Smt Kalanidhi Narayan- A Tribute

Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan has touched the lives of several artistes. At the time that I sit to compile this humble tribute to the doyen of Abhinaya, it almost seems redundant to make statements about her expertise, her work, her methodology of teaching and her persona. Several beautiful, heart-felt tributes have been written in the days following her demise- by her students, colleagues and the extended artiste fraternity. I wondered if there were any words left to describe her.

The intangible nature of dance is such that it can never be completely encapsulated in records of audio, video or texts, but it's essence does live on through the lineage of fabulous artistes that are left behind. It is obvious that Kalanidhi Maami's art will continue to thrive in the art of her disciples. It is in their work that we will continue to see the work of the maestro and her teaching. It is in their work that the disciples themselves will cherish their teacher for the rest of their life- as they pass on the knowledge they have been so generously gifted, to future generations.

I asked a few of Maami's disciples to recall those 'moments' in their life when they felt a definite imprint of Kalanidhi Maami's teaching.

Kalanidhi Maami was a born teacher. It seems impossible to teach someone to think, but she could do it. Of course her influence went beyond just the abhinaya she taught to life itself. I recall one conversation I had with her about the role of a teacher. There is a Tamil quote 'Pathirum arindu pichai Idu- (Even while dropping alms in a beggar's plate be sure that the 'plate' is indeed deserving) meaning that while we teach, we must know if the student is truly deserving or not before pouring out our knowledge for them. There is another quote which says 'Vidya Daanam Mahattaram' meaning that sharing knowledge is the highest form of charity. I asked her why these two quotes seemed to contradict one another. While on one hand you should differentiate between a worthy and unworthy student, on the other hand you should share knowledge without being discriminatory. Her answer still rings true to me time and again. She said "If you are a teacher, your job is to teach. What the student does with the knowledge they have gained from you is not for you to worry about or have any control over. There will be sincere students and there will be those who are not. A teacher should have the grace and grit to accept this. If you are sincere in your efforts to teach, God will be there for you. If a student is deceptive it is his/her Paavam- why should you worry about it."

- Guru Smt. Bhanumathi (Renowned Teacher and Scholar)

Maami was a traditionalist and I have always loved experiments. But in every one of my projects/productions, Maami has been a constant motivating factor. Whether it was Contemporary poetry which I set in the Bharatanatyam format or my television shows or movie songs that I choreographed, Maami's imprint in my work is obvious. 
Films unlike stage performances demand minimal movement and subtler expressions, along with ab in-depth understanding of the context, content and character. Having learnt padams and javalis from Maami with a similar outlook towards researching the work at hand, it was that much easier as a choreographer. Maami's ways of interpretation, her understanding of emotion and Rasaa have definitely rubbed off on me. Whether it is stage or television or film, the medium may be different, but in approach I have gathered a strong foundation from learning from Maami. 
-Smt. Radhika Shurajit (Choreographer and Television Director)

I began learning from Maami when I was all of 11. Since then, Maami and her teaching has stayed with me through life. She was such a thorough person that it showed in the way she approached Abhinaya and expected her students to approach abhinaya. She was a person of precision and correctness and when I teach a class today I seem to have absorbed that very nature to the extent that I am a known to be nitpicker with my students! It is common to do research while putting together a major production but Maami brought the same attitude to every Padam or Javali that she taught. The discipline that I imbibed from her is something I can feel in every step of the way that I take.

-Ramya Ramnarayan (Performer and Educator)

I was hardly 19 when I entered maami’s house the first time to learn under her.I sat down after my namaskaram with a new diary and new pen not knowing how to write the padams.  I had never written any dance numbers before. Maami looked at me with her expressive eyes , trying to gauge me. My hands started to shiver. Her first question was” enne kathukara”  .. how would I know the answer?  "whatever you feel is right maami" was my answer. She opened her Kshetrayya padam book and looked through, then found a padam which she thought was appropriate.. Eamani thelupudu.
Years have passed from my initial days of struggling to get the angle right , to change sides and to use less of hand gestures. At every programme, maami would sit in the first row and the next day she would invariably give her feedback and correct the things that were not right. When I staged an Abhinaya based production MEERA for the first time at BVB, mami was there in the first row. I had of course discussed my production with her but on stage it took a different turn. All I felt was the total devotion for Krishna and after the prog I felt how much mami’s teachings have influenced my thinking. 
- Shobanaa Bhalchandra (Performer and Teacher)