Gracefully balancing police duties and dance teaching

You don’t need to sacrifice one passion for another, proves Thrissur Special Branch sub inspector Mandoor Gopinathan, who practises and teaches ottan thullal for the last 22 years. His students have b
Gracefully balancing police duties and dance teaching

KANNUR: You don’t need to sacrifice one passion for another, proves Thrissur Special Branch sub inspector Mandoor Gopinathan, who practises and teaches ottan thullal for the last 22 years. His students have been emerging as winners in the state and district school festivals for the last few years.

Gopinathan has been a permanent figure in police programmes and reality shows. “I don’t find it difficult to manage both job and art as both have become a part of my life,” he says. His student, Vibneesh from Panangad High School, Kodungallur, contested on Wednesday. Another student, Bhavana, from Raman Memorial Higher Secondary School, Chavakkad, will be competing on Thursday. 

According to Gopinathan, for him, there is nothing called ‘free time’. “I spend my time after work to practise and teach ottan thullal,” he says. He has taken two days’ leave to be with his students at the festival. He will be back on his police job on Friday, though he wishes to be at the venue until the festival gets over.  Gopinathan started his career in 1984 as a constable in Kozhikode.

And now it is been six years since he was promoted as sub inspector in Thrissur. His passion for ottan  thullal doesn’t restrict him to tradition, rather he composes new stories. ‘Swayamvaram’, which was performed by Vibneesh, is a new story by him.

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