THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Soorya Krishnamoorthy lived amidst a whole lot of art. His house at Thycaud was a repository of different forms of Ganesha. The shrine in his house had an idol once worshipped by Maharaja Swati Thirunal, the monarch known for exquisite Carnatic and Hindustani compositions.
But art wasn’t the sole reason why he was flawless as an artist and art connoisseur, say many who were encouraged by him as part of the Soorya fraternity. Actor Navya Nair remembers the positive force he was that prompted her towards taking up classical dance with a renewed passion. “He helped her reach my guru, Priyadarshini Govind. Not just that, he also urged me to start the Matangi festival in Kochi. To me, it was a road to my own self,” she observes, adding that with Krishnamoorthy’s passing, Thiruvananthapuram has a lot less art now.
Recalling the meticulous way in which the Soorya festival sessions would be conducted, Mohiniyattom veteran Methil Devika, who began her self-choreographies with Soorya at age 20, feels the practice of being punctual with performances at the festival was more than just value for time. “It rendered a ritualistic propriety to Soorya.
The values of sensitivity that filled the ambience of Soorya fully reflected Moorthy sir’s thoughts, giving the artists the feel of performing somewhere pristine.
Even when he revamped the Ganesham theatre, he did it in such a way that the acoustics would not interfere with the surroundings where there may be students preparing for exams,” she says, recalling the relationship they shared over 30 years of her career.
“I used to curate a session of Soorya titled ‘Dreams Unlimited’ which gave space to amateur talents, and now, whenever I refer someone for performance at Soorya or at Ganesham, Moorthy sir trusts my understanding.
The performances, too, are never judged. To him, art was beyond the material, and that was passed on to the artists too, even the star performers, making them value the trust he gave them,” she adds.