Nataraja Krishnamoorthy is popularly known by the name Soorya Krishnamoorthy, thanks to the Soorya festival, the longest festival in the world, which runs to 111 days at a stretch. From a scientist with ISRO to an art lover, artist and art connoisseur, his journey has been long and interesting. Excerpts from his conversation with TNIE
Your house is full of Ganesha idols. How did this fascination for Ganapathi begin?
(Smiles) I believe the screenplay of our life is written by God and we are just actors. Some 25-30 years ago, Ganesha idols started reaching me through many people. Whenever I went to some function, people started presenting me with Ganesha idols. Interestingly, none of them were rplicas. While I was wondering what was happening, I was invited by the Maharaja of Travancore to the palace. He performed pooja on a Ganapathi idol and gave it to me. He later rang me up and told me that the idol has to be kept in the pooja room and not in the showcase. He also told me that Swathi Thirunal used to perform pooja on the idol.
Which are the rare ones among them?
What we see here in my house are the interpretation of various artisans and sculptors. Ganesha has 32 divine forms. I have all of them. Each form of Ganapathi has a purpose. If you have a specific purpose, you need to worship the corresponding form of Ganapathi. In Chenkal temple, daily pooja is performed on all 32 forms of Ganesha. I firmly believe there is a power to guide, control and protect us.
Can you share some experiences?
A prominent person associated with the Communist party once had to go to Sabarimala as part of his duty. They are not supposed to pray. But this person said he felt a particular power there. I explained to him that temples have to be constructed as per sthala puranam. A temple should be built only in a place which has positive energy. When a temple like Sabarimala is located in the forest where positive energy prevails and pooja is performed as per custom, it becomes very powerful.
Tirupati and Mookambika temples too are located inside the forest. When I explained it, he understood. He keeps a small Ganesha idol that I gave him on his office table. We know we get positive energy only in certain places of worship. The presence of these Ganesha idols gives me a positive energy and I can’t think of anything bad while sitting here.
How did you enter the world of art when you had no family history in it?
That’s why I said there is somebody called God who writes our screenplay. We are only actors in that. It is up to us to act good or bad (smiles).
You resigned from a top notch institution like ISRO to enter the world of art…
It was difficult to think of ballistics in the morning and the love of Radha and Krishna in the evening. When it became clear that both cannot go together, I followed my will. Everyone has two commands, an inner one and an outer one. But an artist should have only one command, the inner one, that is to obey God. I can be ridiculed for saying all this. But when you obey God’s command, God will protect you. My first child was only attending play school when I resigned. The salary was going to stop from the next month. I did not have any other income. By God’s grace, both my children have done well.
So you moved from space science to art and God…
I don’t believe both these are extremes. Classical music is called sasthreeya sangeetham in Malayalam. Whatever the music, the rhythm determines its direction, and rhythm is maths. So, science cannot be separated from art. Ramayana and Mahabharatha are full of maths. Famous scientists like Vikram Sarabhai, Raja Ramanna and A P J Abdul Kalam are connected to art. Vikram Sarabhai led the Darpana, Mrinalini Sarabhai’s dance academy. Kalam played his veena before performing the most difficult task of the Pokhran atomic experiment.
What was your relationship with Dr Abdul Kalam like?
Dr A P J Abdul Kalam selected me for the VSSC job through a campus interview when I was doing my final-year engineering. I had worked with him and I am indebted to him for teaching me many things. Before that, I had such a feeling towards Sugathakumari Teacher, who was like a mother to me, M T Vasudevan Nair and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, whom I’ve read fully.
But it was from APJ and my father that I learnt the biggest lesson that simplicity is the most beautiful thing in the universe. Whenever APJ wanted to tell me something, he came to me. It was the same with everyone else. Never had he summoned anybody if he wanted to have a word with them. Beyond science, I learnt such things from him. He had an official car at his disposal but he never used it for personal purposes. So, whenever he needed to travel, and as he did not know how to drive, he would call me and would ride pillion on my scooter.
Did you learn anything about music from him?
Yes. We used to go to music concerts at the Karthika Thirunal Theatre. His favourites were M S Subbulakshmi and D K Pattammal. He would be immersed in their music. While returning, I once asked him why he didn’t wear shoes with pants while coming to a crowd of elite people. His delayed response was, “We came to listen to Pattammal or see the saree she was wearing?” That response had everything.
After becoming the President, he called over the cobbler who repaired his shoes regularly and the owner of the hotel from where he used to eat. These are qualities that we should learn from him.
Tell us about the formation of Soorya?
