GURU The Guru Geeta contains a beautiful shloka describing the qualities of a Guru (one who leads and

shows the light): Chaitanyam Shashwatham Shantam Vyomaateetam Niranjanam Nadabindu-Kalateetam Tasmai Shree Guruve Namah I bow to my teacher who is the supreme spirit, who is eternal and benign; who is beyond sound, line and art. Salutations to thee! The ancient texts prescribe attributes, qualities and characteristics of a teacher and a dancer in great detail. Attributes of a teacher Smriti (memory), Mati (insight), Medha (intelligence), Uha (wisdom), Apoha (willpower), Shishya - Nishpadana (production of good disciples) Qualities of a good teacher Qualities like - magnetic glow of an awakened personality, absolute mastery of technique integrating the body and soul of the dance art, a live sense of rhythm and tempo in all their subtleties, expertise in conducting the dance ensembles, acquaintance with the individualities of musical instruments, sound knowledge of tradition acquired from seasoned veterans, capacity to improvise songs and rhythmic sequences, flair for new creation in style, resourcefulness in handling situations, perfect identification and devotion to ideals, and lastly, an intuitive perception of the strength and weakness of a student makes a teacher of high value. Characteristics of a good teacher A Guru should have belief in God, simple & pure life, possession of good habits, proper attitude to the disciples, and control over his disciples; and should win their confidence. He should be self controlled, knowledgeable, devoted for his work, cultured, disciplined, considerate, kind & caring towards poor but talented disciples, patient while teaching, well versed with Natyashastra and other relevant scriptures, stern and strict to ensure discipline, innovative, creative, update of new developments & inventions in the dance forms. He should not indulge himself in drinking, smoking, immoral activities, vengeance, laziness, theft, fooling and criticizing others and cheap behavior. He should not be short tempered, overconfident of his disciples, boastful of himself and jealous of others. He should set an ideal for his disciples. The importance of Guru The Guru is thus vested with incredible responsibilities. As role model and as one who knows, it is up to the Guru to enlighten disciples. The Sanskrit root of the very word Gu-Ru implies one who chases away darkness! In a world where role models are rare, the Guru's importance cannot be overemphasized. The Guru leads the way, shows the path, and most important, awakens in the discerning disciple the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, between good and bad, and between acceptable and eschew able norms.

As parents we must choose the Guru who will lead our children with great care. The Guru has the capacity to lead a child toward knowledge not only of the art they are entrusted to impart but also life-long lessons of perseverance, discipline, concentration, hard work, awareness and centering of mind and body, as well as the joy of appreciating the art. While the lessons I learnt in school helped me improve my mind, the lessons I learnt as a dance student have stayed with me and helped me build my mind, body and soul. I attribute a lot of the positive aspects of my personality to my training in dance. Values or traditional arts cannot be transmitted only through time-bound courses, workshops and syllabi; they can be best transmitted through the Indian practice of shruti and smriti. Hear and memorize, see and follow; be led only by example. I would spend a major part of my dance classes watching my guru S.K.Rajaratnam and learnt a lot more by doing so than by merely repeating what he taught me. I watched him as he taught, demonstrated and conducted recitals. The same goes for Kalanidhi mami (Kalanidhi Narayanan). Although I wrote down what she showed me I would watch her and then go home and process all that my mind had gathered from this experience. Students today would benefit greatly by following this tradition of watching and learning from their teachers to imbibe from their experiences. In order to do this the student must shed their own sense of over confidence and bow to the knowledge that the Guru has to share with them. This does not mean only outward show of respect such as falling at the Gurus feet or thanking the Guru outwardly. It means truly shedding ones ego and be willing to absorb in any way possible what the teacher has to offer. It also does not mean that one does not ask questions. My generation grew up not asking too many questions of our teacher and as a result lost out on a lot more that we could have learnt from our teachers. By all means ask questions, but make sure they are questions that arise from a sincere wish to learn. The Guru is thus second only to a students parents in the amount of influence they wield over the student. This of course depends on how receptive the student is. An ancient Chinese proverb says, Teachers open the door but you must walk through it yourself. So as a student make the best of what your teacher has to offer and do so with humility and a true quest for knowledge. This knowledge stays with you for life.