Spotlight
Remembering guru K.J. Sarasa

Bharatanatyam guru K.J. Sarasa had the distinction of being one of the first and most successful women nattuvanars of the traditional community in modern times. This famous natyacharya who initially sang for dance and soon took to nattuvangam, carried aloft the flag of the Vazhuvoor tradition of Bharatanatyam most impressively for more than five decades.
Her style was marked by grace, ornamentation, sculpturesque poses, sparkling glances, and the charm of the Vazhuvoor style. Her emphasis was on encouraging individuality and creativity within the confines of tradition, and not on imparting an assembly-line uniformity and rigidity in her disciples.
It is quite amazing how Sarasa -- a single young woman established a name for herself in Madras in the 1960s and emerged as a highly respected natyacharya on the strength of her art.
She has a host of talented and well known disciples who are continuing the tradition in different parts of India and abroad. To mark K.J. Sarasa’s 86th birth anniversary which falls this month, Sruti offers a bouquet of tributes from a few of her disciples.
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SREKALA BHARATH
Sarasa Teacher lived a life of absolute dedication to the art form she loved so much – a full 80 years, of which 60 was devoted to teaching dance. With gurukula vasam under the legendary Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai, Teacher became the first woman nattuvanar. While dancer Kumari Kamala was her inspiration, she became an icon herself as a non-performing guru and a peerless choreographer. Sarasalaya was launched in 1960 and, today, stands tall as an institution that has contributed immensely to the passing of a grand legacy.
Sarasa Teacher's style is all grace and charm, true to the vibrant Vazhuvoor bani. While she stressed originality and creativity, she strictly ensured that they were all within the grammar of Bharatanatyam. No tampering or taking shortcuts – if she noticed even one such inadvertent attempt, she would nip it in the bud with a full-blown lecture session! She insisted on araimandi – there was no escaping from that, and she meticulously tailored the margam to suit us students. She did not compromise on orchestral support, and we had the best team at all times.
At all phases of her life, she never missed
an opportunity to contribute to her art. I am fortunate and privileged to
have been associated with Teacher for 30 years (1969-1999). While she was the
most strict of gurus, an innate motherliness in her brought to the fore her
kind-heartedness. In class, the stick and carrot kept surfacing in equal
measure, which is what you all see as an outcome – the discipline and
dedication of every single student of hers. Her sense of humour was one of a
kind, which helped break the ice in every serious 'stick' session.
Can there ever be a superlative to explain
this gift of guidance and knowledge bestowed upon me in the form of this doyen
and legend…my dear guru KJ Sarasa.
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Prema Sadasaivam
To all students, 'Teacher' only meant
Sarasa Teacher. Attending dance class was not just learning Bharatanatyam but
more like a gurukula vasam. Students were never conscious of the
clock! From her we learnt social behaviour, politeness when pointing out
mistakes, not to criticise, to be able to laugh at oneself ....the list goes
on! From Sarasa Teacher her students not only inculcated the moral of
forgiving but also forgetting! She will be ever missed!
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Padmini Ravi
She was a traditional teacher with a liberal thought
process. A strict guru, yet she had a phenomenal sense of humour and was very
friendly with students. Attractive and fashionable in her dress sense, she was
everything a woman should be bold, sincere and committed. She was an amazing
teacher who taught me dance and shaped my life.
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Kavitha Ramu
The time I spent in Sarasalaya was the best period of my
life. With an enriching experience not just learning the art form but also
honing other essential life-enhancing qualities such as communication,
punctuality, time management, focus, perseverance and determination.
Sarasa Teacher was every student's dream.She would give each student individual
attention and groom them into successful solo performers while retaining their
individuality. She would always try to project her students' strengths by
choosing the dance items accordingly during their performances across different
sabhas.
It is rare to come across a person with such dedication.
She would start taking classes as early as 6:30 or 7 am and go on until 8:30 in
the night with only necessary short breaks. And she would make those long days
seem a cakewalk, always sporting a huge smile to compliment her impeccable
sense of stylish dressing.
Teacher, as we fondly addressed her was an epitome of
determination and hard work. It wasn't easy for her to waltz into the world of
nattuvangam, monopolised by male nattuvanars. She fought her way, found
her royal place and reigned the empire of Bharatanatyam like an undisputed
queen.
The One and only Sarasa teacher, our guru, mentor,
friend, confidant, and guiding star!
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Sailaja
To chisel, mould and bring out artistic individuality is a pristine quality of Sarasa teacher. I am blessed to have been under her tutelage for 18 years and to pass on the Vazhuvoor tradition to my disciples. She has etched not only the art form in me but also her love and passion for the art.
