Living at New Woodlands hotel in Madras, they study arts subjects of their choice at gurus' houses. And what do they learn? Bharatanatyam at Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy's Shree Bharatalaya, mridangam from N. Govindarajan, veena from Rajalakshmi Narayanan, flute from maestro N. Ramani, yoga at Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Batik from J.J. Jagaraj, Kalaripayattu from Shahji John, philosophy and religion from Dr. R. Balasubramanian and even Sanskrit and Thamizh.

Prof. William Skelton, conductor and scholar of music at Colgate University, and Director of the India Study group says that he has been bringing students to India every other year since 1969. Himself a nagaswaram player, Prof. Skelton makes sure his students get the best of India. For, besides their regular classes, the students also get to see top artistes perform exclusively for them. And so far, this has included concerts by Bombay Sisters, Sanjay Subramaniam, N. Ramani and Ravikiran.

Usually at the end of the semester in December, they put up a presentation. And this year, the presentation is expected to be something unusual and will be part of the December Season. Alongwith the sishyas of dance guru Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy, these students will be featured in a new dance production titled 'The tale of Puhar'.

Themed on the Thamizh epic, 'Silappadikaram', this production has something interesting to offer to the rasikas of Madras - American students dance Bharatanatyam alongwith their Indian counterparts, you will hear carnatic ragas on western instruments, batiks become backdrops and stage props, abhinaya will be performed for English dialogues and dancers perform cartwheels for a Begada swaram! Sudharani and Prof. Skelton have worked together for Colgate University in New York and in Chennai. And they say that it has long been their dream to bring together students from each of their institutions and present an unsual performance born of both their traditions.

Prof. Skelton who is all excited about the production says, "Its been a funny exercise! Everytime we do a project, it becomes the fastest way to learn about a country. Silappadikaram is a story that fascinated me and I particularly liked the role of Kannagi where a woman becomes the focal point of the story..." Says Sudharani, "It is a synergy between the East and the West. After two months of practice now, we've blended well. It is a tremendous effort on the part of these American students, who are not used to our body movements or emotions. They are fascinated by our body language and they have so many questions. Everytime I meet a group, I'm learning..."

She adds, "We have been working on the production the last two years. The verses in ancient Thamizh are from the original text of Silappadikaram. The framework of choreography is Bharatanatyam and we have incorporated the folk and western elements."

Says Nathan Smiley, who plays the role of the 'Kattiayakaran' or story teller, "It's fun and exciting to learn a completely new artform because I've never danced before. What's even better is that we're learning it from the best teachers."

Assisting in the research for 'The Tale of Puhar' have been Dr. Raama Kausalya, Principal, Govt. College of Music, Thiruvaiyar and Maravanpulava K. Sachithananthan. Music has been scored by senior musician and Director of Shree Bharatalaya, Vidwan Madurai N. Krishnan.

The schedule for 'Tale of Puhar': Dec.6: Kartik Fine Arts (at Narada Gana Sabha's auditorium), Dec. 11: Nungambakkam Cultural Academy, Dec. 14: Brahma Gana Sabha (at SSP auditorium, MCTM school campus), Dec.16: Krishna Gana Sabha.

And between November 1 to 20, Prof. Skelton and his students will be on a tour of south India. And the students will have their production rehearsal, be it at Mysore, Ooty, Trivandrum, Madurai or Thanjavur.

Contact: Shree Bharatalaya, 119, Luz Church Road, Mylapore, Chennai-4. Ph: 24994460
E-mail: sudharani.raghupathy@gems.vsnl.net.in
Website: www.silappadikaram.com