Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir, Mumbai, enters into its 76th year. These golden years depict the undaunted and dedicated service of the Guru Parampara to the ancient classical Indian art form of Bharatha Natyam, universally acclaimed to be an epitome of Indian cultural ethos, and unfolds a significant phase of the saga of seven successive generations, which deserves to be etched in letters of gold.
It was the year 1945. When the alien rule was in its dying embers,our country at the threshold of Independence and Bombay, the dynamic centre of Indian resurgence, was pulsating with pride everything that was nationalistic, be it social, political, economic or cultural.
In such atmosphere was founded the Kala Mandir in Bombay by Guru Sri A. T Govindraj Pillai, assisted and enthused by his wife Smt. Karunambal.
Govindraj Pillai
By sheer dint of hard work and intense devotion to the art, Guru Govindraj Pillai has reached the pinnacle of fame which very few could accomplish. It was just after he has married the only daughter of Bharatha Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai, that the genius of Guru Govindraj Pillai came to be recognized in the filed of dancing. Smt. Karunambal has been a great source of inspiration and of immense help to Guru Govindraj Pillai in imparting tuition to the students. He has amassed huge knowledge in Bharatha Natyam technique from the vast treasures of Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai’s erudite scholarship.
The longfelt need of the art lovers of Bombay for a traditional dance academy was at realized with the birth of sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir. With
Kuppiah Pillai
Bharatha Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai being honoured by Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India.
Bharatha Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai was the prime architect of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir, regarded today as an institution par excellence for Bharatha Natyam. His " Kamala Chakram", a lotus wheeled compendium depicting the matra -based complex 108 talas, besides the popular 35 ones, is invaluable to all students of music and dance. He was the first Natyacharya to be honoured with the Fellowship of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Spreading its wings far and wide, the has carved a niche for itself, training a thousand and more students and etching its own path to maintain the rigour and vigour of this art millenair and for preserving and propogating the tenets of Thanjavur style, the sine quo non of which is " aesthetic grace", all this was possible only with the great guidance of bharatha Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai.
Bharatha Vidwan Guru T.P. Kuppiah Pillai receiving the the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the first by a Nattuvanar, belonging to a the Thanjavur tradition to receive the award.
Mahalingam Pillai
K Kalyanasundaram
Thiruvidaimarudur Kuppiah Kalyanasundaram Pillai hails from a glorious lineage of Nattuvanars of Thanjavur; an illustrious Parampara now in its 8th generation; whose ancestors were honoured by Maharaja Serfoji II of Thanjavur and the royal courts of Mysore, Ramanathapuram and Baroda.
He imbibed the art of Bharatanatyam from his father Bharatha Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai, his brother Guru T. K. Mahalingam Pillai , brother-in-law Guru A.T. Govindraj Pillai and sister Smt. Karunam-bal. He learnt mridangam from his brother Guru Marudappa Pillai and Vidwan Sri Raghunathan Iyer ; vocal music from Smt. Nagalakshmi and Vidwan Alattur Panchapakesa Iyer.
Exclusive compositions of Mahakavi Bharathi( presented at Bharathi’s Centenary at his birthplace Ettayapuram in 1981)and Saint Purandaradasa( presented on his 500th birth anniversary at Delhi in 1984) are notable among the presentations of other composers. In 1986- he had choreographed along with imminent gurus Pt. Birju Maharaj, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Guru Vempatti Chinnasatyam, of the other classical dance forms, a widely acclaimed presentation ‘National Inte-gration through Dance’.
His countless productions both traditional and innovative include - 18th century Thirukutralla Ku-ravanji -Vasanthavalli, Sri Andal - Thiruppaavai , Charanapaduka - based on Tulsidas Ramayan with the music by Sangeet Martand Pt. Jasraj, , Skanda Leela, Sri Krishna Leela, Jaya Jaya Sankara, Mahatmanjali based on the noble ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, and Isai Vani Nrityanjali centenary tribute to Bharat Ratna M. S . Subbulakshmi by hundred dancers, to name a few.
Guru Kalyanasundaram’s students have featured at prestigious dance conferences and festivals in India and abroad.
Has travelled extensively earning a unique reputation; is respected for his disciplined and tradition -bound approach, and his work is known for their rich tapestry of choreography, music and literature. Guru Kalyanasundaram is a recipient of many awards and honours which include the Kalaimamani Award from the Govt Of Tamil Nadu, The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and sev-eral titles such as Natya Kalanidhi, Natya Selvam, Bharatha Rishi , Nada Brahmam and many more. Guru Kalyanasundaram continues to train a vast number of students and is constantly en-gaged in choreographing new themes.
