Those Were The Days: From Sathir to Bharatanatyam

People often assume that Bharatanatyam is an ancient form of dance art. Its precursor, Sathir, till 100 years back, was used to entertain Gods during festivals and the performing artistes were employees of the temple establishment. They would dance before the idols during prayers or when it was taken out in a chariot procession. Since they were considered companions of Gods they were called Devadasis or Devar Adiyal (this got corrupted to a derogatory word in Tamil in the course of a few decades).

The 30s and 40s served as crucial crucibles that moulded the ancient form of dance - Sathir - as a socially acceptable form of performing art and some pioneers played a major role in it. E Krishna Iyer tops that list.

Theatre artistes were not very respected in the 19th century. Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar, who later became a Judge, started the Suguna Vilas Sabha to remove that stigma. Only graduates were allowed to act and the stage curtain even had an embroidered picture of the Madras University Senate hall. Incidentally, many lawyers acted in translations of Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet was titled Jwalita Ramanan) and some of Mudaliar’s own plays which went onto becoming box office hits in cinematic versions (Sabapathy and Manohara included).

But since there was social resistance to ladies performing on stage, male actors had to adorn the roles of female characters. The drama company was constantly looking for actors with a feminine gait and look.

During one such hunt, a lawyer called Krishna Iyer was enlisted to act the part of Malavika in Kalidasa’s Malavikagnimitra. Krishna enjoyed doing female roles that he started doing his homework properly. Since female characters were required to dance on stage, Krishna decided to learn temple dance – Sathir. In preparation for the dance sequences, he learned Sadir from a celebrated dancer, Madurantakam Jagadambal. Krishna trained well and for five years he performed regularly at dance shows apart from acting in dramas. But more than performing, Krishna was so obsessed with the dance form that he decided he would not let it erode from the memories of people.

In the early 20th century, there was a movement for the abolition of the Devadasi system. And under the onslaught of a determined Muthulakshmi Reddy’s reformist movement, there was legislation about to be passed on banning the Devadasi system in total. A few individuals then realised that if the Devadasis vanished, so would their ancient art that they possessed. Krishna Iyer pitted himself against fellow lawyer Muthulakshmi Reddy and with a few others stirred up public and political opinion. His constant articles, rejoinders, speeches, and presentations helped stop a government regulation banning the art of the devadasis.

Though the legislation was voted down, Krishna Iyer understood the devadasi system was on its way out. He aimed to popularise the dance so that other communities would take it up. But the reputation of the dance was bad and many parents were initially hesitant to let their daughters learn it.

He also coaxed the Music Academy, of which he was the founding secretary to showcase Bharatanatyam by Devadasis Varalakshmi and Bhanumati. There was a massive uproar initially but then it was noticed by the viewing public. Most importantly, it was Krishna Iyer who proposed a resolution at the sixth annual conference of the Music Academy for renaming the Sadir as Bharatanatyam.

Iyer later invited Rukmini Devi to attend a dance recital of Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai’s disciples on New Year’s Day, 1935. Rukmini Devi was connected with the prestigious institution of the Theosophical Society and was its president’s wife and Iyer knew she could win friends and influence other people. With her passionate advocacy and example, he felt she could bring the desired propriety to the dance.

Just as he anticipated, after seeing the dance, Rukmini Devi decided to learn the art herself. When her guru Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai was reluctant to accept Rukmini Devi - a Bramhin girl, as a disciple, Krishna Iyer prevailed upon him to do so.

Paradoxically, history, today, records Rukmini as the person who resuscitated this dance form having forgotten Krishna Iyer. Girls of the upper strata of society took to this dance form with the release of the AVM movie Naam Iruvar, where Kumari Kamala dances to the tune of Bharathi.

Thanks to Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi, today Bharatanatyam has encompassed the middle class and the upper echelons of society that ironically, quite a few Devadasi girls find it tough to get an opportunity to perform onstage.