Committed to upholding ancient dance form

VADODARA, June 8: It was a long way from the temple town of Thanjavur to the courts of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. But despite the trials an...

VADODARA, June 8: It was a long way from the temple town of Thanjavur to the courts of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. But despite the trials and tribulations suffered over the years, 81-year-old danseuse Kubernath Tanjorekar and his family are as committed today as they were more than half-a-century ago to upholding the purity of Bharatnatyam.

True to his name, Kubernath is a treasure trove of dance and music which he says 8220;runs in my blood8221;. Bestowed with the prestigious Sangeet Natya Akademi award in 1994 8212; a year prior to a paralytic attack which left his left side partially impaired 8212; the maestro has made his mark in several cities of the country through his art. Besides bagging the State Sangeet Natya Akademi award he also has a number of other awards to his credit.

Tracing his origins to the cultural city of Thanjavur, where his ancestors were dancers, the maestro recalls his grandfather Thangam Pillai and family had accompanied Sayajirao Gaekwad8217;s first wife Laxmibai as her dowry. Ever since, the family was entrenched in the culture circle of the Maharaja8217;s court.

He recalls his golden childhood days when musicians from all over the country including Faiyaz Khan, Nisar Hussein, Laxmibai Kolapurkar, vocal classical musician Chhammujaan Achanjan, and Kathak dancers among others adorned Gaekwad8217;s court.

Tanjorekar proudly states that he used to perform in music sessions, held during Holi, Dussera, Id and other festivals, with his father Appaswami.

His father8217;s friend Ustad Faiyaz Khan guided and trained him in vocal Hindustani classical music, while Bala Krishna Pillai taught him Carnatic music. However, with the merger of the princely states following independence, many musicians were compelled to leave the city to eke out a living as the royal patronage came to a standstill.

Though lack of formal education hampered his prospects, his mastery in music helped him carve out a place in the Music college as a mridangam player. Later, his dexterity in dance helped him raise to a higher platform and he was promoted to the post of assistant professor in dance. Ilakshi Thakore, Pratibha Pandit, Madhubhai Patel among others are his disciples, not to forget Ranjitsinh Gaekwad8217;s daughter, who was also his disciple until 15 years ago.

Story continues below this ad

His brilliant career was punctuated with a brief stint with Tamil cinema, which he says was not very memorable. Choreographing Subhadra was a very interesting experience, but left him bitter as commercialisation of dance was not 8220;my cup of tea.8221;

In keeping to his word to preserve and promote Thanjavur dance, Tanjorekar started the Tanjorekar Natyashala in the city in 1985. His son Ramesh, a professional Chartered Accountant, too joined his father in the Isai Velalar family of musicians. Alongwith his wife Lilaben, he runs the school, which currently has about 250 students. 8220;We have developed a varnam from the scenes of Brahadeshwar temple of Thanjavur8221;, says Ramesh. The traditional dance of Thanjavur, he regrets, could possibly die with him.

Brought up on the rigours of Bharatnatyam, where watching another style was a taboo. Tanjorekar says his grandchildren are averse to dance and listen to western music. His grandson, he says, is doing a course in Company Secretaryship and runs a travel agency. However, all hope is not lost for this commerce graduate has also graduated in violin from the Music college. Another Tanjorekar in the making, we hope.