His only son Bharatha Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai was the prime architect of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir, regarded today as an institution par excellence for Bharatha Natyam. His " Kamala Chakram", a lotus wheeled compendium depicting the matra -based complex 108 talas, besides the popular 35 ones, is invaluable to all students of music and dance. He was the first Natyacharya to be honoured with the Fellowship of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi.
His son-in-law Sri A.T.Govindraj Pillai and sons Sri T.K.Mahalingam Pillai and Sri K. Kalyanasundaram, along with daughter Smt. Karunambal and daughter - in - law Smt. Mythili Kalyanasundaram have helped the institution to blossom into what it is today - a legend of unalloyed, pristine Bharatha Natyam. Spreading its wings far and wide, it has carved a niche for itself, training a thousand and more students and etching its own path to maintain the rigour and vigour of this art millenair and for preserving and propogating the tenets of Thanjavur style, the sine quo non of which is " aesthetic grace".
Smt. G. Karunambal
Smt. Karunambal, the present Principal of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir, is the daughter of Bharatha Vidwan Guru T.P. Kuppiah Pillai, belonging to the great Thanjvur Nattuvanar Parampara . She is the fourth generation of dance gurus tracing her lineage which started from Venkatakrishna Nattuvanar, her grand father Panchapakesa Nattuvanar was author of abhinaya Navaneetham. The Gurus were the asthana vidwans of the Samasthanams of Baroda, Ramanathapuram and Thanjavur.
Smt. Karunambal.is known for her strict disciplined teaching , is most loved and admired by hundreds of her disciples. It is only after her marriage to Kalaimamani Guru A.T.Govindraj Pillai, founder of the Kala Mandir, and with the blessings of her father Bharatha Vidwan Guru T.P. Kuppiah Pillai , she taught dance along with her husband from the day the school was founded in 1945. She taught deligently and trained many brilliant students, Damayanti Joshi, Kamini Kaushal, Nalini Jayawant , Guru Mani of Kalasadan, Praveena Vashi, Sudha Chandrasekher, Lakshmi Iyer, Jayam and Asha Amarnath are well known among hundreds of her disciples. She was the leader of the Cultural troupe of the Kala Mandir that performed in 15 cities in America and Canada in 1995, as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Kala Mandir.
During the Golden Jubilee Celebrations she handed over The Guru A.T.Govindraj Pillai rotating to be given to the best bharathanatyam dancer, in the Mumbai University Youth Festival held every year. Presently , she continues to be the guiding force for the gurus, teachers and students of the Kala Mandir.
Smt. K. Mythli
Born in 1940 in Thanjavur to Smt. Rajalakshmi and Sri Ratnasabapathy, from a family of musical lineage, being the neice of none other than the great Nadaswaram Chakravarthy T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai, Mythili was given in marriage to Guru Kalyanasundaram , grandson of the Abhinaya exponent and Natyacharya Panchapakesa Nattuvanar.
She spent her childhood listening to the great music concerts held at her uncles house and also at Smt. Kamalambal, the famous dancer of yester years..
Trained in the thanjavur style of dancing , Mythili at the young age of seven years did her arangetram , trained by Pandanallur Meenakshisundaram Pillai and under the watchful eyes of eminent danseuse of that time Smt. Kamalambal, who also conducted the performance. She performed for about eight years after that at various places in and around Thanjavur. Smt. Kamalambal was trained by none other than Kandasamy Nattuvanar, grandfather of Guru K.P. Kittapa Pillai. Her performances were well appreciated by the great gurus of that time as at that young age she used to do Tamara Saksha sabdam and Khamas varnam, with great finese. Among her many perfomances were Sarabhendra Bhopala Kuravanji staged in the Sangeetha Mahal at the Thanjavur art galleryin 1955, and the arangteram and many other performances that were conducted in the grand hall of Guru Ponniah Pillai's house in Thanjavur.
Soon after her marriage was actively involved with Sri Rajarajeswari. Extremely adept at teaching dance , she is one of the senior Directors of the institution, giving constant guidance to the students from her vast experience spanning more than five decades in this field. Her indept understanding of the students, lovingly called Mythili Mami, by one and all, she is the loving mother of the students, constantly taking care of their needs backstage. A constant source of inspiration to her husband , Guru Kalyanasundaram, she is credited for having designed the costumes of all of his major works which, includes the major group presentations and ballets, performed in major cities in India and abroad, in countries like Nepal, China, Singapore, United States of America and Canada.
