Oh! What a combination

If it's true that dress and demeanour mirror a man's personality and even his profession, just look at the picture — in jeans and T-shirt, and with sunglasses and punk, the youth, you would say, is just a fashion buff. And this is exactly where Manikandan stumps you... totally. He is Manikandan Sastrigal, the chief priest at the Varasiddhi Vinayagar temple in Besant Nagar and a purohit who has undergone eight years of rigorous training in the Vedas and Hindu sastras at Skandashramam, near Salem, under the guidance of Shantananda Swamigal.

Then how does one explain this incredible incongruity? Manikandan answers with a smile. ``See, I am a pujari by profession, and a purohit. But dancing, singing and acting are my interests. And I pursue them too".

What a combination! But Manikandan is at home in both his profession and his hobbies. ``I am very religious and I believe in the mantras I recite", explains the young man who says that on no account would he cut off the tuft of hair at the back of his head, which is so essential for his profession.

Kamal Hassan's hairstyle in ``Devar Magan'' helped him find a way to tackle the problem. (By the way, Manikandan is an ardent Kamal fan). When he goes to perform pujas or ceremonies at houses or temples, Manikandan has his tuft tied into a knot in the most traditional fashion.

And when he is in front of the camera or dancing on stage, the punk turns into a ponytail with a rubber band to keep it in place.

Yes, when he is swaying to rock or jazz, Manikandan is in jeans, shoes and the works. "There are times when I perform the marriage ceremony in the morning with all the rituals perfectly followed and dance in modern attire at the same venue for the reception in the evening. Those who have seen me in the morning are dumb founded when they see me again looking totally different in the evening", says Manikandan. In fact, wanting to be different seems to be the main aspiration that spurs this purohit on.

Trained under dance masters Raja, Sudharsan-Sailasri and Kala, Manikandan spends most of his leisure time practising modern dance at home. To maintain a fit physique, this maverick pujari also does regular workouts in the gym on the beach.

Manikandan has a striking baritone voice and his lucid recitation of the Vedas has attracted many. The Samayapuram Mahakalikudi Ramanatha Swamigal Memorial Trust has brought out a Vedic Chanting cassette rendered by Manikandan.

All the same, the man sings light music on stage too, whenever he gets the chance. Getting back to his attempts at histrionics, Manikandan's first film was``Rasaiyya''in which Prabhudeva was the hero. ``The offer came through a person known to me, Ramachandran of the RBI, and I grabbed it". But sadly for Manikandan, most of his scenes were lost at the editing table. ``Vadivelu and I acted as Prabhudeva's close friends in it...", Manikandan reminisces.

His foray into television came again through ``Aruvai'' Ramachandran. The first serial was``Kalakkal Kalyanam'' telecast on Vijay TV. ``Edakuda Ekambaram'' is another, which is yet to be telecast on Jaya TV. Manikandan was also seen in``Meendum Meendum Sirippu''on Sun.``The response for it was unexpected''Manikandan laughs.``I had a whole lot of calls after the telecast and I was thrilled...''

The sastrigal will soon appear in the films ``Adi Krithigai", ``Charlie Chaplin''(Prabhu and Prabhu Deva) and Arjun's ``Ashoka". ``I am looking forward to the telecast of ``Akkam Pakkam'' on Sun in which I play a dada from Mumbai", he adds.

Nasser, whom Manikandan met recently, told him that he was surprised at Manikandan's totally dissimilar interests. So are we. But Manikandan calmly explains, ``I don't see any conflict. I am clear in what I do. I want to be different... and do different things. That's all".

MALATHI RANGARAJAN

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