Ramu Kanagal: A sister’s tribute

Triveni recalls how they learnt and danced together and eventually founded a school

Ramu Kanagal, 53, dancer and son of legendary Kannada filmmaker Puttanna Kanagal, died on April 28. He had been admitted to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru for Covid treatment.

He was the founder of Kanagal Nrithyalaya in Banashankari II Stage, and had trained many dancers and actors. Triveni Kanagal, his sister who danced with him for years, recalls his passion for art.

In her words

Ramu was three years older, and he was a caring brother. He was also mischievous, and his creativity and love for music and dance knew no bounds. We lived in Chennai for most of our growing years and began our first lessons in music and dance there.

Since our father was always busy shooting, we kept each other company. We would sing and dance to just about any tune. Noticing our interest in dance, my father got us admitted to train under Malathi Srinivasan of Kalakshetra in Chennai. We underwent rigorous training.

Our first stage performance was at Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bengaluru in 1984. Ramu was way better than me. He was natural in his expressions and movements but I had to slug it out. Later, in 1985, we moved to Bengaluru and joined Venkatesha Natya Mandira under guru Radha Sridhar, where we got some great exposure and plenty of opportunities to perform. Soon, Ramu and I were much sought-after as dancer-siblings.

In 1991, we opened our dance school with 30 students. We held our first ever dance festival in 1995 to promote young dancers. We did this every year till 2007 after which I had to take a break as I joined IBM and couldn’t dedicate much time to the school. But Ramu took it from there and handled it well. He was literally married to dance and spent all his time and effort on building the school.

Like my father, Ramu never compromised on quality. He wanted to accomplish something unique in every project and performance. He used only Kannada songs in his performances because he wanted to promote Kannada art, culture and language. He was also the first dancer to use recorded music for ranga praveshas (debut shows).

Collaborating with Mandolin Prasad, Ramu conceptualised some dance dramas. He also took our father’s movie songs and presented them in classical dance. He believed dance was meditative and something that had to be practised and perfected over time.

After my father passed away, we got even closer. After I took up a job, Ramu would call me every Saturday. I have lost a caring brother. There was so much he had planned for the school.

Friends and family remember Ramu

‘He was a perfectionist’

B S Gururaja Rao, Ramu’s brother-in-law, knew each other since their school years. “As we grew up, I saw his unflinching love and commitment towards dance. He was a perfectionist and never repeated his choreography,” he says.

‘He was a man of fantasies’

Mandolin Prasad met Ramu in 2000 and composed more than 60 songs for Ramu’s performances. “He was a man of fantasies and never stopped dreaming. I would work on the music and he would give it a form and expression. He always spoke his mind,” Prasad says.

‘Special teacher’

Geethanjali K S, student and niece of Ramu, shared a very special bond with him. “As a child, I used to rest my head on his lap and watch the performances. That’s how I got interested in dance. As a student, Ramu uncle did everything to bring out the unique talent in each of his students. There was so much more to learn from him and his commitment towards the art. I will do everything it takes to carry forward his legacy.”