Teachers’ Day: Artistes on the teachers who influenced them

Vinitha NedungadiMohiniyattam artisteAlthough I started learning dance since I was five, it was not until my early 20s that it became my passion. That was when I realised that dance is not just moving your hands and legs in tandem with the rhythm and that it has a soul and can take you a meditative state. So I decided to start learning from scratch. That took me to Kalamandalam Kshemavathy teacher. We started with Bharatanatyam before moving to Mohiniyattam.The relationship I have with her cannot be explained in words. There is a soothing aura about her and she has influenced my whole being – my words, deeds and everything that I do. Once when I was nursing a leg injury, her phone call gave me so much relief and helped me recover fast. I was a regular student of her’s for 12 years, travelling from Palakkad to her home at Thrissur to learn from her. Mohiniyattam artiste Vinitha Nedungadi | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Last Vijayadashami, I felt like becoming her student again and learn a new item. We have started working on it.Besides her qualities as a performer, what I admire about her is that she never speaks ill of anyone. Another aspect is that in spite of the fact she is the one who moulded me as a dancer, she treats me as her equal; that is a rare quality you would find in a teacher. Also, she never pressurises you to follow her opinion or suggestion.Kalamandalam AthulKathakali Kathakali artiste Kalamandalam Athul | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT It is almost two decades since I came into Kathakali, the influence being the annual Kathakali programmes at the temple at Panimoola near Pothencode, my native place in Thiruvananthapuram. I have learnt from around 17 teachers at various points of time, starting with the six-month training under Kalamandalam Balasubramanian. At Kalamandalam, I have had a host of proficient teachers, who include Kalamandalam Krishnakumar. And two artistes of the institution who have influenced me a lot are Kalamandalam Soman asan (teacher) and Kalamandalam Gopi asan. Kathakali artiste Kalamandalam Athul on stage | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Soman asan was special in that we students never wanted his sessions to get over. He used to blend stories, personal experiences and interesting anecdotes and before we realised it, he would have finished the syllabus just like that.Gopi asan’s angry side would often come out behind the curtains during the performances but he was a totally different person in the kalari (class). He was friendly and had his own way of correcting mistakes of the students. We were in awe of how he showcased the mudras and explained the padams. Like many other Kathakali artistes, I also look up to the characters he has essayed on stage.When I came to Margi in Thiruvananthapuram nine years ago I was guided by Kalamandalam Sreekumar. I have been teaching there for six years. Now, as a teacher, I realise that my teachers were right in scolding me for my mistakes as a student.Gireesan BhattathiripadArtist Gireesan Bhattathiripad | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT I had a gurukula mode of education and I attribute all the life lessons I learnt to it. My guru Ganapathi Namboodiri, who was the drawing teacher at Peringode High School, was a truly magnanimous teacher. He would make us do much more than drawing — we had to run errands, do minor tasks such as buy provisions from the shop, make tea, tend to the garden and cows, etc. Reflecting on those days, I realise that it was all part of learning how to adapt, survive and thrive. How valuable those lessons were! Gireesan Bhattathiripad’s guru Ganapathi Namboodiri | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement His teaching methodology was also rather unconventional. He would make us students complete his painting. For instance, he would make us paint the sketch he had made. It was rather intimidating — what if we ruined the work. But he never once made us doubt ourselves. He gave us confidence. The first thing he did was connecting us to Nature. We had to paint what we saw around. Those were the first lessons in 2D rendering that we learnt.He treated us students like his own children; he was a constant source of guidance and support. Every day, before I start my work, I think of my guru. Some of us students have been conducting free art classes for children at Peringode in his honour.Mithun JayarajSinger Singer Mithun Jayaraj | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement I believe a guru is different from a teacher. A guru goes beyond merely teaching the subject at hand — it is an enduring and nurturing relationship. I have been lucky to have a number of such gurus to whom I owe my entire journey in music. Starting from my earliest gurus Krishnan maash (sir), Balan maash and Sahadevan maash to composer and Carnatic musician V Dakshinamoorthy, Tamarakkad Govindan Namboodiri, and Mavelikkara P Subramaniam, the list is long. V Dakshinamoorthy These are gurus who continued to support me and encourage me despite health problems. I became a disciple of Dakshinamoorthy Swamy when I was in Class VIII and I continued to be so until his death in 2013. He was the one who taught me how to sing ‘manodharmam’. During the initial days, I used to go to his house in Chennai for classes. He was a patient teacher and was a father figure to me. I named my daughter Dakshina after him and the band I formed, along with my wife, Indu Prasad, is also named Dakshina as a tribute to him.All these gurus have left an indelible imprint on the way I understand and perceive music.