Presently, Mythili Kalyansundaram is one of the senior directors of the Kala Mandir, imparting her vast knowledge to the disciples of the institution.
Vasant Kumar
Guru G. Vasant Kumar, son of Kalaimamai Guru A.T. Govindraj Pillai, founder of Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir, hails from the family of traditional Natyacharyas (Dance Teachers) representing the seventh generation of a legacy of ancestors patronized by King Serfoji of Thanjavur, the royal courts of Baroda and Ramanathapuram. He has imbibed this great art form from his grand-father, Bharatha Vidwan Guru Kuppiah Pillai, father Kalaimamai Guru A.T. Govindraj Pillai, mother G.Karunambal and his maternal uncles Kalaimamai Guru T.K. Mahalingam Pillai & Kalaimamai Guru Kalyanasundaram.
Currently as one of the Directors of the Kala Mandir Guru Vasant Kumar has trained many students and has conducted innumerable programs both in India & abroad, to name a few :
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Switzerland,
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The middle East, Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat
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The United States of America.
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He has presented the disciples of the Kala Mandir at many National Festivals in major cities like New Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Bahvnagar, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune.
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Has a very unique style of presentation & is credited to be the first to sing a jathi in a particular raga format for a Jathiswaram.
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Has contributed immensely to the art of Bharatha Natyam through his imaginative choreography.
K. Harikrishna
Lauded for his choreographic excellence in the thanjvaur bani of the Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir, Guru Harikrishna is a dynamic choreographer, composer and nattuvanar, who has acquired extensive knowledge and expertise through long years of training, research and performances.
He is the disciple and son of the legendary dance Guru , Natya Acharya Guru Kalyanasundaram and nephew of Bharatha Vidwan Kalaimamani Guru T K Mahalingam Pillai. He represents the Thanjavur tradition of bharathanatyam , is the seventh generation in an illustrious lineage of natyacharyas (master teachers) who were honoured at the the royal courts of Baroda and Ramanathapuram. His great grandfather, Panchapakeshanattuvanar was the author of Abhinaya Navaneetham, a treatise in Tamil on the theory of bharatanatyam.
As one of the directors of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir,
Guru Harikrishna is actively involved in teaching, conducting dance camps and workshops , conducting performances and arangetrams, creating new work and staging them for which he has received rave reviews for his music, choreography and nattuvangam. Guru Harikrishna Kalyanasundaram has a distinctive approach to creating new classical repertoire and has created several new compositions for dance which have been showcased by dancers in India, USA and Canada.
Choreographer, composer and conductor, has acquired extensive knowledge and expertise through long years of training, research and performances. Harikrishna Kalyanasundaram has a distinctive approach to creating new classical repertoire and has created several new compositions for dance which have been showcased by dancers in India, USA and Canada.
Not resting on its oars, the institution has trained the current generation of Gurus Shri G. Vasant Kumar and Shri K. Harikrishna who have already proved their mettle to carry on the parampara tradition. The Gurus of Rajarajeswari have blazed new trails in adapting the training to the needs of changing times, inculcating Gurukula norms in institutional coaching and giving a new facade to presentational format. The Gurus have been adept in adapting polyglot lyrics to Bharatha Natyam so as to instill National Integration in true sense. The versatality of the Gurus shines through the dance dramas, the ballets, the ekaharya depictions they have choreographed , in all of which, the aesthetic grace of the Thanjavur Bani glows unalloyed
Bharatha Vidwan Guru T. P. Kuppiah Pillai Fellowship of the Sangeet Natak Academi Kalasikhamani - Tamil Nadu |
Guru A. T. Govindraj Pillai Kalaimamani - Tamil Nadu Govt Natya Kalanidhi - Tyaga Raja Sabha, Coimbatore |
Guru T. K. Mahalingam Pillai Award from Sangeet Natak Academi Gaurav Puraskar, Govt of Maharashtra Kalimamani Tamil Nadu Govt E Krishna Iyer Medal - Sruti Foundation Sarandev Fellowship - Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai |
Guru K. Kalyanasundaram |
Over the years, a number of students have won the National Cultural Talent Scholarships both at the Junior and Senior levels. And many have established their own schools both here and abroad for carrying on the Thanjavur Bani.
Cultural Delegation & Foreign Tours:
Australia, France, Germany, U.K, Switzerland, Holland, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Nepal, U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Japan & Malaysia
Major Fund Raising Programmes:
Prime Minister's Relief Fund, Koyna Relief Fund, Drought Relief Fund and a host of other efforts for helping academic and cultural institutions.