Kamala’s legacy: The star who inspired generations of Bharatanatyam dancers

As Baby Kamala successful films and Kumari Kamala connected stage, she wove magic with her dance, which was marked by perfection and finesse. She was the perfect narthaki and a existent ambassador of India’s creation and culture, having performed worldwide.

She lived a afloat life, pursuing her passionateness for the art. When she passed distant precocious successful the US, respective elder dancers and admirers posted pictures and video clips from aged films, and described Kamala arsenic the inspiration for them to larn Bharatanatyam too. Unfortunately, determination is precise small documentation of her enactment that is available.

She was 1 of the past links to the transformative decades erstwhile sadir was reborn arsenic Bharatanatyam and reclaimed arsenic a classical creation connected the nationalist stage.

“The timing was perfect, the conditions ideal. And her property was conscionable right,” says musician, writer and student Sujatha Vijayaraghavan. Under the tutelage of Guru Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai, Kamala bloomed into 1 of the foremost exponents of the bani. “Grace and fluidity marked her nritta portion subtlety and poesy defined her abhinaya. From the instant she made her introduction from the wings till she concluded with the mangalam, she held the assemblage successful a spell,” she adds.

S. Rajeswari, who sang for Kamala’s creation programmes for 20 years aft the duo of K.R. Radhakrishnan and S.K. Rajarathnam Pillai, recalls the fantastic rapport they shared. “We drew inspiration from one-another to improvise connected stage. She was a genius. She was wide successful her praise and would springiness owed recognition to maine and members of her orchestra. She was well-versed successful music, having learnt from vidwan Ramnad Krishnan. She could sing well, and has adjacent chopped immoderate opus discs,” she recalls.

The vocalist besides remembers however stardom ne'er took distant Kamala’s humaneness. “Once, erstwhile my kid abruptly took sick connected the time of the programme, she asked her parent to instrumentality attraction of my son. Everyone was moved to tears by our heartfelt presumption of a viruttam pleading for Muruga’s grace, followed by her celebrated ‘Ka va va’ connected that troubled evening. She past cancelled the adjacent day’s programme, aft promising the organisers that she would execute soon. We fulfilled that commitment.”

Respect for tradition

Veteran Bharatanatyam exponent, Sudharani Raghupathy, says that 7 decades ago, Kamala’s creation influenced each young dancer. “When I was successful my aboriginal teens, she wanted to spot maine practicing the Husseni swarajati successful Kittappa Pillai’s class. Although she was elder and famous, she had that curiosity to cognize astir different artistes and had large respect for contented and the Thanjavur Quartet. I person known and watched her for years. She was outstanding, and I americium yet to conscionable idiosyncratic similar her.”

“Three greats successful creation — Kamala, Balasaraswati and Vyjayantimala — performed continuously for 27 years successful the expansive slot of The Music Academy. Their performances were eagerly looked guardant to, and drew a full-house,” says renowned Bharatanatyam artiste and student Nandini Ramani. “In those days, Kamala would thrust down to the Academy successful afloat Bharatanatyam aharya for her performances. Her pyjama costumes were unique, make-up dignified and she would deterioration caller flowers.”

“Kamala would often travel location to inquire my father, V. Raghavan, astir the lyrics, meaning and deeper layers successful compositions,” Nandini shares.

Kamala’s forefront leap — similar a cervid leaping with implicit joyousness — offered a peculiar acquisition to the audience. She and Ramiah Pillai, who was similar a majestic lion roaring the jatis, would unneurotic make magic. “I deliberation she was among the archetypal to present interesting, standalone melodramatic episodes successful creation narratives — for instance, Rukmini penning to Lord Krishna — during the 2nd fractional of a Bharatanatyam concert. It was thrilling to ticker her execute these with her sisters — Rhadha and Vasanthi.”

She was the archetypal idiosyncratic to choreograph Tyagaraja’s ‘Nauka Charitam’ — it was beautifully choreographed and had inspiring music. Kamala ever had precise bully vocal accompanists. “Once she became fashionable successful films, her attack to the creation had a interaction of ‘janaranjakam’, but she ever maintained its dignity and divinity,” adds Nandini.

Jayanthi Varma learnt her archetypal ‘taiyya tai’ adavu astatine Kamala’s location successful Sri Nagar Colony, Madras, and aboriginal astatine her sprawling bungalow successful Poes Garden. She was a diligent and thorough teacher. She would instrumentality america students to execute dance-dramas successful India and abroad. “I learnt from her for a decade, earlier she moved to the US, and we missed her astonishing artistry. I person had the bully luck of filming ‘Marainduvarum Marabugal’, wherever she has spoken extensively connected the publication of the past masters,” elaborates Jayanthi.

A generous mentor

Dancer and storyteller Ramaa Bharadvaj calls Kamala an affectionate and generous mentor. “Not lone did she thatch maine and my duplicate without taking immoderate fees, aft each show tour, she would spot an envelope of currency notes successful our mother’s manus and say, “This is for the children’s education”. Even astatine the highest of her career, she was peculiar astir creating opportunities for america to grow.”

Speaking astir Kamala’s teaching methodology, Ramaa, who learnt with her from 1970-1978, shares that her guru did not let students to prostrate astatine her feet. “We could create, sermon and explicit freely. She ne'er criticised different dancers successful the presence, oregon demanded our loyalty. I ever accidental that she knew truthful overmuch astir dance, but thing astir the authorities of dance.”

Doctor and dancer Srinidhi Chidambaram, who trained nether her from property four-to-nine, remembers frisbee sessions successful her garden, the impulsive drives for ice-cream and her awesome creation hall. “Who would person ever imagined that this playful and carefree idiosyncratic was really the legendary Kamala?”

“She wore her fame and artistry lightly. But her watchful eyes corrected each stance and glance, and she taught america to befriend the signifier from specified a young property that we each knew nary signifier fear. We besides learnt that the amusement indispensable ever spell on, contempt a faltering orchestra oregon a fallen earring. She near Chennai without a goodbye. It remains arsenic a coiled of abandonment till day.”