One hour went quickly by

Spent a wonderful one hour in Kalakshetra today evening.No, not to attend a performance, but to accompany my kutty niece who is learning bharatnatyam there.She goes there thrice a week in the evenings and i have gone there once earlier.This time I just wandered around and could feel the presence of Rukmini devi and the other pioneers and great people who thought about this place and made it what it is today by their painstaking effort blended with lots of love and affection.Rukmini devi's penchant for grace and beauty can be felt everywhere.The way the small cottages are built and maintained, there is nothing ostentacious about them and they blend in beautifully with the surroundings.There are simple and beautiful kolams and floral patterns adorning the steps and the verandah of each of these cottages.You can feel the care and delicacy that they portray. Nothing is mass produced here. Nobody is in a hurry for anything. I saw students going from one class to another with a leisurely gait and a happy countenance.

Tha ka dimi, tha kita tha kita nattuvangam sounds were coming muted from the classrooms.I could see a dance rehersal in an auditorium nearby and the vocalist was singing really well and i stopped my walk and listened to the music.It gently washed over me.Time stood still. Gentle breeze was blowing and a lone koel was singing from a nearby tree;the evening sun was casting slating rays on the mud roads.

Kalakshetra from inception has got a tradition of male dancers and i could see that the trend is continuing till today.

I almost felt like being in valmiki ashram as depicted in ramayana!

I said a silent prayer; let time and tide not take away these heaven feel-alike places from Chennai.