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Portaying India: Tamil Nadu with Rukmini Devi
Portraying India
Perceptions of India, inspired by the lives of those who embody its most authentic spirit
In this edition, we look at Tamil Nadu from the perspective of artist, revivalist and dancer Rukmini Devi.
If there is a region in India that embodies its spirituality, it is Tamil Nadu. From glorious temples that give high rises a run for their money to delectable food dripping with nourishment, everything here is in harmony with nature and her many gifts. Inspired by its timeless beauty, people here have built a legacy of classical arts, from Carnatic Music to Temple Architecture. Rukmini Devi, who spent most of her life in Tamil Nadu, cared deeply about cultural preservation and social responsibility and manifested them in her work during her lifetime.
Throughout her life, Rukmini Devi broke the shackles that kept people, especially women, tied down. Having grown up in the midst of theosophists, her journey as a seeker of divinity started as a child. When she started learning Bharatnatyam, it was bound in the tight grip of caste and class discrimination. It was known as Sadhir, practised only by Devdasis who were very widely maligned in the society. She not only revived and resurrected the ancient dance form but also went on to reverse the negative stereotypes associated with the female practitioners of Sadhir.
How Dance came to Rukmini Devi
Born and raised in Madurai, by a father who was a theosophist and a mother who was a music enthusiast, she dreamt of becoming a musician. A chance encounter with Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in Bombay and their travels together kindled her interest in dance at age 30. While Pavlova encouraged Rukmini Devi to learn ballet, she insisted that as an Indian, she should learn the dance of her own country. She decided to explore traditional Indian dance forms, began learning Bharatnatyam from respected gurus, and eventually founded Kalakshetra, an academy of dance and music. In the face of vehement opposition from the Madras Orthodoxy, she gave her first performance at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Theosophical Society in 1935.
Kalakshetra, an Institution Born of Love
To Rukmini Devi, it was not enough that she danced herself, she wanted to find young people who would dedicate themselves alongside her, to its revival. Along with her husband, she set up Kalakshetra, an academy of dance and music, along the lines of the ancient Gurukul system, at Adyar, near Chennai. At Kalakshetra, she put into practice all the values and instincts for beauty that she had absorbed in her life. Kalakshetra’s institutionalization of the dance form also helped ensure its continuous diffusion to future generations. Today the academy is a deemed university under the Kalakshetra Foundation and is situated in its new 100-acre campus in Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai, where it shifted, in 1962.
“We dance with our bodies, but we finally forget them and transform them.”
Dedicated to the Cause of Animals
A staunch champion of vegetarianism and peaceful protests, Rukmini Devi tackled the prevalence of animal sacrifices by creating public awareness about them through plays and dance dramas. She was passionate about speaking for those who don’t speak our language and often fought for their cause in her speeches. She fought the government of the day against the unmindful export of monkeys for experimentation and the conditions of slaughterhouses. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Bill, first presented by her in 1953, was passed in 1960 entirely due to her perseverance in an India that found this subject largely irrelevant.
Crafted to Perfection
Rukmini Devi believed deeply in the value of a cultural revolution, that would help the cause for India’s freedom and development. To sustain the essence of Indian thought, Rukmini Devi added a weaving section to Kalakshetra in 1937 with just one loom. Called The Crafts Education and Research Centre (CERC) its aim was to create traditionally designed handlooms for dance costumes as well as saris. Rukmini Devi would mentor the sari weaving by reviving lapsed patterns and motifs. Through the re-exploration of traditional techniques, she created an extraordinary language fused from colour, vividness, pattern, motif, yarn, thread and natural dyes. It authored an aesthetic that has since, defined the Kalakshetra sari.
Discovering Tamil Nadu
Madurai, The City that Never Sleeps
Rukmini Devi’s birth city Madurai, located on the banks of River Vaigai, has been a major settlement for two millennia and has a documented history of more than 2500 years and had a huge impact on Rukmini Devi’s upbringing. The city is home to many temples the most popular of which is Meenakshi Amman Temple, dedicated to goddess Parvati & her consort Shiva. Of popular historical landmarks, the palace complex of Thirumalai Nayak Palace is a stunning example of Indo-Saracenic architecture constructed by King Thirumalai.
Chennai, the Classic City
Rukmini Devi discovered Bharatnatyam and set up Kalakshetra in Chennai. Tamil tradition and culture are indigenous to this region and are essentially the celebration of beauty, which is exemplified through dance, clothing, and sculptures. From the Marghazhi season celebrating Carnatic music to modern cafes in Mylapore district; the culture of the city reflects its diverse population. The traditional arts, music, dance, and all other art forms of Tamil Nadu grow and flourish here and Rukmini Devi’s contribution to its flourishing has been significant.
Recommendations for Further Exploration
At Tushita, we marvel at India with you. After 45 years of travelling the country, we’re still enamoured by its beauty every day. From Ladakh, where Tushita was anointed by a Buddhist monk in 1977, to Tamil Nadu, where we worked with locals to showcase one of the oldest cultures in the world, we are partners in your journey to discover our part of the world.
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