'Post retirement, I work all the time'

As the clock strikes 11 Dr Kanak Rele founderdirector of Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya strides into her office Her sharp gaze falls on the paper work that demands urgent attention ldquoI am supposed to have retired But I am still working all the timerdquo she says settling into her chair I remember my first encounter with Dr Rele who is recognised for her pioneering work in reestablishing the lyrical dance form Mohini Attam and introducing new dimensions to the field of academics and research in classical dancing I was a firstyear student at Nalanda and the class was practicing in the dance hall for the annual function Dr Kanak Rele during a performance The dancers were low on energy and our teacherrsquos orders were not very effective Dr Rele who was passing by saw the scene and walked in All it took was one glare from her to get us to sit in perfect aramandi halfsitting posture and make perfect mudras hand gestures But for a perfectionist this was not enough ldquoPerform like you would on stage mdash like a complete dancer with abhinaya expressionsrdquo she said and we followed suit Many such encounters followed during my seven years at the institute Dr Rele would often visit a classroom and ensure students were at their best mdash all the time There is no difference no sign of age as I meet her after so many years Excerpts from the interview Dr Kanak Rele at the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya in Juhu PicKiran Bhalerao Winning the Padma Bhushan It came as a total surprise On Republic Day my husband Yatin was watching the parade on television and I was sitting with textbooks on the Granthas I was working on the release of the secondedition of my book Mohini Attam The Lyrical Dance Our landline rang and when I answered it the person on the other end said he was the Union Home Secretary and that he was pleased to inform me that I had been awarded the Padma Bhushan I am glad that my efforts have been recognised But life has not changed a bit At 75 I still work I am at the institute from 11 am to 6 pm The birth of a dancer I was six when I first took up Kathakali I lived in Shantiniketan with my mother I lost my father when I was 10 months old and my paternal family was not too keen on me learning dance But my mother realised that it was almost impossible to stop me from dancing So she put one condition mdash that I should excel as a student I studied hard to make sure I was among the top three in class We moved back to Mumbai soon after and I was privileged to train under Panchali Karunakara Pannika I also learned Bharatanatyam Kathakali had no following here and there werenrsquot many dancers in Mumbai I took up Mohini Attam in 1966 I had my own theory of body kinetics and wanted to retain the purity of the form so I chose to practise only one Indian classical dance Then there was no looking back By 25 I was one of the top Mohini Attam dancers in the country Founding Nalanda While I strongly believed in the gurushishya parampara I was not satisfied with the knowledge that was being dished out I had an urge to delve deeper Nowhere did they teach the shastras or give importance to academics As a student of Government Law College I had invited TK Tope then Vice Chancellor to one of my performances Back stage I spoke to him about introducing a diploma course in dance And this is what he said lsquoWhy a part time diploma Let Nalanda be a degree college for dancersquo I stared at him with a blank face I could not believe my ears Today my career spans over 50 years For the past 25 years Nalanda runs a dance therapy programmed for differentlyabled children Over the years it has introduced courses such as dance and fitness The institute has 118 degree course for students We are planning to introduce a Centre of Movement Science and Wellness which will offer a PG degree course In the 2005 deluge water flooded our institute because of which the seawater is eating into our foundation We are hoping our new centre will be an independent multistoried building on the premises This centre will also focus on offering therapy to senior citizens as well The future of Indian classical dance We need more scholarships and make the procedure more streamlined The Mumbai University MU is a shining example They are sticklers for attendance and quality and other universities in the country should take inspiration from MU The fitness regime I wake up at 545 am every day without fail My day begins with yoga and pilates which helps me keep stiffness at bay I never sleep in the afternoon I donrsquot deny my body any food that it craves even Bhel Puri But I cook my own food even today The cook only chops the vegetables Come May I will make achhar pickles at home smiles Mohini Attam The Lyrical Dance is available at the Nalanda institute Juhu Call 26206326