Shivamoni Nathan, the then Tourism Director, who knew the Dhananjayans from their Kalakshetra days, brought a lot of tourists to their thatched roof school. Bharata Kalanajali�s reputation grew from this exposure.

The initial performances consisted of programs at conferences, wedding receptions, hotels and special shows for tourists, which were financially lucrative. They staged many programs for tourists at Hotel Ashoka.

For the Dhananjayans, Natya was important because it was a significant approach enabling the foreigners to witness a Bharatanaatyam recital, which every one of them included as a part of their trip to south India. This provided the tourists with opportunity to see good classical performances outside the tourist season. In turn, this program presented performance opportunities for every student in turns. With a little explanation given for the items, the one-hour aesthetic presentation combining classical and folk forms became a huge success. Other hotels followed suit with their own versions.

The purists criticized the Dhananjayans for performing at hotels and weddings. His argument was, if M S Subbalaksmi could sing at weddings, there was no harm in the Dhananjayans dancing at weddings

�Hotel or wedding receptions make up for the loss one suffers from sabha performances. Commercial institutions should patronize the artistes more and should present cultural programs in an authentic and aesthetic manner; not to the background of the clattering of forks and spoons or during cocktails. This is demeaning the artiste.�

�Professionalism encourages creative expansion of one�s art. �Art for art�s sake� is a slogan often repeated and has no meaning in the present day context. If one has to be serious, and devote time and energy it should be a profession.�

Reviews

Except for Narada Gana Sabha, the local conservative sabhas could not identify themselves with the new work of the Dhananjayans and offered neither programs nor encouragement. The sabha break came in 1973 when Mr. Krishnaswamy of Narada Gana Sabha, presented the duo at the Music Academy. (The sabha did not have its own auditorium then). This invitation continued steadily year after year, till one day, the Krishna Gana Sabha also followed suit.

The Dhananjayans� fame had spread because of their aesthetic presentations for tourists and delegations apart from other recitals, not because of their sabha programs. So, when Dhananjayan was awarded the Nritya Choodamani by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha on December 17, 1983, he publicly stated, that he had not been made an artist by the sabhas who patronized only the rich who could offer donations. He was criticized strongly by critic Subuddu in Indian Express as �unbecoming speech� and �indecorous attack�!

When the Sabhas felt the solo was losing its appeal, they started encouraging dance dramas. The Dhananjayans wanted to perform solos but were asked to present group productions! Other than Kalakshetra, only Bharata Kalanjali was presenting group productions at that time. Moreover, Kalakshetra productions did not leave their campus. So, the Bharata Kalanjali troupe was invited to present dance dramas during the festival season and received favourable reviews. In fact, in one instance, V A K Ranga Rao wrote in the Indian Express that Bharata Kalanjali�s dance drama was better than Kalakshetra�s, a remark that became the talk of Kalakshetra!

V A K Ranga Rao was their most stringent critic, who without mincing words, pointed out the plus and minus points of their presentations. Receiving that criticism with an open mind evoked mutual respect between them. As Dhananjayan says,
�Those who criticize are better friends�.

Recalling the many encounters with critic Subbudu gets Dhananjayan smiling.
�Despite Subbudu�s continued criticism, I retained my calm, never chiding Subbudu for his caustic comments. Others had not reacted like this and Subbudu had been even roughed up or sued by irate performers, a fact that in no way dimmed his sharp observations! I somehow felt I was being tested!! There developed a healthy respect between us over the years, but when it came to the press, I still got blasted. One fine day, I received a letter from Subbudu stating, �I have never seen an artist who has neither been touched by praise nor stung by criticism. So I want to give you a title �Sthitha Pragnyaha� (steady and unwavering).�

That steadiness and unwavering faith in his art is what has made Dhananjayan and Shanta one of the most celebrated performers and teachers in the world today.