APJ, C R Satya and P N Subramanian, my colleagues at VSSC, were part of it. Soorya was formed at the office of Kalakaumudi. M S Mani, S Jaychandran Nair and N R S Babu were there at Kalakaumudi at the time. I had told APJ about the idea and he said we have nothing of that sort (Soorya) here (Thiruvananthapuram).
On September 1, 1977, we started with the film Love Story. The second day we had The Odessa File and the next day there was a stage show. Once it started running, M S Subbulakshmi, K J Yesudas, mridangam maestro Mavelikkara Krishnankutty Nair, Padma Subramanyam and I met later that year at Subbulakshmi’s house at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai.
As was the case in Chennai, we didn’t have music and dance fests here and we wondered why we couldn’t have one. We said we will have Soorya Fest. Yesudas promised he will perform on every October 1. Mavelikkara said if Yesudas is performing, he will play mridangam as long as he is alive. Padma said if we start with music, then we will end with dance and promised that she will be here on every October 10. Due to her ill health, MS did not make any promise, but said she will come whenever possible. That’s how it started.
Soorya has had a special relationship with Yesudas…
Until the Covid pandemic, Yesudas never broke his promise. Only once did his date get changed. Padma was also there till the pandemic. Yesudas hasn’t taken a single paisa from us. Artists performing here don’t ask for money. But we see to it that their expenses are met. While I was returning after watching the film Classmates, I switched on my phone and Yesudas called me.
He said he was calling from Sydney and he was selected for the Government of Australia’s international award. The award ceremony was fixed for October 1, with a concert at the Sydney Opera House on the same night. He said he would accept the award only if I said yes. I said he should accept the award and come to the Soorya Fest on another date.
Shobhana once performed at the Soorya Fest when she was suffering from chikungunya. Even onlookers couldn’t tolerate seeing her in pain and I told her that she could’ve postponed it. But she said the programme date cannot be changed. Whenever Sukumar Azhikode got a new diary, he would first schedule October 21. Yesudas too did that. These kinds of things energise me…
How has the art scene evolved over the years?
There were only three dance schools when we began. Now there are over a thousand. So many people find subsistence through this. Over the years, there has been a decline in genuine interest. So many people are attending musical concerts that have no connection to real art. But people think it’s a kind of art. Crowd-pulling musical events are not art.
In my opinion, cinematic dance should be banned like ganja, opium and alcohol. There was a minister named Mohammad Basheer. I told him that cinematic dance should be banned in schools, or else nudity would become an art.
That official ban order still exists but such events continue to happen. The media has a role in preventing such things from happening. When an artist steps on to the stage, he or she is a different person and I see a goddess in the artist. Art shouldn’t suffer on the altar of nudity. Award shows are promoting this. Thematic presentation of an art is always good when it’s communicated well with the audience. But it should be done without deviating from the traditions.
Isn’t cinematic dance too an art form?
Have you ever seen a good cinematic dance performance? Usually, they perform without any rhythm. Look at any band. Mostly, it’s just howling. It’s not an art form. It has neither cinema nor dance in it. It’s just something to tickle your sensations; definitely not art.
Isn’t art meant for entertainment as well? Isn’t it a generalised criticism that cinematic dance is nudity?
Entertainment shouldn’t sell nudity, especially that of women. Cinematic dance doesn’t have either rhythm or shruthi. You see one award show, and you have seen it all. All the dances included will more or less be the same. If we encourage this, the next generation too gets affected. On the other hand, classical art forms are always appreciated by a niche audience.
Not all may enjoy classical art forms like bharatanatyam. Shouldn’t they too be able to seek entertainment?
They certainly can! They have options like watching a play, a good movie, or attending a chakyarkoothu. There are many other art forms to choose from. Let me pose a question: if you announce a koodiyattam performance, it’s likely not more than ten people would attend. Does that mean it isn’t a good art form? If we determine the value of an art form based solely on public opinion, wouldn’t that make the beverage corporation the most popular art form?
How can an artist make such a statement?
I am saying this because it hurts. A woman is to be respected. I believe that a woman’s intellect is more significant than her physical appearance. While some contemporary artists might focus on sensationalism, traditional composers like Swathi Thirunal and Muthuswamy Deekshithar created enduring works that resonate even today. For instance, a song that becomes a fleeting trend is quickly forgotten, while a classical piece endures because of its intrinsic value. Classical music won’t do that. T M Krishna might do that.
There is a song called entammede jimikkikkammal. It was so popular. When it was released, everyone used to sing it. What was the lifespan of that song? Everyone forgot about it after two months. A song by Thyagaraja, like entheromahaanubhaavalu, written many years ago, is still sung by people. That’s because it is everlasting. It is classical. That is real art.
