An institution in himself (1914-1984)
Born on 22 June 1914, in a family devoted to music and dance for generations, Guru Ayyampettai Thyagaraj Govindraj Pillai had first started his music lessons from Vidwan Veerabhadra Pillai. Later he was thoroughly trained in the intricacies of Carnatic music by the veterans Vidwan Markhanda Pillai and Vidwan Venugopal.
By sheer dint of hard work and intense devotion to the art, Guru Govindraj Pillai had reached the pinnacle of fame which very few could accomplish. It was just after he married Karunambal, the only daughter of Bharatha Vidwan Kuppiah Pillai, that the genius of Guru Govindraj Pillai came to be recognised in the field of dancing. Karunambal was a great source of inspiration and of immense help to Guru Govindraj in imparting tuition to the students. Guruji had amassed extensive knowledge in Bharatha Natyam from the vast treasures of Vidwan Pillai’s erudite scholarship.
In early 1945, accompanied by Karunambal, Guruji came to Mumbai, on an invitation of few select students, to train them in classical Bharatha Natyam in the Thanjavur tradition. These students had witnessed the performance of the then famous Travancore sisters, Lalitha, Padmini, Ragini (who were also actors) and had expressed their desire to acquire training in Bharatha Natyam from the same Gurus, who had taught them.
Living in Mumbai, however, came with its share of struggles. Space was a major constraint. As there was no common place to train students, the couple had to travel across Mumbai, using public transport to teach the students in their respective homes. After much struggle, with help from Mr. Dixit, they got a place at the Chetana Art Centre, Kala Ghoda to run their dance school, and a humble beginning was made.
The long felt need of the art lovers of Bombay for a traditional dance academy was at last realised with the support of the parents of the students, on the auspicious day of Dassera in 1951, with the birth of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatha Natya Kala Mandir in Matunga. Under the guidance of his father-in law, the legendary Guru Kuppiah Pillai and his brother in law, the talented and experienced Guru T K Mahalingam Pillai, the institute flourished and reached great heights. Students from all walks of life, irrespective of religion, language or other barriers were trained, at very nominal fees.
The students of Kala Mandir consistently bagged the Government of India scholarships. As the fame of the institute spread far and wide, many young girls from the city were eager to learn Bharatha Natyam. New training centres were set up across the city. Some of the distinguished dancers who trained under Guru Govindraj include Sudha Doraiswamy, Lakhmi Iyer, Kalasadan Mani, Natraj Vashi, the great Kathak exponent Damayanti Joshi and cine artistes Kamini Kaushal, Nalini Jaywant, Waheeda Rehman and Gopi Krishna, among others.
In recognition of his very distinguished and meritorious services in the field of Bharatha Natyam, the Tamil Nadu Sangeet Nataka Academy, Madras conferred on Guru Govindraj Pillai the prestigious title of ‘Kalaimamani’ and the award of the best Bharatha Natya Vidwan of 1971. Majestic in his nattuvangam and melodious in his singing, Guruji had conducted over 2000 arangetrams and nearly 10,000 concerts in India and abroad. Notable amongst these concerts include the prestigious performances in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in 1973, and in Sydney during the Sydney Festival in 1977. He won many prestigious awards during his life time.
On an invitation of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, he led a troupe of 30 artistes to Nepal where he presented the well known dance-drama “Vasanthavalli” in the year 1982. Unassuming, amiable, gentle Guru Govindraj was the embodiment of simplicity, sincerity, devotion and sterling character.
An able administrator, he personally took care of all the back stage arrangements, right from arranging for the pooja, mikes, lights to all stage preparation prior to the programmes. He had amazing organising skills, and took care of minute details, especially during the various cultural tours across India. In the year 1984, Guruji passed away at the age of 70. His legacy, the Kala Kendra lives on and that is the greatest tribute to this great artiste.