Our rich Indian culture has many varied classical dance forms and there are some dancers who are called the caretakers or the Dharowars of the dance. If Kelucharan Mahopatra was said to be the Maha Guru of Odissi and Shambu Maharaj and Lachhu Maharaj the Maha Gurus of Kathak, then Uma Rama Rao was surely the Guru for Kuchipudi. An artiste, guru and advocate of art forms, Uma Rama Rao’s recent demise has indeed left a void in the world of Kuchipudi dance.
I had the fortune of meeting this joyful lady a few years ago in Hyderabad where I had gone to conduct a workshop. Her personality was glowing and she was as radiant as her name implied. Uma Rama Rao or ‘Aunty’ as many addressed her has ended her sojourn on this earth, but her timeless spirit is as effulgent as ever.
Umaji was an artiste to the core, her core being spoke nothing but sollukattu and swaram; her mind was constantly caught up in research and choreography; her feet were forever ready to dance, though she long ceased to perform on stage and chose to teach and give wings to her creativity through her numerous disciples. There are few fortunate artists who can dance and teach till their last breadth, many cannot continue due to health and financial issues. But Umaji was the chosen one and the lucky few to have a long career in Kuchipudi dance.
It was like god of dance Natraj had her career neatly chalked out and carried forward — first as a performing artiste, post-marriage, an academician dancer who chose to teach in institutions, then the architect, along with then chief minister N.T. Rama Rao of the department of dance, which she later headed, of the Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, then a research scholar who secured her doctorate and finally a writer till the last, with a number of books to her credit.
She was not just a superb dancer, scholar and a teacher but a hospitable person as well. I can never forget the steaming cup of coffee which followed with a table full of south Indian delicacies which she served me when I met her. I am sure every Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyum dancer will agree with me that somewhere she has definitely contributed to their growth as a dancer.
I remember her place was like an open house, one could walk in at any hour making sure she was there and then just sit comfortably with her either to get valuable inputs, get enlightened over theory of dance and its finer aspects or get trained in performing, get guidance in research and feel her warmth as a mother.
I recollect her tell me that if she had not married her husband Rama Rao her dance would have been nailed down and closed for ever as she came from a very conservative family who did not believe in encouraging women to take up dance as a career. “He was my best friend, philosopher and a guide who always encouraged me to follow my passion that is Kuchipudi,” she told me with a smile while she remembered his death.
I remember her showing me a few of his photographs and they both were so much made for each other. “He was a very handsome lawyer and I a dancer, our jodi.....” and she again smiled with tears in her eyes. To me she was a true women of substance who never neglected her role as a home maker. She was super busy in the hey days of her dance career, but come what may she just knew how to balance both the lives perfectly. Umaji never let health or any adverse situations stem her creativity. She thrust them all aside only to continue doing what she loved most, composing dance ballets and showcasing them to dance lovers and dance enthusiasts world over.
It was but natural that many awards and recognitions came her way but she was one person who never worked with that in her mind.
Please allow me to give you a names of the few awards she was bestowed with: ‘Kala Neerajanam’ and ‘Best Teacher Award’ from Government of Andhra Pradesh, ‘Sri Kala Poorna’ from Saint Annamacharya project of North America (SAPNA), ‘Pratibha Puraskar’ from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad. ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi’ from the hands of Bharat Ratna A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the President of India in 2004.
Umaji was born on July 4, 1938, at Visakhapatnam, and has served the art of Indian classical dance, in particular Kuchipudi dance for over 60 years. She hailed from a background of distinguished scholars with a very keen interest in literature, music and dance. She had a Masters degree in Economics from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and at a very tender age of five, she started her dance training under the guidance of great gurus such as P.V. Narashimha Rao, Nataraja Ramakrishna, Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastri, Guru Pakkiri Swami Pillai and Guru C.R. Acharya. She obtained proficiency in theoretical and technical aspects of Kuchipudi, Bharata Natyam and ritual dance traditions and later with the blessings of her guru Nataraja Ramakrishna she took up teaching dance to pass on the tradition to the younger generation.
She was the only woman who I would say was instrumental in introducing the BA and MA degrees in Kuchipudi dance, thus giving a new academic status and dimension to the ancient cultural heritage of Andhra Pradesh.
She was a purist in her form and her thoughts, yet she was modern in her approach to teaching. She did believe in the Guru Shishya parampara but also knew the power of the internet and she fully encouraged and supported the ‘Distance Education Program’ in Kuchipudi dance and online courses in universities, cultural organisations and dance academies. This was a new concept then and one of its kinds in India, being introduced and implemented by Potti Sree Ramulu Telugu University in Hyderabad to establish Telugu language and culture through Kuchipudi dance and to guide dance students for research and other activities.
Umaji choreographed a number of solo items, dance features, dance dramas and traditional Yakshaganas, based on the lyrics of great composers of yesteryears and contemporary writers of today. ‘Sri Thyagaraja’s Nauka Charitra’, ‘Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam’, ‘King Shahaji’s Sankara and Vishnu Pallaki Seva Prabandhams’, ‘Vigneswara Kalyanam’, ‘Narayana Theertha’s Sadhvi Rukmini’, ‘Matrubhutayya’s Parijatapaharanam’, Kakuturi Padmavati’s Mandakini and Siva Katyayani’ and ‘Medha Vikas’ (which was on computers) all showed her innovative spirit.
During my meeting with her she told me, “Sandip, my motto has always been to bring out old traditional literary gems to the limelight and give them a new outlook, without deviating from the original traditional structure keeping their aesthetic, philosophical and spiritual values intact.” She took Kuchipudi dance to countries such as USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Middle East, Sri Lanka and many more but made sure that she always kept the roots of Kuchipudi alive even in the modern days and foreign shores. I remember this multifaceted lady telling me how she got a few Telugu film offers which she gently declined, because Hollywood, Bollywood nor Tollywood ever interested her; for her the only interest was her dance, research and writing. Her book Kuchipudi Bharatam in English is on the origin, history and development of Kuchipudi dance. And her another piece of writing is a textbook, BA Kuchipudi dance in Telugu language, co-authored with Professor P S.R. Appa Rao, a great scholar, was published by Telugu University, on academic achievements. Uma Rama Rao’s thirst for acquiring more knowledge is admirable and her voyage in this direction is untiring making her a torchbearer to dedicated artists. For Umaji, research was a great passion and teaching dance a life-time commitment. Before I said good bye to her she told me “Dance is eternal and a moving spirit, preaching this art from in all shades is a true worship of God and in turn a great service to humanity.’ Today Umaji lives in the hearts of all; in the dancing feet of all her disciples and in the pages of her books and choreographies! A life worth lived is cherished by all of us here! Today I will not say “May your soul rest in peace”, but I will pray that “May God bless your soul for it to always keep dancing.”
Sandip Soparrkar is a choreographer and can be contacted on sandipsoparrkar06@gmail.com
