Art and its changing avatars

KOCHI: “Three kinds of students learn classical dance today; the first learn it out of genuine interest, the second for the lure of stage and awards and the third treat it purely as exercise,” says 64 year old Kalamandalam Sumathy.  ‘Sumathy teacher’ as she is popularly called, talks nineteen to a dozen when it comes to her favourite topic of classical dance.When she started as a child student of bharatanatyam, many  decades also, classical Indian dance had slipped from its place of pride and acquired an inexplicable notoriety. Respectable families looked down upon it, and devadasis who earlier enjoyed a privileged status, dancing at temples, were now shunned by mainstream society.Through the last 59 years, Sumathy has seen the classical dance reclaiming its high status, with dance schools mushrooming in every nook and corner of the country. The forms have acquired a great patronage abroad as well.“The number of students is very high now. Around Perumbavoor town alone, we have around 45 dance schools. But when I was young, the going was very tough. Even my teacher, Kalamandalam Kalyanikuttiamma, a famous exponent had to shut down her school due to lack of patronage,” recollects the guru who founded the Natyalaya School of classical dances in Kerala in 1964.She then goes on to narrate the history of bharatanatyam as it moved from the revered temples and the Devadasi community to the royal courts and finally got allied with prostitution. “At that time it was called Sadirattam. The status of dance had sunk so low that Maharani Laxmi Bayi of Travancore Kingdom banned mohiniyattam,”Kalamandalam Sumathy was among that generation of dancers who lived through this transition period where classical dance was again put on a pedestal. Over the years, Sumathy has been the recipient of several prestigious degrees and awards. Her growing stature has also enabled her to take her dance schools to countries like Brazil, Turkey  and the middle-east.But there is an ironic side to this which Sumathy doesn’t fail to point out. “Not many have interest in the art form itself and view dancing on stage as a way to garner attention and awards. Parents only want to see their children perform. There is hardly any appreciation for the art itself. Look at our classical dance programmes these days. People hardly come to watch. The scenario was better even fifteen years ago when large crowds would assemble to see the performances,” she rues. But that has not made Sumathy pessimistic. “There are no regrets. Even today at this age, I get the greatest happiness when I perform. Those close to me wonder why I’m tiring myself. But till the time I can use my hand and legs, I will dance,” she says with determined eyes.