Always loud and clear

I first heard of Ram Gopal when I was at Santiniketan. He had notched up huge successes though he was not well known at that time in India. ...

I first heard of Ram Gopal when I was at Santiniketan. He had notched up huge successes though he was not well known at that time in India. He had established a school in Bangalore and was looking for someone to dance with him, someone as dedicated. And strangely enough, a friend of my family8217;s gave him my name. The friend was General Thimmayya8217;s wife, Nina, who had been very kind and helpful to me when I returned from school in Switzerland. I had started taking classes at Kalakshetra, Rukmini Devi8217;s dance academy, and then went to Santiniketan.

Ram Gopal went to Madras to meet my mother and assured her that he would look after me well. He was a charming person, and of course he won her over. So I went to Bangalore and was delighted to find my Kalakshetra guru, Shri Muthukumara Pillai, there, with whom I continued working while dancing with Ram Gopal as his partner.

We worked long hours everyday. Often, in a particularly mischievous mood, he would say, 8216;8216;Mrinal, you are too thin! Let8217;s go and have some dosais.8217;8217; And we would both go to Cubbon Park in the city where there was a dosai shop with the most delicious masala dosais! Often in the train at night while going somewhere for a recital, he would buy warm milk for me to drink, remembering his promise to my mother to look after me.

We gave many recitals in Bangalore, Madras and Calcutta and were considered 8216;8216;a perfect pair8217;8217;! I created my first choreographic piece for both of us called 8216;8216;Dharini8217;8217; as I always enjoyed doing something new around the classical form. Ram Gopal was a superb dancer and I enjoyed my work with him. His 8216;8216;Natanam Adinar8217;8217;, danced in the real Pandanallur style, was one of the finest I have ever seen.

When I went to Madras he would write me notes about how he had planned my future with him and to what great heights we would go. I think the difference between us was that he always spoke of the height and I of the path. I left him as my training was still unfinished and my guru wanted me to go to Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai of Pandanallur. I had also met someone who was to be my world and my vision.

Years later, dancing with my daughter Mallika in London, I invited him. His years showed in his frailty, but he was essentially the same, grandly dressed, an exotic turban on his head, a brocade achkan. We greeted each other with affection and he was thrilled with Mallika8217;s work. Later at a festival in Mumbai we sat together at the NCPA and in a loud voice he praised his god-daughter Mallika, not mincing his words, much to my embarrassment. But that was Ram, always loud and clear.