She so wanted to be a performer. As her older sister was into Bharatanatya and her parents wanted Usha R.K. to become a classical singer, but she chose to become an art consultant instead. “I would watch my sister learn and perform in the very next room. One day, her teacher saw me and offered to teach me dance for free. My parents consented to it as long as I did not perform on stage,” recalls Usha.
When she was 17 they moved from Mumbai to Bangalore and she was suddenly exposed to the Kalakshetra style of Bharatanatya. “I had an interest in studying and researching the history of dance. My parents encouraged me by buying me many books. Besides all this reading I also learnt the various styles of Bharatantya just to understand their style and structure,” recalls Usha, who soon found herself writing dance reviews and studying the styles of Rukmini Devi and Kittappa Pillai.
“I became an art consultant in the late 70s. A friend saw my passion and asked me to organise a dance programme and that’s how my journey started. Now its 35-odd years in this field. When I look back I feel that it was indeed an offbeat career that I chose. Those days only Sabhas were into organising cultural events and there I was, a woman standing on my own, meeting artistes and organising art shows all by myself.”
“It was more like a promotion and propagation of arts that I was into and was paid a ‘co-ordination fee’. It was difficult initially as those days there was a craze of IIM and people thought that a woman cannot do such a job. Even in meetings I was asked for ideas and opinions last. I was primarily aggressive and certain people could not handle that. But, gradually they accepted me as they saw my organisational skills,” she adds.
Looking back Usha also gives all the singers and dancers credit for making her what she is today. “They were kind and good to me. There was mutual respect between them and me. We would always discuss art during our travels around the world.”
She goes on to compare the singers and dancers of yesteryears with the new age artistes. “Those days artistes were humble. They were prepared for their concerts. Recently for a concert that I organised, a dancer finished an item, came backstage took a call and then went back to her performance. While we were tensed trying to sort the problem, he was busy uploading his Facebook page. Today, they are on what’s app or on social media even before they get on stage!”
She feels that even singers today are pampered with all the boom in technology and sound systems. “When M.S. or Balamurali Krishna sang in sabhas, we would have a humble microphone and one good stereo system. But today, some singers stop abruptly blaming the ‘bad sound systems’. Those days as long as a singer could sing, they were happy. They lived a sheltered life. Today it’s not so. Every one can sing and technology gives them so much exposure that good artistes are sometimes lost in the background.”
She says she has learnt to change with the times and also has learnt to appreciate Bollywood dancing too, especially cine star Govinda’s dance style. “When a person does something with love and dedication, I see beauty in it,” explains Usha, who has worked with some of the greatest artistes from the field of dance, music, TV and cinema. It’s good for dancers to try out fusion art, but “my only plea is that they keep the classical dance pure and don’t mess with its style. It’s like wearing a bikini and walking into a temple. If there is a creative mind then the dancer can create something new from tradition itself. I am sure there is enough talent out there.”
This column features those who choose to veer off the beaten track.