Still…
I too like a woman’s nudity. I am a man. Everyone will like the nudity of another woman. But whether that should be encouraged is the question. What I’m saying is that this is erroneous. Shouldn’t we question the trend of nude women being shown dancing behind padayani, theyyam? When there’s a procession, behind the theyyam’s crown, the name of the sponsor is shown. Why do they do that? If you say they do it out of helplessness, I won’t accept it. An artist, even if he dies of starvation, won’t agree to carry an advertisement atop a theyyam’s crown.
Even T M Krishna is expressing his social commitment...
It’s essential for each artist to carve their own path. Originality is crucial. Merely modifying existing narratives is not right. There are people who say the opposite of what I said. But that is original. I spoke about gods. There are many people who are atheists. What they say is also original.
What about an artist’s creative freedom to remake?
Using creative freedom, after obtaining permission from the artist who created the original work, is fine. Otherwise, it’s like bringing out a parody of a composition. That’s what I meant. Artists put a lot of effort into creating a tune, and the next day, someone might make fun of it by altering it in a different way. Only an artist understands the pain of a creator.
On artists’ response to social events, isn’t it for them to decide when, how and to whom to react?
In earlier days, people used to react immediately. There’s no point in reacting a week later. A true artist or writer should react at that particular moment. But that’s not what’s happening here. We are becoming slaves. At least, that’s what I believe. If it’s wrong, that’s okay.
Aren’t there cliques among artists too? If an upcoming artist criticises Soorya Krishnamoorthy — considered to be a doyen of art — will they still get a chance to perform at the Soorya Festival?
I have never had a problem with people criticising me. If someone is talented, they will find their space here. I’m not so great. If I make a mistake, I try to correct it. Others have corrected me.
Post Covid, how do you see the change in audience taste?
My play Thudarcha was presented recently. It had a long queue of viewers. But when you look at it, all of them were aged above 40. No youngsters. When Janaki Rangarajan is dancing, viewers are above 40. So, youngsters are moving away from art. That is a great worry. That’s the case with all art forms.
Youngsters may not be attending such programmes because they have access to everything on their phones and social media...
People over 40 too can easily watch performances from home, right? But they choose to come out. Why? Because there is a difference in experiencing live shows. How long are those reels? They are not full performances... they are short clips. What can you truly see in just one minute? To see a complete performance, you have to be here in person.
A common criticism of the Soorya Festival, particularly regarding the dance segment, is about including more film stars. Does their celebrity status really matter here? It’s not because there aren’t better dancers available, is it?
There are some reasons. For example, Navya Nair performed at the festival this time. She is known as a film artist, but I’m not limiting her to that; she is a talented dancer too. I have taken her to Priyadarshini Govind in Chennai, where she has become one of Priyadarshini’s best disciples. She performed at the Mathangi Festival in Ernakulam, and the write-ups in the papers mentioned her improvement.
Priyadarshini Govind mentioned that Navya is now obsessed with dance. Then there’s Rachana Narayanankutty, who is basically a theatre artist. I invited her to my play Thudarcha, and she truly shone in it, surpassing her previous performances in other mediums. She is also very serious about dance and getting a doctorate now.
As for Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, we have done everything to support her with a subject related to Arattu, but she has not completed it. She isn’t a serious dancer. It’s important to note that none of them are bad dancers. We brought Shobana here before she became famous in cinema; it’s been 31 years since she started dancing.
Manju Warrier also performed here before her rise to fame. So, it’s not just about being a celebrity... they take dance seriously. As for why I haven’t included Manju Warrier now, it’s simply because she doesn’t have the time to practice. If she doesn’t practice for six months, we can’t take her.
You’ve had a long artistic career. What’s your goal in life? Is there anything you want to do?
As a writer-director, I have presented my programme on 6,500 stages. So far, I’ve never sold my art. It will take me just a minute to be commercial... money-oriented. If God offers to grant me a wish, I would pray that as an artist I should never be a mercenary. I should be able to continue like this till my death. There’s nothing wrong with being commercial. But as an artist, it’s wrong to be money-minded. Art is not for sale. It’ll take just a minute for God to take away your artistic brilliance. It’s a gift, not for making money. An artist’s popularity should not be for sale. An artist should be able to help others. Yesudas has been supporting heart
surgeries for a number of people. And Prem Nazir... such a great human being! I don’t know whether there will be another such individual on earth. He was never reluctant to help others. Similarly, Rajinikanth. Is he a great actor? We all know he’s not a good actor. But it’s the goodness within him that makes him different. People like Mohanlal are so humble. Such goodness should be part of any artist. Only then will he grow. Only an artist with virtue in mind can grow.
TNIE team: Cithara Paul, Anil S, Cynthia Chandran, Aparna Nair, Parvana K B, B P Deepu (photos), Pranav V P (video)