“There is nothing greater in life than inspiration. If you can inspire people you are already fulfilling life, and the fulfillment of life is our goal.”
– Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale
Kalyani has relentless love for Bharatanatyam and has dedicated her life for the propagation of this divine classical art. In 1990, with the support of Sri Bhagavatalu Seetarama Sarma of India, she established what is now known as the Kalapeetham in North Hills, CA.
AN INTERVIEW WITH OUR BELOVED KALYANI SHANMUGARAJAH
By Monisha Jayakumar
How does it feel to be celebrating 25 years of Kalapeetham?
Has it really been twenty-five years? I look around and sometimes I am awestruck that so much time has passed. To have spent almost three decades surrounded by dance, music and history; to have had hundreds of young students waltzing in and out of my house; to have been so blessed to live a life entrenched in my passion. I am so happy that we are present “Evolution of Natya”. It has been a dream and I am so grateful to the Divine power that has allowed this to beautifully unfold.
How did you first realize you wanted to be in dance?
My father originally planted the thought in my head. Growing up in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, we would go often to our family Nataraja temple. My father watched me emulate the Nataraja statue and realized I loved dance. He was a journalist, and was deeply into Yoga. He had spent time in India learning and researching Yoga. That’s when he heard of Rukmini Devi and Kalakshetra. He soon began to regularly tell me from the age of five, that I would go to Kalakshetra one day and pursue dance. After that, there was no looking back. I turned 16 and I was dropped off at Kalakshetra in Chennai, India.
We never get tired of hearing about your Kalakshetra Days! Can you give us a glimpse of what it was like?
I remember it felt like I was living in the times of the Ramayana or some pristine golden era when time seemed to have slowed down, and all that mattered was living in the magical moment surrounded by such art and beauty. It was hard work, but I was so thirsty for knowledge, I thrived in that environment. We worked for at least ten hours a day on yoga, dance, music, history and theory. There is only room for those with unparalleled devotion to art. Now sometimes my students ask me how I remember something I learned all those years ago. It is so deeply instilled in my body. I hear the music once and I can remember every single step and all the nuances. That is the Kalakshetra way. I must have so much good karma to have been at Kalakshetra with so many geniuses to draw inspiration from. Teachers like Sarada Hoffman with an ability to pull out miraculous potential from seemingly ordinary students. Scholars like Sankara Menon to talk to us about history. Leela Akka (Samson) was my roommate for a while, and I learned so much from her too. She would talk to me in Tamil while I spoke in English so we could both learn!I made some of my best friends at Kalakshetra. And then ofcourse, there was the larger-than-life Rukmini Devi Arundale.
It is so amazing that you were in Kalakshetra with Athai! What was Rukmini Devi like in person?
She was such a legend, having almost single-handedly revived Bharatanatyam as an aesthetic and divine art form suitable for our times. But in person, she had the kindest, warmest spirit. I have watched her while she choreographed classics like the Ramayana. Some super-natural power used to take over her, and she would be in a transcendental state. Her eyes seemed connected to a light no one else could see. And her body would move creating these stunning sequences. I truly believe she was not an ordinary human being. Her presence on earth was for an extraordinary purpose.
Sarada Hoffman is another legend that we hear many stories about from you. Could you share your experience with her?
She is my guru and the person who changed my life forever. Her sincerity to her art was the most inspiring. She was a disciplinarian, but she was so motherly and you felt so safe in her watch. If we didn’t do something correctly, she would say, “I’m not telling you to do it this way, the dance demands that you do.” There was so much clarity in her purpose and action. She has a divine connection with art that never wavered then and continues strong even today. I am grateful that she continues to be in my life, guiding me and blessing me as I grow. I recall one day when she couldn’t teach her evening class, she had left a note on her class door for me saying, “Kalyani, please teach my class”. I saved that note and I now truly believe that showed me my calling!
Did you always dream of running a dance school? How did it all happen?
I moved to California with my parents, who emigrated from Sri Lanka. I was young, single and was sad to leave behind my friends and my students. I thought that would be the end of my dance journey. There wasn’t even a temple in LA in 1979. I got married to a wonderful man Shan, and began working for a bank. But part of me was always unfulfilled. I couldn’t even listen to my dance music without feeling empty. I had never dreamed of being a famous dancer, or touring the world. I just wanted to be immersed in dance and music. I craved that art chatter shared by dancers and musicians, the sharing of knowledge. After my daughter Tharini was born, God must have listened, because soon people started asking about my dance background. A friend of mine sent her daughter, Himatha to learn from me. Sri Seetarama Sarma, a musical genius from Kalakshetra came to accompany her arangetram and helped found our school, Kalapeetham. His support was invaluable. Slowly the school grew. Hundreds of students, and fifty odd arangetrams later, I am still excited to teach every day.
What inspires you to teach after all these years?
I love teaching and it makes me feel like my life is so worthwhile. I gain so much from teaching. That’s why I don’t call myself a Guru – one who is all knowing. I am still learning from them every day. I enjoy molding them as little buds, watching them flower into full bloom. My teacher rightly said, you have to be a good person to be a good dancer. So that is my main goal. To open them up and allow their own goodness and humility to shine and then beautiful dance follows. Art is a healer. It works through you and brings out these divine qualities in you, and you never know it’s happening. You don’t need any certificates or Arangetrams to prove that you have matured as a dancer. You carry that radiance of goodness, and that is what makes me so happy to see in my students. With some it’s easier, with others it takes time. Some parents get impatient, they want their children to quickly learn several items and perform on stage. But you can’t tell a rose bush to flower quickly. The rosebud opens up when it is ready, when it is inspired.
I remember you had some health challenges some years ago. Was it difficult to continue teaching?
I faced a tryst with breast cancer when my daughter was young. My students and my dance healed me! I would be so weak and tired after chemotherapy. But after two days of being in bed, I would crave being around my students. I would be back in class, soaking in their good energy and I would feel like I was healing. And I did heal. My art and my students were my best therapy. Even though my daughter is an only child she was surrounded by so many siblings. I never felt that she was alone while I was still recovering.
What is one of the biggest challenges of being a dance teacher and running a school?
I am constantly grateful for everything I do have, but I must admit the road has not always been easy. Financial challenges are constant being a dance educator. Being self-employed, I must provide my own health insurance and such, which, after my health challenges, are expensive! Add to that the expenses with running the school. There’s no income during summer or winter breaks. Most of my students are from middle class families and I don’t like overcharging anyone. During the financial downturn, things got particularly hard. But the fact that I’m still here doing this means there is a Higher power carrying me through the rough times.
Now I have to ask you how you feel that Tharini has also chosen to walk in your path?
I feel very blessed yet again that my life’s work will be continued by my daughter, Tharini. I feel like she has really put in the time through a lot of hard work to become prepared for this role. I see that hunger to learn in her too, soaking in as much as she can in India and when we bring prodigious artists like Sheejith Krishna here. That someone like her, who is born and brought up in the US, can feel, so connected to Bharatanatyam is proof to me of this art form’s power and timelessness. I don’t tell her this often, but I am truly proud of her dedication.
Any last thoughts you’d like to share as we stand at this 25th anniversary milestone?
“There is nothing greater in life than inspiration. If you can inspire people you are
already fulfilling life, and the fulfillment of life is our goal.” I love that quote from Rukmini Devi. I consider my life to be an extension of her philosophy. It has been years and I wake up every day grateful for the opportunity to serve my art. I hope to God I can continue to do this every day that I am still here.