Hailing from family of learned priests in Kolkata, Kalamandalam Piyal Bhattacharya grew up with a passion for studying the scriptures. “It was in 1999, when I went to Kerala Kalamandalam to learn Kathakali and Koodiyattam, that I came across the tradition of Natyashastra. It piqued my interest,” says Bhattacharya.