A generous and meticulous teacher

Vidushi R. Vedavalli’s tribute to T. Muktha in Sruti brought back memories of the unassuming, simple, humble, humane qualities of a great torchbearer of a grand tradition, who was my teacher also. I was touched by Mukthamma’s generosity and down to earth nature on quite a few occasions which created a deep impression on me. In 1970 my dance teacher T. Balasaraswati wanted me to learn from Mukthamma, the Swati Tirunal padam Valapu tala vasama, so that we could include it in my dance performance at the Navaratri Mandapam Festival in Tiruvananthapuram. My father, Dr. V. Raghavan and I called on Mukthamma and she immediately agreed to teach me to sing that padam.

The next day, even as I was preparing to leave for Mukthamma’s house she came to our house in Royapettah. We were pleasantly surprised and I told her so. Pat came her reply: “What does it matter whether you come to me or I come to you? Learning the composition is important”. I was speechless. Her generosity and straightforward attitude were unique, be it towards a senior artist or a student, and that remained her hallmark.