Birthdays & Anniversaries
My mother Savithri Sabanayagam took me as
a four-year old to the illustrious Pandanallur guru Chockalingam Pillai and his
son Subbaraya Pillai to learn Bharatanatyam. Their dance school was in a
corporation school beneath the Egmore bridge. My first memory is that of
holding my nose when I entered, as the school toilets were at the entrance,
shutting my ears as the sound of the trains passing by created a racket, but my
eyes were wide open as I watched many children dance. Like the lotus that
blooms radiant in muddy waters, one of the purest and most beautiful styles of
Bharatanatyam was being taught there by very simple, great masters belonging to
the illustrious lineage of the Tanjore Quartet.
As soon as the corporation school closed for the day at 3.30 pm, the
main classroom benches would be piled to the side, the masters would supervise
the sweeping of the room and the class would start at 4 pm. Chockalingam Pillai
was known as Peria Master and Subbaraya Pillai as Chinna Master. When we
entered the school at 4 pm we had to first pass the Big Master who would be
seated on a tinnai or pyol outside the classroom – with his walking stick and
chewing betel leaves. He would greet every child – tick them off if they were
late – enquire, if they had eaten idlis and drunk their milk. Small Master
would be taking the adavu classes and Big Master would come in a little later
and both would conduct classes which would go on until pm as the seniors came
in. They taught with great dedication and commitment to the art – gave it with
so much generosity laced with the choicest of abuses and witty remarks.
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