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Urmila
Sathyanarayanan
Sarasa
Teacher is my firm inspiration to work hard, be bold, push boundaries, face
challenges bravely, laugh, joke, dress up in stunning saris and jewellery, wear
jasmine flowers, and dedicate one's life to Bharatanatyam. Teacher was
a brilliant choreographer for both solo and group. A sincere
teacher, a talented vocalist and an extraordinary music lover. I feel
her presence always.
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SEETHA
RATNAKAR
If I am known as a dancer today, I owe it to my Sarasa Teacher. She recognised
my talent and gave me the confidence to dance alongside my sister Rathna Papa
who was already a renowned dancer by the time I started learning. Some of the
best memories of my teenage years are fun times travelling with Teacher to
places all over India to perform. As a teacher, she was a disciplinarian
but never censured us with harsh words. We did a lot of serious dancing but the
wonderful atmosphere that she created made it a most enjoyable experience.
My most unforgettable memory with Teacher is when we represented Tamil Nadu at
the Republic Day Parade in Delhi in 1970 and won the first prize. I stopped
performing in 1975 but remained in touch with Teacher until the end. It was a
blessing to record her dance at the Perur temple and a wonderful interview at
our Chennai studios. I am extremely fortunate that I could archive
Teacher's immense contribution to dance and showcase her legacy through the
recordings of all her senior dancers.
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Rathna
Kumar Papa
Fate
has a strange way of dealing out cards. Sometimes you get the aces, and you
become a winner! Fate dealt me an ace when I was just a little over four years
old, in the form of a mentor who would change my life and give it a profound
meaning and purpose. A young and beautiful K.J. Sarasa became my lifelong, and
one and only, Bharatanatyam guru, and I, by some divine grace, became her very
first student. And I wear that mantle with pride and humility. For 47 years
now, I have been walking in Teacher's shoes, a dance teacher myself, having
modelled my teaching methods after the way she taught us, with love and
care, but with disciple and strict adherence to the unmatched beauty of the
Vazhuvoor bani. I had numerous job offers, worked as an English lecturer, and
after moving to the US, got into the Ph.D. programme in English at Houston's
prestigious Rice University, but gave it all up for my magnificent obsession,
dance. And the seeds of this deep passion for dance were sown by Teacher. She
knew exactly how to nurture and train each student, gauging their strengths and
weaknesses.
Her unique way of teaching, insisting on me showing my individuality as a dancer rather than imitating someone. Her encouraging me, in later years, to choreograph on my own, her gentle way of correcting me without raising her voice or using a harsh word, her wonderful sense of humour, and above all, her love and affection, inspired me to follow the trail she had blazed for me. I feel immensely blessed to have had her as my most beloved, respected and admired guru from when I did not even know how to spell the word `dance', let alone `Bharatanatyam'. Whatever achievements I have to my credit in the field of dance, I consider them as Teacher's blessings.
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Shanmugasundaram
When I was nineteen years old, I travelled from my native
village, Namakkal to Chennai in pursuit of my dream to learn Bharatanatyam.
However, only after two years of struggle was I able to set out on the desired
path. In 1994, when I was 21, I started learning from my guru K.J. Sarasa. My
journey in dance continued with my guru for 18 years until she passed away in
2012. Initially she was reluctant to accept me as her disciple as she was
not keen on teaching male dancers. She finally gave into my dogged
persistence and took me as her student – it was indeed a golden day in my
life! I must mention that she was least bothered about my family
background or status, but decided to take me into the fold of Sarasalaya solely
because of my passion for dance.
I would spend the whole day in the dance class, returning
home only at night. I have spent more time with Teacher than with my parents!
Over the years, she taught me and encouraged me to do nattuvangam, choreograph
and teach. She would often ask me to sit with the orchestra and observe as she
conducted a performance. It was Teacher’s strong belief that stage performances
and teaching students were major influences in the shaping of fine dancers.
She also helped to create opportunities for me to perform and gain recognition as a male Bharatanatyam dancer. I not only learnt dance from her, but also learnt the importance of discipline, positive thinking, hard work and self confidence in life.
The way she would gauge a student and teach was a study
in psychology. She would similarly, compose and choreograph the dance to suit
each student’s physical attributes.
As she was extremely well-versed in music, having sung
for classical dance for several years, she would help her students choose the
right items in appropriate ragas for inclusion in their performances -- to
prevent overlap and boredom. Without music there is no dance was her oft
repeated advice to us to learn music.
Am filled with nostalgia as I recall that for my first
performance, Teacher got a costume stitched for me out of her beautiful silk
saree. She took great interest in the progress of my artistic life and
encouraged me in every way. Sarasa Natya Mala -- the dance festival that I have
been organising every year is my humble offering to my Teacher’s memory.The
best tribute to Sarasa Teacher by her disciples is to carry on her legacy and
disseminate the rich treasure that she has bequeathed to us, and thereby keep
the flag of her name and fame flying high for posterity.