Navarathri Festival at Chilaw International

Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

The Navarathri Festival was celebrated at Chilaw International College in an elaborated manner last year, presided by the principal of the College Arunasalam.

Deshabandu Jeyaram Kurukkal was the chief guest at this function.

To mark this occasion there was a dance programme by the students which was produced and directed by Samundeswary Susil Chander Jayaram who is a teacher for dance in this college. The dance programme included 'Deepa Dance,' 'Kannan Dance' and several other dance performances which captivated the audience.

Jayaram hails from an illustrious family in Puttur which has tremendously contributed for the development of Art and Culture. Her mother Kanakambal Sathasivam is a veteran musician of national and international repute and has featured in several films as a playback singer and is considered to be 'Sri Lanka's Suntharambal' for her musical talent and melodious voice.

Her father's younger brother Chinniah Thesigar and her grandfather late Chelvamani were renowned musicians and producers of dramas.

Jayaram, who is presently residing at Dehiwala, received her primary and secondary education at Puttur, Somaskanda College and thereafter learnt music and dance from Selvi Vasantha of Atchuvely.

To enhance and enrich her knowledge in dancing, Jayaram learnt dancing under the able guidance of veteran dancer Sathankai Narthanalayam who conducted Leela Narayanam of Perumal Kovil in Jaffna for nearly seven years. In 1987, on account of the ethnic disturbances in the North the whole family came to Chilaw and she was employed as a teacher at the Chilaw Vadivambiba Tamil Maha Vidyalayam. During this period she taught music and dance to students and made them to participate in music and dance competitions and made them to win gold medals.

Further in memory of her teacher and as a sense of gratitude she started a dancing school by the name Sathankai Narthanalayam and trained students for more than seven years and made five well trained students to present Bharatha Natya Arangetram to the greatest satisfaction of the audience, parents and teachers. In fact, Jayaram is a Diploma holder in Dancing from India.

She has also made students to participate in All Ceylon Tamil Day competitions and was responsible for students winning gold medals and certificates twice. Even her students participated in the British Federation of Festival for Music and Dance and four students won gold medals. Her students on several occasions got through in music examinations conducted by North Ceylon Music Society and many students have been employed as lecturers in Jaffna Ramanathan Aesthetic College. Besides, her students have participated in several dance programmes conducted by Shakthi Television and other dance programmes conducted at Colombo Tamil Sangam and also at Colombo Ramakrishna Mission Hall.

Indeed, Sathankai Narthanalayam has now grown majestically and Jayaram is conducting classes for several students in Chilaw numbering more than hundred. Since she has already started her classes in Dehiwala, anyone who is interested can join her classes to enhance their knowledge in dancing and music.