SLIDESHOW » August 19 | August 20

What a memorable event ! Not only for her students, but for all those who were fortunate to have attended. The festivities actually started on Saturday, 19th August, which was Guru Rajee's actual date of birth. We all assembled at the SIES school hall, students, parents and some well-wishers, by 3.30 pm. The excitement was palpable; every child felt as though it was her own birthday !

Resplendent in a new sari, Aunty walked in as the students cheered. As each student touched her feet, seeking her blessings, she gave a little gift as a token of her love. The 5 kg chocolate truffle cake was ceremoniously brought into the hall by Megha, Jenna and other seniors. Mala & Murli from Delhi, Mr. Ramnath, Aunty's nephew from Chennai, Mr. V. Shankar, Secretary, SIES School, were all present for the cake-cutting. As Aunty cut the cake, the students sang the birthday song, taking care to sing it right... for it was her practice to always correct the pitch while singing even the birthday song!

The seniors, Gayatri, Ragini, Aishwarya, Kritika, Hema, Shailaja and others filled the plates with samosas, wafers and cake and then distributed to the juniors and guests, before piling their own plates. Maya took pictures of the proceedings and Ragini announced her coming engagement, she is soon to marry and settle in the US; which called for a double celebration !

A quick rehearsal followed and a final meeting, to fine-tune all the arrangements for the next morning. But of course, this was only after ensuring that Aunty had left the hall ! Jayant Lapsia, the man at the helm, meticulously rehearsed the movements of the event; he had planned many surprises for the next day.

Sunday morning dawned bright and auspicious, with no trace of rain. At 9.05 am sharp, Aunty was received by a group headed by Jayant, to the beautiful melodies of live nadaswaram. An auspicious and royal welcome indeed ! By 10 am, the students were dressed and ready. There were about 500 people in the audience, VIPs, many dance and music gurus of Mumbai, heads of fine art institutions and of course, Aunty's many fans !

Aunty lit the lamp with Dr. Kanak Rele and Smt. Ranjana Jhaveri, distinguished guests of honour. The prayer song, Mata Saraswathy was sung by the students group, with Aunty's most senior music student, Smt. Jaya Ramamurthy taking the lead. She followed up with a brief solo Carnatic music recital, singing two compositions of Guru Rajee. Then followed the dance programme, which began with Mala and Mrudula (who had come from California for the event) performing Deva Stuthi. 13 juniors performed Abhinaya Bhajan, Jaya jaya hare, followed by Kummi and Kolattam by 16 dancers. The concluding Tillana had 5 senior dancers. All the items brought heavy applause from a very appreciative audience.

The audio-visual, Guru Charitra, followed and the brief presentation gave an insight into Guru Rajee's life and times. Nostalgic and touching, Aunty was able to look back at many important moments in her life. This will be screened again, to an even larger audience at Shanmukhananda Hall, on 16th September, when Guru Rajee receives the coveted M. S. Subbulakshmi Best Teacher Award for 2006.

After the screening, Jayant started proceedings for the felicitation. What a grand entry ! The nadaswaram troupe headed the procession. Students lined up on either sides, as Guru Rajee walked down the entire length of the main aisle and ascended the stage, to thundering applause. She was received on stage by Kanakji, Mr. V. Shankar, Mr. C.K.Narayan and Mr. Sury. The students presented her with a bouquet of flowers, a shawl and a cheque for Rs. 5 lakhs. Divya and Maya gave brief, heartfelt speeches on behalf of the juniors and seniors respectively, while Moksha presented a huge birthday card, made by her and signed by all students, parents and well-wishers.

Dr. Kanak Rele shared her precious, personal feelings for Aunty, whom she regards as her elder sister. She particularly mentioned how before every important decision in her life, she would always consult Guru Rajee first, especially while building the Nalanda Institute. Mr. Shankar's speech was awesome, epitomising Aunty as the ideal guru, a stalwart who upheld our traditions and devoted her entire lifetime to preserving Indian culture and values. Mr. Narayan's address was brief and conclusive; showing his reverence for a great guru.

The felicitations started with Vedic chanting by the priests of Sri Subramania Samaj. Many leading fine art institutions followed. Each time she was felicitated, the nadaswaram on stage would play a few notes and this lent such an auspicious air to the entire proceedings. Guru K. Kalyanasundaram, illustrious guru of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir, the Nalanda teachers, Sri Deepak Mazumdar of Shiladhish Institute, Dr. Sandhya Purecha, Smt. Nalini Raghu and many leading dance and music teachers came forward to honour Guru Rajee and seek her blessings. The concluding speech by Aunty was emotional and warm, nostalgic and happy. Always articulate, she spoke of the joy she felt, to be surrounded by so much love, from her peers, her contemporaries, her students and several generations of fans.

Mr. Sury, Secretary of Sri Shanmukhananda gave a warm vote of thanks, including all those people who had worked so hard to make the event such a grand success. The concluding lunch was enjoyed by all the guests and the two dining halls were filled to capacity. Bakshinam bags, containing boondi laddus, murukku and mixture were given to the guests as they departed. Truly, the 75th birthday celebration had the grandeur of a wedding ! And to the students of Nritya Geethanjali, it was a satisfying, memorable day.

Jaishree