Three generations of a family perform together at a dance event in Kochi

“It occurred solely due to Ravikumar Sir,” says Rejani KS, thrilled to be part of Arangettam 2022, a programme the place she carried out with 62 dancers, together with 49 seniors and 13 children. She is overjoyed that she danced alongside along with her 58-year-old mom, Shobha Menon and her 13-year-old daughter, Varalakshami. “We had been three generations dancing collectively. I had by no means imagined this,” says Rejani who’s a housekeeper at a financial institution in Muvattupuzha. Shobha works at a authorities hospital whereas Varalakshmi is a category eight pupil.  

All 62 dancers are college students of Natyalaya, a dance faculty in Muvattupuzha run by Okay Ravikumar. Three years in the past, he began lessons for senior college students within the age group 40 to 65. Within the first week of October, he held the programme the place “grandmothers, moms and daughters,” danced collectively.

An worker of Federal Financial institution, Ravikumar has been instructing dance for the previous three a long time. Virtually 25,000 women have discovered below him.

His foray into dance was initiated by watching his sisters be taught. “My three sisters learnt dance formally; two of them — Kalamandalam Sumathy and Chandrika — turned skilled dancers,” he says.

With a 17-year age hole between his sisters and him, he was at all times round once they had been studying , he says, “Although I’ve no formal initiation I used to be at all times watching and practising dance. This created an curiosity in me and I additionally learnt by observing.”

Okay Ravikumar

His father Krishnan Nair had began a dance faculty, Bharathy Nritha Kalalayam in 1964 at Perumbavoor. Ravi Kumar’s first stage efficiency was as a four-year-old. After his household shifted to Pindimana in Kothamangalam, he continued his research, all of the whereas taking part in dance at his sister’s place. In 1978, he received an A grade in Bharatanatyam on the Kerala State Youth competition. Concurrently he studied a job-oriented course performed by Federal Financial institution. In the meantime, his sister Sumathy began a dance faculty in Perambavoor, the place he started aiding.

“Guru r Rajaratnam Pillai was invited from Chennai to show my sister dance,” says Ravikumar including that he took that chance to be taught below him. “It was a golden probability for me.”

In 1982 Ravikumar received a job with Federal Financial institution and was transferred to Dimapur. In his four-year stint within the North East, he not solely taught dance but in addition carried out as a part of Kerala Samajam at Guwahati, Shillong and Dimapur.

On his return in 1986 and after his marriage in 1989, he moved to Muvattupuzha. In 1990 he began Bharati Cultural Centre and started his lengthy engagement with instructing dance.

Bharatanatyam for senior girls

Three years in the past, he launched dance for senior girls. Throughout COVID-19 slowdown he continued to show dance nearly and saved their curiosity going.

“The 49 seniors who participated did very effectively,” says Ravikumar including that a number of of his college students are overseas. His solely instruction to the dancers is to not miss a single class.

The senior most pupil in his class is 65-year-old Jayalakshmi trainer. Among the many group are two Muvattupuzha councillors, Rajasree Raju and Sudha Raghunath, docs, authorities officers, financial institution staff and homemakers. Kala Harikumar from a distinguished enterprise household in Kerala got here from UAE to take part.

Ravikumar now plans to show seniors who can not dance, the nuances of classical music and dance. “To grasp Kathakali, Panchavadyam, Chendamelam, nadaswaram…. In the event that they know thalam and mudras, they’ll get pleasure from dance and music,” says the 59-year-old.

“I’m very pleased that this programme happened,” he says.