'I am an edutainer'

Pandit Nehru once stated, “Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit." It's a definition that aptly describes Madhuvanthi Arun, educationist and artiste. She is the granddaughter of Y. G Parthasarathy, an eminent educationist and Late Y. G Parthasarathy, who pioneered the depiction of social consciousnes in Tamil theatre, the daughter of Y Gee Mahendra, a well-known thespian and the niece of southern India's best known film star Rajinikanth.

Leaving her impeccable cultural pedigree aside, Madhuvanthi, for her part, runs a media company, called Maham, is the Managing Director and Trustee of Calibre Academy International School, a disciple of legendary guru Padma Subrahmanyam and a Bharatanatyam artist of repute.

Born in a nuclear family, Madhuvanti was the only girl child and that's exactly what made her a favourite in the family and of course her grandfather's pet. “My grandfather had his unique extra ordinary touch in the most ordinary of things. He took care of all my needs - be it dealing with my choice of lunch for school or whether I went to my dance class on time. Constructive criticism was part of coffee table discussions and art was like a perpetual companion."

She met her better half, V . Arun Kumar in college who has ever since been her best friend. “Arun is my best and worst critic. Without his support I would not have been able to be myself," she says. As the grandson of Gemini Ganesan, Arun is a hub of talent himself which has helped foster their relationship, she points out.

Discussing the present performing arts scenario, Madhuvanthi, a lover of Kannadasan's writings and M. S. Viswanathan, feels, “There is a visible change in the theatre world. People want to come and watch live performances. There are many groups promoting good theatre." To mark the drama troupe United Amateur Artists' (UAA's) 60year celebrations, Madhuvanthi had started MAHAM Enterprises -An Arts and Media Company, to spread the rich heritage of Indian art through theatre, dance ballets, musical events, the small screen and cinema. She is known for her presentations based on social themes. Her directorial debut in 'Shakthi', a stage adaptation of 'Wait Until Dark' was a crime thriller and created quite a stir in the world of theatre. Her present production, 'Siva Samvo', is a pure comedy, but she also wants to do works based on history . “There is a world outside Satyam and Express Avenue, and I'm happy people are getting motivated to pursue the flip side as well."

Madhuvanthi has entrepreneurial skills, which, she feels, work only with the support of a good team that has a clear focus on its objective. “We work with complete zest and spirit." And this is also illustrated by her presence as the cultural consultant of Bharat Kalachar, her membership at the Chennai Chapter of YEO, an organisation for women, and her receiving the Ritz Achievement Award in 2008.

Talking about the dance world she says, “The world is a global village. It is interesting to note how new works are being presented which solely bring out the kind of research and effort that goes into a production."

What did she think of the many slots in Indian dance and music festivals being taken by non Indians? “Art cannot be put into any kind of confinement," says the dancer, who has given solo performances in USA, Canada, UK, France and Malaysia. “Are not Indians performing everywhere in the West? Then why can't we be open-minded enough to face the competition? Ultimately, it's only good and honest work that wins. There is no short cut. Of course, the relationship with the guru plays a vital role in giving an artist the artistic approach." For Madhuvanthi her greatest inspiration and role model in life has been her guru, Padma Subramaniam. “She has taught me not only dance, but life skills. A large chunk of my artistic appreciation I owe to her. She appealed to me because of her open-mindedness. She gave importance to both negative criticism, if I went wrong in my movements or expressions, and also positive appreciation to boost me up if I did a good job. That is what makes a teacher-student relationship."

The laid back system of Indian education prompted the educationist to come up with her revolutionary ideas. Madhuvanthi Arun, cofounded Calibre Academy with her husband, to impart quality education. “At Calibre, the classrooms have been replaced by learning stations with students moving from one learning station to the other. The school has a subject specialist in each lab and a batch specialist."

Calibre Academy received the Global School Award and the International School Award from the British Council. And with its smart 'touch screen' board for children, this tech-savvy school is a popular learning destination for children.

“All the individuals in my family are powerful. Whether they are artistes are not, they have their own consummate capacities," she says. What did she want to be known as? “An 'edutainer',“ she says. “Art and education are inseparable. They are like the left and right eyes; closing one, would disturb vision. Both chisel an individual's mind and soul. I have not achieved anything yet. There is a lot more to look forward to. I am happy with my family and work."

She has indeed lived up to the exceptional legacy she inherited, and it will be no wonder when future generations look up to her and her outstanding accomplishments.

AN ABSOLUTE TEAM SPIRIT

I love working with my team; there is Sureshwar, the creative director who has also been a theatre artist for two decades and has acted in over 125 movies as a child artist; Roopesh, the operations and creative coordinator, who is a fantastic choreographer and other members giving their complete support to our mission.

MAHAM recently conducted a festival in October, 'Alapanai', which provided a platform for children to showcase their talent in folk and classical dances. They loved it. There is no competition and it only encourages one to be a good performer and a good rasika by watching others perform. The response of the event has been so overwhelming that we plan to make it an annual event.