewership that guaranteed returns on his investment. The Malayalam cinema touched a new high with the thought-provoking statements Aravindan made in each attempt.

A master craftsman, he admitted that that he had never made an academic study of the grammar of cinema. Shyam Benegal referred to him as a poet on celluloid. His deep involvement with the human psyche and the understanding of political influences on society, as well as his love for nature, deeply influenced his treatment of his subjects.

The first film Uttarayanam in 1974 focuses on the conflict between the values of the generation of the freedom struggle and the aspirations of the present day youth. His Kanchana Sita in 1977 was his interpretation of the Ramayana in a tribal setting. David Robinson of Sight and Sound called his film Thampu as ‘a most mysterious and magical film.’ His Kummatty (The Bogey Man), a children’s fantasy film, won the best Children’s Film Award.

Chidambaram was an essay on an adulterous relationship and the eternal sense of guilt that haunts it. (The late Smita Patil put in a brilliant performance matched by the legendary Malayalam actor Gopi’s).

It won the best film award in 1986. Oridathu (1987) won the best director award in 1987.

His last venture Vasthuhara, has only recently won the National Award for the Best Picture. This off-beat film deals with the refugee problem in Bengal, in the wake of the partition of Bangladesh. The cast includes Mohanlal the superstar of Malayalam cinema, Neena Gupta and Nilanjana Mitra. Aravindan relates the story of a Bengali woman married to a Keralite, who becomes a widow at the time of the Partition, and finds herself as unwanted in Kerala as in Bengal.

The richly textured films of Aravindan were often on a shoe string budget. Dogged by financial restraint, he always regretted that talented people in the new generation found it tough to blossom.

With his large friendly figure and flowing grey beard, Aravindan looked the poet he was. His lack of swagger and bluff belied his tremendous achievements in his brief career. He was honoured with a retrospective of his films by the Cinematheque Francaise in 1984 in Paris and in Canada.

No wonder, Shabana Azmi said that “Aravindan, apart from Ray, was slowly but surely making his name in the international cinema.” Shyam Benegal’s tribute probably expressed what the entire industry felt: “He was really a kind of painter and poet in cinema. In terms of new cinema, he was a path finder, someone who extended the scope of film enormously.”

Published in ‘The Independent’, Times of India on March 18, 1991

Dance as Worship

Dance as worship

Bhagavata Mela Natakam in Melattur, a tiny village in Tamil Nadu, where villagers see this 500-year-old art form as worship rather than entertainment.

If the New Englanders sailing in the Mayflower had landed in Mumbai instead of Virginia, could they have obliterated the Brown Indian race ____as they did the Red ___ from the face of the earth? How and why does the Brown Indian dig in his roots wherever he is transplanted? Is it because we cling to tradition and clutch at customs? Is this the secret of India’s timelessness?

 These were my thoughts as I participated for a week in a religious art festival. Religion, tradition, ritual, music, dance and theatre fused together and transported us into a world full of esoteric charm. A thrilling experience in the ancient royal capital of Thanjavur.

Thanjavur is a magic name. It carries with it an aura of antiquity. The name conjures as a plethora of vivid images, temple, music, Bharatanatyam and Bhagavata Mela Natakam. If it is May, it must be Melattur, for it is at this time of the year that a bunch of young men from different parts of India converge to this tiny, two-street village to rehearse their roles in the natakam. Mali, the chief dancer, is the village administration officer and his family is one of the important contributors to this art. Mani is a customs officer in Madras. Nagarajan is a salesman in Mumbai. Rajagopal and Ashok are in college. Gopu has given up his job to work full time for the Bhagavata Mela Natya Vidya Sangam.

The families of these actors are natives of Melattur and as Brahmins they are ordained to continue the tradition of worshipping their local deity. For them, dance is worship. They are today performing against tremendous odds, facing the powerful challenges of a modern society which is being radically transformed by education, science and the electronic media. The musicians are professionals famous in their respective fields and though they are paid an honorarium, it is truly a devotional service. The dancers do not receive any payment. In fact, they dig into their personal savings every year incase collections fall short. After all, the show must go on.

Attending the rehearsals was an eye opener. All participants are male. There is a warm camaraderie among them not withstanding the ugly rows that crop up when sensitive artistes work together. Their superb artistry lies in their spontaneity and their skills of improvisation. A nattuvanar (dance guru) to guide the dance, scholars to explain situations and clarify lyrics, musicians and a director, work together as a team. There is a general atmosphere of indulgence. A missed step or a forgotten gesture is generously condoned. Nobody performs under pressure. Narasimha Jayanti marks the first day of the festival. Prahlada Charitram a dance-drama celebrating the incarnation of Vishnu as Narasimha, is performed in the evening. The life and psyche of the Melattur village is irrevocably entwined with this myth.

Hiranyakashipu, the demon king, acquired a boon whereby he could not be killed by man or beast, at day or night, not indoors nor outdoors and not by any weapon. His little son Prahlada was a devotee of Vishnu and proclaimed that none is superior to Vishnu. His father challenged him to prove Vishnu is omnipresent and tauntingly struck a pillar with his club. The pillar split open and an awesome apparition that was half-man and half-lion ___ Narasimha appeared. It was twilight. Sitting on the threshold, Narasimha tore open the king’s torso with his claws, killing him. He thus kept to all conditions of the boon.

