One day she forgot to Dance..

 

One day she forgot to dance…

Kalyani aunty, a versatile dancer a soloist, academically an Engineer. She was trained at Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra in Delhi for many years. She has taught Bharatanatyam to selected and limited students who really want to explore their Bhāva (Sanskrit: bhāva, 'state, condition') also can be explained as the emotion or mood conveyed by a performer. Responsible wife of a busy husband and mother of two handsome boys, yet kept herself busy to make her dance move along with her growing age. Each time my friend nandini meet my aunt she shuddered by her looks which were brilliant and sharp, just nothing could have escaped by her eye sight and being a dancer she had a wide and gleaming eyes which was making each one of us respect her more.
 

One beautiful rainy day me and my friend nandini visited kalyani aunty‘s house as nandini was eagerly looking out for a dance teacher close to her house which was a strict line agreement set by her father. After a small demonstration on Krishna Nee Begane Baro composed in raga yaman kalyani set in Chapu talam a famous classical song in kannada language, my friend was selected to be her disciple which was a real blessing for her to learn dance in many modes.

 

 

Days passed, it was interesting to know that one of her handsome son and my second cousin Arvii was in love with my friend Nandini…she too was aware of this, later they were found sitting on same bench during their degree course. I was then a mediator for my cousin Arvii who was very much fond of Nandini’s dance steps and singing ability. Our college group titled her after K.S.Chithra as she was that serene and beautiful in singing and with great effort she managed to get a pat on her back from Kalyani aunty too, soon she became her favourite student with her kind and composed nature.

In middle of joy and happiness kalyani aunty started forgetting things, we were unable to understand the reason for her abnormal behavior, doctor said Memory Loss (Short- and Long-Term). The chaos of the house was "where she kept what" and "when" was a big discussion in the house and while teaching dance she also gave wrong "bhava" on a right steps and mudras which was slowly spotted by nandini and myself, but out of fear none of us was able to correct kalyani aunty which was then discussed with her two boys and busy father. Now, nandini understood kalyani aunty more than anyone of us and she reached her home little soon leaving her office and studies so that she could nurse my aunt and re-arrange the position of books, ghungroos, the shruthi box before the students arrive and make aunty feel better and relaxed with less stress.

 

Within few months nandini was one of the finest responsible member of the house and helped my aunt to recover. She never let my aunt know about her illness, rather each time when my aunt asked nandini “Why am I doing this, Why am I asking my boys who are they and where have you been repetitively, to this sweetly nandini could explain my aunt, “teacher you are very much normal, infact your boys are not able to explain the reason of their late home visit's and that made you question them again and again...so it is fine teacher.

 

Her boys and her husband just ignored her and the pattern questions, but nandini made a point to elaborate and explain very much in detail, like "who visited her house and from where he or she belongs too", and after hearing the entire huge explanation kalyani aunty like a child would say nandini you need not explain me so much as I can understand quick, I rather know everything I was just checking your memory, we all giggled on her punching comedy…

Soon came the throbbing day, while taking class kalyani aunty forgot to dance, she stood still when the music was on, she asked why so much noise and crowd in her house anyone passed away? We were in distress to hear this. She started enthralling us by humming old songs, her other way to show discomfort with the crowd, she took many names we never heard before, the class was silent and continued by nandini to divert aunty’s mind and discontinued soon when she realized that kalyani teacher could never teach dance again, it was very painful for nandini, the family and all the students’. I could sense something serious within the circle, I soon took my aunt to her room and asked her to sleep for some time with a dosage of sedative and told my cousin arvii to drop nandini home. She was emotionally very sensitive, was unable to handle the situation then and left the place soon as she may cry loud. None of us could bear this.

As days passed kalyani aunty forgot to dance…

 

 

A post dedicated to Smt. Kalyani A Pai, versatile dancer.