" Teaching is the best way of adding to one’s own understanding of the art form. It is a great education. Shanta and I are learning all the time while teaching."

For the Dhananjayans, dance is inseparably fused with religion, culture, and social life, almost every aspect of their personalities. At the core of their personal philosophies are their experiences at Kalakshetra, which, more than anything, shaped their lives.

Irrespective of caste, creed, religion or economic conditions, the Dhananjayans impart their art to their students without any reservations. Their school Bharata Kalanjali is a veritable citadel of art where pupils are taught with parental care and affection.

Like Tagore said, a disciplined fire will illuminate the room, but an undisciplined flame can destroy. The Dhananjayans try to impart to their students, whatever values and discipline they learnt in Kalakshetra. With great care, they have created the ambience in which a multi - faceted education is imparted.

Aesthetics
- The spacious classrooms are aesthetically designed with wall hangings and dance photographs, something on the lines of Kalakshetra. The available open space has been filled with plants and other greenery, creating a tranquil, pleasant atmosphere for learning. There’s even a beautiful tank with lilies. That’s why many people refer to Bharata Kalanjali as a “Mini Kalakshetra”.

Imparting Values & inculcating basics
- Since education without character is like a body without a head, character moulding plays a very important part of the training at Bharata Kalanjali. The students are taught the same values that the Dhananjayans learnt at Kalakshetra - to be neat and disciplined, observe road rules, be hygienic, respect nature, be proud of one’s country and culture, all those things that will make them good citizens.

- Dance is a comprehensive study of human values and knowledge. Dance is an amalgamation of music, science, mathematics, environmental science, and total discipline of body, mental as well as spiritual. In Bharata Kalanjali, dance is not taught as an exclusive subject. The gurus go into details of objects in nature, the behavioural characteristics as well as anatomy of animals, in short, lessons about nature. Over a period, this inculcates a love of nature and awareness of the environment in the students.

- Dance items and their meanings are explained with meticulous attention to details. When an item is about Krishna, general stories about Krishna or excerpts from the Mahaabhaaratha are narrated, according to the situation. The Ganesha stories are embellished with details about elephants, how they walk, behave, eat, their characteristics. Everything is taught in a story form, so children find it interesting and thereby retain the knowledge better. That’s how an ambience has been created, so even a child who comes to Bharata Kalanjali learns certain values in life.

- Dance lessons include the science of botany. For example, many children have never even seen a lotus, a common flower in dance items, so they are taught basic botany.

- Dance is full of Mathematics and calculations and these are also taught with relevance to dance. One needs to be good in Mathematics, to make a good dancer.

Nature, science and mathematics are extensions of dance education at Bharata Kalanjali.

Language
- Language being such an important element in dance, the Dhananjayans stress the importance of knowledge of the mother tongue. This aids in better understanding of not only dance, but the culture as well. They want the present generation to have the same advantages as they did in their formative years. Having basic education in one’s mother tongue has many advantages. A great literary knowledge is not necessary but a little interest helps students go deeper into a subject matter and makes them better dancers.

That’s why, from the beginning, the Dhananjayans have always insisted that the students talk in Tamizh, the local language.

Though the government took up this issue very late, he had been advocating even as early as 1965 that the mother tongue Tamizh should be medium of instruction till the 5th standard. He has even published articles about it in The Hindu, The Indian Express and some Tamizh newspapers.

Beliefs, tradition and values
- The students have complete freedom in their beliefs because the Dhananjayans strongly maintain that there is no religion higher than truth. They are quick to point out that though Bharatanaatyam is usually associated with Hinduism, it is not necessarily a Hindu art form and full appreciation can come only to those who are fully aware of its spiritual base.

- Rukmini Devi was very particular in retaining Indian traditions and aesthetic values in Kalakshetra. In Bharata Kalanjali where students of various faiths come to learn, wearing a bindi on the forehead is a must for girl students to be worn for class as well as on stage. As a part of dance, as well as a part of growing up, the students are taught the significance of wearing a bindi, not as a mark of religious significance, but as a part of makeup. Ultimately it becomes a part of their lives.

Students visiting Bharata Kalanjali after many years have thanked their gurus for inculcating the basic values and traditions in them even at that early age. Not only are they able to appreciate all that education at an older age, they are also able to speak about it lucidly. The motto is to give them values, let them take whatever they want and enhance it in whatever way they wish to.

- There is stress on punctuality, to adhere to timings and schedules. Bharata Kalanjali has the reputation of starting every single program on time, whether there is a VIP coming or not. Many VIPs have appreciated this punctuality.

Observing such discipline helps the students not only in daily life, but also in careers of their choice. It enhances the opinion that Bharata Kalanjali is like a mini Kalakshetra. Some even feel they have come to a shrine, because there is a small shrine where the lamp is lit before the start of a class.

Dance is for everybody
- Those students who cannot afford fees are given free tuition. Children from orphanages, with no earlier dance training, have been taught dance at Bharata Kalanjali. The Dhananjayans feel that dance as a medium properly imparted to them, will definitely inculcate good values in them. No disparity is shown despite differences in economic status and all students are treated alike. Many such economically backward but talented students have become dancers and dance teachers. They are now making a good living and are scattered all over the world.

- The Dhananjayans also take handicapped students who can use dance to gain grace or strength, maybe even correct a deficiency.