Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir, Mumbai, enters into its 60th year. These golden years depict the undaunted and dedicated service of the Guru Parampara to the ancient classical Indian art form of Bharatha Natyam, universally acclaimed to be an epitome of Indian cultural ethos, and unfolds a significant phase of the saga of seven successive generations, which deserves to be etched in letters of gold.

It was the year 1945. When the alien rule was in its dying embers,our country at the threshold of Independence and Bombay, the dynamic centre of Indian resurgence, was pulsating with pride everything that was nationalistic, be it social, political, economic or cultural.

In such atmosphere was founded the Kala Mandir in Bombay by Guru Sri A. T Govindraj Pillai, assisted and enthused by his wife Smt. Karunambal. (click on picture)

The Rajarajeswari Gurus have an illustrious lineage of ancestors dating back to more than two centuries. Sri Venkatakrishna Nattuvanar was patronised by the Maratha Serfoji II of Thanjavur. The second generation of Sri Veeraswamy Nattuvanar and his sister Chinnaappa Ammal were followed by the renowned Sri Panchapakesa Nattuvanar who was the Samasthana Vidwan of Thanjavur and Ramanathapuram courts. He was also honoured by the royal houses of Baroda and Mysore. An adept in Abhinaya he is credited with compiling in Tamil the " Abhinaya Navaneetham ", a monumental treatise on Abhinaya, a practical guide specially on Hastabhinaya.

His only son Bharatha Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai was the prime architect of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir, regarded today as an institution par excellence for Bharatha Natyam. His " Kamala Chakram", a lotus wheeled compendium depicting the matra -based complex 108 talas, besides the popular 35 ones, is invaluable to all students of music and dance. He was the first Natyacharya to be honoured with the Fellowship of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi.

His son-in-law Sri A.T.Govindraj Pillai and sons Sri T.K.Mahalingam Pillai and Sri K. Kalyanasundaram, along with daughter Smt. Karunambal and daughter - in - law Smt. Mythili Kalyanasundaram have helped the institution to blossom into what it is today - a legend of unalloyed, pristine Bharatha Natyam. Spreading its wings far and wide, it has carved a niche for itself, training a thousand and more students and etching its own path to maintain the rigour and vigour of this art millenair and for preserving and propogating the tenets of Thanjavur style, the sine quo non of which is " aesthetic grace".

Not resting on its oars, the institution has trained the current generation of Gurus Shri G. Vasant Kumar, Shri M. Vishwanath and Shri K. Harikrishna who have already proved their mettle to carry on the parampara tradition. The Gurus of Rajarajeswari have blazed new trails in adapting the training to the needs of changing times, inculcating Gurukula norms in institutional coaching and giving a new facade to presentational format. The Gurus have been adept in adapting polyglot lyrics to Bharatha Natyam so as to instill National Integration in true sense. The versatality of the Gurus shines through the dance dramas, the ballets, the ekaharya depictions they have choreographed , in all of which, the aesthetic grace of the Thanjavur Bani glows unalloyed

Awards & Honours:
Bharatha Vidwan Guru T. P. Kuppiah Pillai
Fellowship of the Sangeet Natak Academi
Kalasikhamani - Tamil Nadu

Guru A. T. Govindraj Pillai
Kalaimamani - Tamil Nadu Govt
Natya Kalanidhi - Tyaga Raja Sabha, Coimbatore

Guru T. K. Mahalingam Pillai
Award from Sangeet Natak Academi
Gaurav Puraskar, Govt of Maharashtra
Kalimamani Tamil Nadu Govt
E Krishna Iyer Medal - Sruti Foundation
Sarandev Fellowship - Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai

Guru K. Kalyanasundaram
Award from Sangeet Natak Akademi

Natya Kalanidhi - Tyaga Raja Sabha, Coimbatore
Kalaimamani - Tamil Nadu Govt.
Sarangdev Fellowship - Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai
Natya Selvam - Tamil Eyal Isai Nataka Mandram.

 

Over the years, a number of students have won the National Cultural Talent Scholarships both at the Junior and Senior levels. And many have established their own schools both here and abroad for carrying on the Thanjavur Bani.

Cultural Delegation & Foreign Tours:
Australia, France, Germany, U.K, Switzerland, Holland, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Nepal, U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Japan & Malaysia

Major Fund Raising Programmes:
Prime Minister's Relief Fund, Koyna Relief Fund, Drought Relief Fund and a host of other efforts for helping academic and cultural institutions.