The morning of Narasimha Jayanti in Melattur begins with ceremonies at the temple where the participants gather. The air is surcharged with devotional fervour. The priest ties a yellow thread on the wrists of the actors, binding them to their sacred duty. In the sanctum sanctorum a 300-year-old mask is kept in a cupboard. It is taken out at night to be worn by the actor performing the role of Narasimha.

At about nine ‘o’ clock, the villagers gather in the open air marquee. There is an air of expectation. The mask is placed on a makeshift shrine at the far end directly opposite the stage. The play starts with a long musical interlude after which a child wearing a Ganesha mask makes an appearance. Flowers, fruits and arati are offered to him. The performance follows the familiar Sanskrit theatre tradition wherein characters first appear in introductory preludes called pravesa darus. The music is chaste Carnatic and the lucid lyrics in Telugu are composed in varying literary structures, couplets, dialogues, kritis and so on.

As the climax approaches, the actor who is to portray Narasimha dons the mask. He goes into a trance. He has observed strict austerities all that day and has worked himself into an uncontrollable fury. The taunting of the demon king infuriates him and at the appropriate moment he appears, roaring with anger and frenzy. It requires four stagehands to hold him back with sashes around his waist. The audience is enthralled by this awesome creature. They believe that Vishnu blesses their village by entering the body of this actor in spirit. The play ends with a benediction.

I attended a six-hour Prahlada in the adjoining village of Saliamangalam the following night. This is one of the other five villages where the Bhagavata Mela tradition exists. The play ends abruptly when the king shouts, “Is Vishnu in this pillar?” The curtain is drawn and the musicians get up and go for a bath. The audience forms two rows, leaving a long passage from the shrine to the stage. Just before the day dawns, firecrackers are burst and Narasimha rushes out of an enclosure near the shrine, roaring and thrashing about. A long philosophical musical duel ensues between the king and the man-lion as musicians sing in accompaniment. The king gets bolder and mocks the weird apparition. Both are controlled by helpers and it looks as if they will fly at each other’s throats if left to themselves. The encounter in the midst of the audience, with Narasimha’s costume swishing against your toes and Hiranyakashipu’s sword and club missing your eyelashes by a centimetre is a fascinating spine-chilling experience.

The first time Bhagavada Mela Natakam came to Mumbai was in December 1992. Performing in the sterile environs of a proscenium theatre, restricted by time to pander to urban impatience and with a handful of spectators in the vast auditorium, they looked bewildered and lost. But through their apparent discomfiture one could discern the sincerity, the impressive artistry and the abundant talent. Art-lovers in cities like Bombay must shake off their preconceived notions of what art should be and participate in theatre forms like this. Yes, participate, for this is a community theatre. It is not entertainment; it is an experience. Through this living ritual of faith and devotion the bhagavatulu (actors) have kept alive a 500-year-old tradition. Their faith has nurtured a dance-theatre art that is as close as can be to the original form. It is an outstanding example of the essence of Indian genius.     

(Published in The Independent, a Times Of India publication. July 8, 1993)

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

This was my first experience of Bhagavata Mela Natakams which led to a ten-year association with this group as their Chairman/Patron. After listening to their problems, I realised that this art needed to be revived urgently. Revival needs exposure to vast audiences and the media. This was achieved by organizing festivals in Mumbai and Chennai with the print and electronic media joining hands in the effort. As homage to the saint-poet Tyagaraja who belongs to this tradition, a two-day festival was held in Thiruvaiyyaru during the 150^th Aradhana celebrations in 1997. The high point of this association was the production of a new natakam ‘Sakuntala’in Marathi written by Ekoji II of Thanjavur in 2002.

A Personal Note

 

A Personal Note

This blog contains a collection of selected essays and critiques featuring personalities in the field of arts were published during the last decade of the last millennium. Born in a family well-connected in the world of theatre, music, dance and cinema, I am personally acquainted with many artistes of the earlier generation. This early association helped me to see them off stage and away from the limelight. I had witnessed the harsh realities of their lives, their struggle to rise up in their career, the failures, ego clashes, and the wooing of the media……… seen at close quarters, these were startling revelations. In fact, the unreal world behind the curtains served to squash any notions I may have harboured of a full time career in dance. In my roles as dancer, teacher, organizer, writer and patron my sympathy for performing artistes always influenced my interaction with them.

The early nineties were a golden period for writers on arts, as many newspapers reserved large spaces for critiques and interviews with classical artistes. I am particularly grateful to enlightened editors like Shanta Gokhale and Meenakshi Shedde (Arts Editors, Times Of India) who encouraged me to introduce the stalwarts of the Carnatic music world to the North where they were quite unrecognized. ‘The Hindu’,  is also the lone champion of the arts today. The standards of writing required for this respected daily makes a byline in it a matter of prestigious for a writer. Many leading newspapers today have shifted their focus and features on theatre, arts and culture have almost vanished from broadsheet and magazines alike.

Later I focused my insight on cinema, that magical world of moving images and found art at its finest amalgamation. Cinema fascinates every one and those who bring them to us are great masters. I was an author for two years for a wonderful website named passionforcinema.com (now defunct) and I wrote on a variety of subjects in this area.

This collection ‘INSIGHT’ comprises a selection from my works published during the golden period. I hope readers enjoy a glimpse and insight into the personality of the artistes featured here.

(This photo was taken around 1952 or so by my brother Subramanian with a Roliflex camera.He loves sketching portraits, sculpting and painting.)