Echoes of an age old anklet

Echoes of an age old anklet

Shijina C V

Indira Bhai Thankachi, the enchanting dancer belongs to the lineage of Irayimman Thampi the court poet of His Highness Chithira Thirunal and veena expert Kuttikunji Thankachi. The last palace dancer of the Travancore era, she now spends the evening of her life at her house in West Fort. 

       

Indira Bhai Thankachi

                The queen of grace is now in her eighties, yet full of life and strikingly beautiful. The slightest movement of her eyes betrays her passion for dance. The great granddaughter of Irayimmen Thampi, Indira Bhai was born to M.L. Ponnamma Thankachi. Ponnamma Thankachi was in turn the first person to open a music school in Kerala, the ‘Swathithirunal Music School’ at Poojappura. Indira Bhai’s father Narasimha Thampi realized her talent in music and dance and encouraged her to become an artist.

               

                She then went on to specialise in Kuchippudi, Mohiniyattam, Bharathanatyam, Kathakali, Manipuri dance, classical music, veena, thabala and so on from  her early teens. She has fifteen years of experience as a teacher and performer in palaces like Kowdiar, Poojapura and Pattom.

           

                At  the  age  of twenty  she  got an opportunity  to  act  with Sathyan in the Malayalam  film  industry in his first film ‘ Thyagaseema’. However, she could not obtain permission from his majesty to act. Even today she cherishes her memories of Satyan, who was her best friend.  Later, she married Jayapalan Nair, the main power behind her success from then on. Currently she runs a music school ‘Meenakshi Bharathanatyam Academy’ for all age groups in West Fort.