I can say that me and my two other siblings are gifted to have a dotting mother. My mom is a bharathantyam guru who has learnt to Padmabooshan K.N.Dhandayuthapani Pillai and she studies together with the LATE.SRI VITHYA. My mom name is Suganthi who born for MR.Sadayane and Thimmyyammal. She born as a fifth daughter in my family.My thatha family is not very rich in Malaysia but they do in their own country at Karnataka. In her family there were two elder sisters and 2 elder brothers for her. I nebver have seen my thatha,patti and my 1st periamma. My grandparents past away a year before i born.
My Patti sent my mom to their home country India at a tender age of 10. For a month they were looking for a perfect Bharathanatyam Guru for their daughter. Ther heard the name Dhandayuthapani Pillai from one of their family friend in Madras. This was happened during the early year of 1958. So immediately they all look for his address and found him at Abhramapuram a street in Madras. During the time my mom wants to join in his gurukulam dance class where he will be having it in his home, he was very critical situation. They have to shift their home from there. So, guru said bring her about the following month but my ammama ignored it. She said she have to return back to Malaya because my thatha and others were waiting for ammama. So my moms' guru agreed to join her in his class. The fees my ammama paid was cash Malaya currency and gold ornaments because lack of money.
So my mom joined in his class on 17th March 1958. She was used to be fat during her young age and very tall. Once Guru's wife Subathra, and their daughter Uma (now known as Uma Anand) came from their village Guru introduced her to everyone and he told to his family member to take care of her as one their family member too. Amma joined intheir class and starts to learn the very first step in bharatham called "tattu adavu" in onnam kalam(1st bit) which is really very slow. Over India all Bharathanatyam students have to learn this steps about 8 months. But i don't think so it still remains till now. For sure not in Malaysia or Australia. Sometimes they will ask us to sit in ARAMANDI (half sit) for half an hour. Thank god I never studies Bharathanatyam in India.
And all the students at dance class used to call her akka because she's too tall then them even though she was the youngest.
(to be continue)
