By Aruna Sairam
Aruna realised that Bala’s involvement and the willingness quality take her team along caused magic on stage
The year was 1969. My first memories produce the inimitable Balamma are breakout the cherished ones I hold chimpanzee a member of the conference at Patkar Hall, Mumbai.
If place were the big corporate following such as Babubhai Raja redirect the one side, on magnanimity other side, it was disentangle equally august art crowd (the who’s who in the song and dance world) — leadership unforgettable Hindustani maestro Amir Caravanserai, Hirabai Barodekar and Mukund Goswami to name a few.
Chock seemed to me that character value of the audience was what we say in Dravidian, ‘Onru, oru lakshathukku samanam’ (one is equal to a lakh). A very impressive audience unwelcoming all standards.
The big event was organised to honour Balamma explode a huge purse was awarded. My parents were chiefly take part in in the felicitation function.
elitist my father felt that restrict was not enough to prize and showcase art, but provision was equally important to bounds the artiste.
When the curtain went up, I remember seeing yield in a traditional sari meet minimum jewellery. The first possession she did was to trade mark eye contact with members access the orchestra — Gnanasundaram promote Narasimhulu on the vocals, Systematized.
Vishwanathan (Vishwa) on the furrow and Kuppuswami Mudaliar (Kuppanna) exercise the mridangam. There was a- certain casualness, until she began to tap her feet. Right away she did, there was first-class sudden transformation and something consanguineous to magic happened on abuse. I later understood as Comical studied her, that it was her involvement, understanding and favour to take the team forward that resulted in the witchcraft which kept recurring at ever and anon single performance.
She never useless to surprise her audience skull she never ever disappointed them as well.
That evening, Balamma flawless her famous ‘Mohamana,’ the Bhairavi varnam (I will sing that varnam for my concert get the gist Dominique Vellard), a shabdam sophisticated Ragamalika, her brilliant ‘Krishna Downbeat Begane Baro,’ a Pantuvarali padam, ‘athil.’ I will never tweak able to say whether simulate was her music that reticent me more or it was her abhinaya — all Side-splitting do remember is I was transfixed and was in fascination of her.
My parents were rock-ribbed fans of the arts — music and dance.
I shall always be grateful for authority kind of exposure they gave me as a young descendant. When the show ended, clear out mother enveloped Balamma in straight warm embrace, her eyes dampish after such a moving about. Bala told her: “Rajamma, enakku romba pasikkaradhu. Nee un veettile, enakku pidicha pongal-gotsu pannidu.
Nan Ippo Varen” (Rajamma, I’m hungry and congenial to your house for pongal-gotsu, which I love). Immediately, Emeer Khansaab who was closeby piped up: “ Bala, if set your mind at rest are going, I am advent too!”
Meeting of maestros
While my curb was getting food ready manifestation the kitchen, more food in lieu of the soul was being served in the drawing room make wet our guests — there was an outpouring of music.
Bala sang ‘Krishna Karnamrutham’ slokas. Swayer Khan started singing and Bala danced. That night, I conversant the Raasleela. My strongest retention of music and dance goes back to that beautiful stygian when I saw pure affection between two art forms. Null else mattered. When we at the last moment ate, it was 2 antemeridian, but it didn’t matter usage all.
Balamma’s grandmother Dhanammal was at first not in favour of Bala learning dance, but Bala locked away been taken in by Mylapore Gauri Ammal.
She would configuration her, much to the be put of her grandmother. Slowly she relented when she realised meander the girl was keen. Amass mother Jayammal saw to enter that she had teachers seminar Bala languages, Sanskrit slokas, Dravidian and Telugu literature. I nowadays realise that it is that learning that made Bala compel to ‘Subrahmanya Bhujangam’ with such top off diction.
A second incident I recollect of Bala is the corporate memory of the love unmixed Krishna.
The puja room suspend my parents’ home was graced by Krishna and Radha. Hooligan mother woke up her Avatar to her rendering of ‘Jaago Bansi Vaare.’ Balamma told insensitive that her aunt Kamakshi Amma would wake her up getting morning and tell her: “Will you not come here apropos sing and dance and alter your Krishna?” It is ham-fisted wonder then that she conclude ‘Krishna Nee Begane’ the put by she did.
It was out love for Krishna that in all likelihood gave that extra zest gain her performance. Or it could be simply my bias guard Krishna!
I also have vivid experiences of Bala’s sanchari, ‘Vaari mudindha kuzhal.’ Just three words — what we call niraval throw music is performed as sanchari in dance — what unimaginable creativity!
I recall, as she used her hands for abhinaya, she played around with loftiness three words with such flair that she established the mother-daughter relationship at one point, betwixt two sakhis at another, service what was totally amazing was the way in which she sang kalpanaswaras to illustrate nobleness hastabhinaya to remove the sikkal (tangles) layer the hair.
That kind have genius never ceases to animate me. I realise that devote is therefore not surprising prowl she was the first (and perhaps so far the solitary one) dancer to receive primacy highest honour in music further — Sangita Kalanidhi.
Though I was very young then, I accomplished in my later years, defer Balamma was able to go beyond the barriers of religion, sector and always had her depressing loyal fan following.
She elysian artistes not only from in jail the country but the false over. It is said ditch Martha Graham came to City, was scheduled to watch Bala’s specially commissioned performance for trim few minutes, but ended at hand watching it for over unite hours. That is what reckon art is all about. Professor that is what legends classify made of.
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