Nattuvanar’s role in Bharatha Natyam development
Subashini PATHMANATHAN
The Nattuvanar community belongs to the Isai Vellalar caste. They
were the mentors of Bharatha Natyam. Their contribution for the
preservation and development of the art is immeasurable. The Devadasis
are the female members of this community while Nattuvanars are its the
male members.
Both the members of the community served the temples by preserving
and protecting various temple art forms. The Nattuvanar taught Sathir
dances to the devadasis. The Nattuvanars were the Thavil players, (drum
players), and the Nathaswara players. They served as temple musicians.
Bharatha Natyam evolved out of temple rituals.
During the British period, the temple dance faced an eclipse and
Sathir dancers were looked down upon. The Devadasis faced many
difficulties in an attempt to survive. With the passage of time, due to
the efforts of the social and cultural reformers, Sathir were once again
rejuvenated. They started performing in the temples, royal courts,
prince lings and zamindras’ palaces. Later Sathir was renamed as
Bharatha Natyam with certain modifications and reforms.
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Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai |
Dasis performed dance in the temples were called Devadasis while the
dasis performed in the royal courts and prince lings were called
Rajadasis. The dasis performed in the social functions were called
Alangaradasis.
In Bharatha Natyam the abinaya queen Balasraswathi belonged to the
Isai Vellalar caste. She impressed the general public through her dance,
mainly by her facial expressions, and abinaya.
Similarly, Mylapore Gowrie Ammal also gained fame by teaching the
nuances of abinaya in Bharatha Natyam. When Bharatha Natyam gained
considerable recognition and demand in the society, the services of the
male members of the Isai vellala caste were much more in demand.
This art was still vested in the hands of the male and the female
members of the Isai vellala caste. Yet the high caste section of the
society was reluctant to learn the art or perform it in public.
Bharatha Natyam was considered as the art of a particular caste due
to this reason. However with time, many of the high caste family members
like Rukmani Devi and E. Krishna Iyer managed to rescue the art from
further oblivion.
In1947 Devadasis were prohibited to dance in temples with the
Devadasis act in the Madras state- legislative assembly,. After this
era, the dance moved to public halls. High caste, high-class, and middle
class young girls were attracted and they themselves started learning
the art. The social stigma of casteism in the art also disappeared.
The Nattuvanars like Meenakshi Sunderam Pillai, Ella Pillai,
Thandayutha Pani Pillai, were some of the outstanding Gurus of the
Pandanallur School. In addition, Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai, and S K
Rajaratnam Pillai, was some of the outstanding gurus of the Vazhuvoor
School. Teaching dancing in the society conferred a status and respect
on the traditional Nattuvanars.
They are called traditional gurus. Many local and foreign students
took up residence at the Nattuvanar homes to learn the art. This was the
main cause for the growth of Guru Shisya parampara (generation) in the
dance world. Those who reside with the guru continue the ancient
traditional Guru Kula method by serving him while studying.
The Nattuvanars hardly dance while they teach. They teach the
students through explanation and oral illustration. The students grasp
the ideas in their minds and reproduce it through their dance.
This provides an opportunity for each individual student to
understand the adavus, abinayas and facial expressions thoroughly. They
induce the independent creativity, sharpening the ideology in the art,
grasping power, and self-confidence.
They rarely have group lessons as they prefer to pay individual
attention to each student. Their methodology of teaching is entirely
different from that of the institutions.
They do not have any prescribed syllabus or framed time limit for
their teaching. They impart the training according to personal ability,
intelligence, and the standard of the individual student.
For instance the same Varnam or same Thillana are taught differently
to different students mainly in the adavu korvais, (step sequence), and
abinayas according to the student’s ability. Besides these, the students
get an opportunity to learn the art under one guru. This enables one to
develop their own ideas and creativity.
These traditional Nattuvanars created their own shisyas (disciples).
They gained fame through their students.
Nattuvanar not only teach dance but also co-ordinate the dance with
the accompaniments, and conduct the whole program. They co-ordinate the
dance, music, and instrumental music through hand cymbals, and
sollukadus. This work is still called Nattuvagam. Even today mostly the
modern choreographers do not belong to the Isai vellalar clan. Yet they
perform the Nattuvangam.
The lands endowed to these dancers were called Nattuva Kaani, and
Nattuva Puram. Learning this traditional art under a Nattuvanar is a
unique experience. While learning the art under the traditional guru one
imbibes the art rather than merely learning the art as in an
institution, within a particular time frame work, and prescribed
syllabus.
Today the most outstanding dancers of the world are the students of
different traditional Nattuvanars. These Nattuvanars are not only
experts in the art of dance, but they are also good music viduwans,
Veena players, Natheswara viduwans, Thavil viduwans, Mirudagam players
and good classical music composers. |
