Meet Padma Shri Awardee Guru K Kalyanasundaram Pillai, the man who is keeping an ancient tradition alive

In a quiet lane of Mumbai’s Matunga, surrounded by temples, lies a Bharatha Natyam institute founded in 1945. Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir has since been home to many world renowned dancers. The sound of feet and the dance sequences recited by the Gurus of the institute is a divine experience daily for the people living here.

The Gurus of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir have been carrying on the cultural heritage of the Thanjavur style of Bharatha Natyam with an illustrious lineage of ancestors dating back to over 300-400 years. The school that even today follows the ancient Guru-Shishya Parampara, is one of the few schools that are run by the hereditary Nattuvanar families and, has become one of the most prestigious institutions in the world.

On the 74th Republic Day, Natya Acharya Guru K Kalyanasundaram Pillai was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of art. He dedicates this award to all his gurus, his father Bharatha Vidwan Guru T.P. Kuppiah Pillai, his brother-in-law Natya Kalanidhi Guru A.T. Govindraj Pillai and his eldest brother Natya Kala Acharya Kalaimamani Guru T.K. Mahalingam Pillai.

He has received many awards and accolades for his contributions to the art of Bharatha Natyam, including Natya Kalanidhi- Thyagaraja Sabha in Tamil Nadu, Kalaimamani by Tamil Nadu Government, among many others. He has also been conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Ratna Sadasya Award by the Akademi, a prestigious award given by the Central Government for artists.

In 1986, he choreographed a presentation, 'National integration through dance' along with Gurus of other classical dance forms including Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj, Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Padma Bhushan Guru Vempatti Chinna Satyam. In a career span of seven decades, Guru K Kalyanasundaram Pillai has created countless Bharatha Natyam productions with a rich tapestry of choreography, music and literature. His students have featured at many prestigious dance conferences and festivals in India and worldwide.

He has trained an array of well known dancers, Malavikka Sarukkai, Vani Ganapathy, Viji Prakash, Suneeta Pillai, Meera Dhanu, Pratima Choudhary, Lata Pada, Gowri Rao, Preeti Warrier and many more.

Guru K Kalyansundaram Pillai continues to nurture many students at the institute and directs several programs and performances.  He continues to enthrall the audiences with his productions and various unique choreographies.

It is believed that one has to be immensely blessed to find a Guru in their life. "I am extremely lucky to have found not just my Guru, but also have the good fortune of learning under Param Guru, Guru K Kalyanasundaram Pillai. Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir is an institute par excellence. In a dynamic city like Mumbai, my dance institute remains a fortress of calmness, devotion and a repository of knowledge and culture not just for me but all the students who come here."