Poornima Gururaja, Director of Kalasindhu, is a disciple of Guru Narmada who was a disciple of Legendary Guru Kitappa Pillai, a descendent of the Tanjore Quartet. The Quartet brothers were the founding fathers of the present day “Margam†format of presentation of a traditional Bharatanatyam repertoire. In keeping with is concept, the presentation will be in the “Margam†format.
Over a period of ten years after her return from the USA, where she taught at the Pallavi School of Dance for over a decade, Poornima has seriously pursued the Tanjore tradition. Shri K.P. Chandrashekaran, son of Guru Kitappa Pillai, has consistently supported Kalasindhu in restoring and training students in the traditional pieces of this repertoire.
Poornima Gururaja, has also worked with several living legends in the field across different schools that have practiced within the boundaries of the Tanjore tradition to understand what changes have occurred over a period of time and how the framework of this style has broadened within the tradition. Gurus Yamini Krishnamurthy, Jayalakshmi Alva, Indira Rajan, C.V. Chandrashekar, Padma Sampath have all conducted masterclasses at Kalasindhu over the years.
The presentation will focus sharply on the Quartet tradition. The broader focus will be on how some common elements that define this tradition have been maintained across gurus who have practiced under the descendants of this parampara, at different times and under very different circumstances.
The presentation will also throw light on the implications of patronage on compositions of Varnams, across geographical boundaries.
