At the age of eight, she was asked to learn a dance form (with which she had no connect) by her maternal uncle. With time, she became fascinated with the masks, dramatic expressions, and colourful costumes. She took to the art like a fish to water. When children her age had sleep-ins, she would wake up at 5am to walk across to her teacher’s house to learn the finer nuances.
Kanak Rele lost her father at four, following which she grew up around her maternal grandmother, mother, and uncle. Her uncle, who had participated in the freedom struggle and was an artist educated at the Vishwa-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, was ambitious to promote the arts in a progressive way. At four, Kanak and her mother accompanied him to Shantiniketan, where her mother picked up batik, while a young Kanak frolicked around Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
On their return to Mumbai, her uncle invited Kalamandalam Karunakar Panicker to teach Kathakali, with Kanak as his first student.
Her upbringing was an interesting blend of tradition and modernity – the traditional Gujarati folk were exposed to modern thought at Shantiniketan, leading Kanak to grow up as a child who knew her mind. When her grandmother disapproved of her education in a dance form that was practised mostly by men, not in the least the “horrific masks” on display, she stood her ground.
She knew the value of family but did not back away from making dance a priority as well, evidenced by the way she went forward to build one of the best institutions – the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, in Juhu, Mumbai in 1973 – in the world with determination and faith.
She started learning Mohiniattam, a dance form of Kerala, much later, after she was married, training under Kunjukutty Amma, Chinnammu Amma, and Kalamandalam Kalyani Kutty Amma. She eventually helped revive the dance form which was almost dying. She gave it structure, and taught it in a disciplined manner. Her repertoire in Mohiniattam has choreographies on women from mythology such as Putana, Urmila, Draupadi, Radha and Kubja, who depicted strength and determination – much like her.
Her extensive research in Mohiniattam has been recognised by stalwarts in the field. She is the first and the only one who has worked on the kinetics of the dance style and sketched them for her PhD thesis. Her work is so unique that Mumbai University urged her to make a copyright.
She studied law at Government Law College, Mumbai, and also acquired a diploma in international law from University of Manchester.
I first met Dr Rele was when I went to seek admission to her college. She looked at me, and asked why I had taken so long to make up my mind. I was 32 at the time. I had quit my job to become one of her oldest students in class. I had the privilege to be taught by some of the finest teachers – she was known to interview mostly doctorates from their respective fields.
Dr Rele’s contribution to the society and particularly the Indian arts and culture is immense. The institution she has built is not only meant to teach students how to dance but offers a holistic approach to studying the art form. Nalanda’s syllabus contains a pretty extensive study of religion, philosophy and aesthetics which are important to dance. Plus, study of music – theory as well as practicals – make the students masters in the field.
The college not only offers a skill but also affordable education, and Dr Rele drew out the best from her students. Those who emerged from her school branched out into careers in film choreography, theatre, and teaching. They are adept at both Indian and western styles. One has heard stories of how she struggled to keep the college going but she never let the pressure spill over to her students. A strict disciplinarian, she had a no-nonsense attitude and did not shy away shooting off letters to some government authority or the other asking for a grant.
Her performances have been graced by the likes of Rukmini Devi Arundale, who revived Bharata Natyam; famous art historian Kapila Vatsyanan; and former prime minister Indira Gandhi. On one occasion, the late premier visited her backstage and expressed surprise on learning that she was not a Malayali. Understanding that she came from a Gujarati household, she acknowledged her toil to master an art form alien to her culture. A strong woman herself, she advised Dr Rele to hang on to her convictions and not let anyone influence her otherwise.
She has been honoured with awards including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Nalanda Nrityakala Mahavidyalaya and Nalanda Dance Research Centre is synonymous with her name. She was the Iron Lady of the institute. It will not be the same without her.
(Sharmila Taliculam trained at Nalanda for five years, and was in the class of 2004)