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An apt tribute
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A dance tribute to Rajesh Kumar, who won laurels for his devotion to Bharatanatyam and Kathakali, will be presented on November 15 at the Mylapore Fine Arts Club.
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"RAJESH WAS rising like a meteor. An extremely talented dancer and a true artiste, he danced only to fulfil his creative urge. His untimely death at such a young age is an irreparable loss to the artistic fraternity," says his guru, V.P. Dhananjayan with tears in his eyes.
Rajesh Kumar Balakrishnan, a Bharatanatyam dancer, was only 24 when he died in an accident in May, the day after he gave an impressive Kathakali performance at the concluding day of the Dhananjayans' summer gurukula camp at Bhaaskara in Payyanur, Kerala. Rajesh had surprised even the purists among Kathakali aficionados and the great exponent and guru. Kalamandalam Gopi Asan had predicted a bright future for the young dancer.
Before leaving Payyanur, Rajesh and few others decided to go around the village. And while swimming in a stream near a Krishna temple, Rajesh drowned.
"He was like our son. Rajesh not only had a deep interest in learning the nuances of the art form but was also an affectionate teacher (he taught at Bharatakalanjali). He would take care of his students during our performance tours and was our most trusted disciple," says his guru. Rajesh was part of all the Dhananjayans' productions and had visited several countries with them.
He played many roles in their ballet, "Jungle Book," which was choreographed along with the Ohio ballet in the U.S.
Rajesh was also the main artiste in the theatre production "Bombay Masala," which was staged in many European countries. The play's director, Michael Laub, rushed to Chennai from Germany, when he heard about Rajesh's demise. "He had the rare quality of bringing the timeless qualities of classicism to life through his personality, which beautifully mingled with the character he portrayed. His urge for perfection, technical skill and the ability to improvise and dabble with new ideas made him different. He always showed interest in the people he shared the stage with and his curiosity led to an awareness of the working process as a whole,'' remembers Michael.
Students of Bhaaskara, Payyanur, along with students of Bharatakalanjali, will perform at the Mylapore Fine Arts Club auditorium on November 15 at 6 p.m. to pay tributes to Rajesh Kumar.
V.R.DEVIKA
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