West Bengal Government Establishes A Fund To Support The Study Of An Adivasi Bharatanatyam Student In Kasaragod
Governor of West Bengal C. V. Ananda Bose has stepped in to support Sachu Satheesh (13), an Adivasi student whose triumphs and struggles were documented by Onmanorama, education, and classical dance lessons.
Bose secured funding to enroll Sachu in the Swathi Thirunal Trust dance academy in Tripunithura, Ernakulam, operated by renowned dancer, choreographer, and guru Jolly Mathew.
Bose, a retired IAS official from the Kerala cadre, began working in government in Kanhangad.
The announcement was made on February 20 in Kanhangad at a private event where the Governor served as the special visitor.
On December 24, Onmanorama described how Sachu’s grandma Vellachi, aunt Lakshmi, and mother Bindu were straining to see Sachu perform Bharatanatyam at the state school fest. From the Mala Vettuvan community, he may have been the first Bharatanatyam dancer to appear at the State School Festival.
The Governor was alerted to the story in December by a Chennai-based classical dancer-actor, and he decided to assist the family.
On February 20, when Bose visited Kasaragod, he felicitated Sachu and his mother Bindu, and asked them to a private event. The emcee stated that the souvenir presented to Bindu, a single mother, was a gift on behalf of the Raj Bhavan of West Bengal.
Naresh C Chetan, the CEO of Coimbatore-based Zaveri Bros Diamonds & Gold, consented to support Sachu’s education at the Governor’s request.
Sachu won first place in the traditional dance categories of Bharatanatyam, Kerala Nadanam, and Nadodi Nritham at the Kasaragod District School Competition in December, earning a spot in the State School Kalolsavam.
At the state competition, Sachu received top A marks in Kerala Nadanam and Nadodi Nritham in addition to a B in Bharatanatyam.
The dancer-actor who made the anonymous appeal to the governor on Sachu’s behalf claimed that she would be guiding the young man and providing for his mother Bindu.
Since third grade, Sachu has been studying Bharatanatyam. On February 14, he finally gave his long-awaited premiere performance of Arangettam at the Mookambika Temple in Kollur, Karnataka.
For the Arangettam, Bindu obtained a loan from a private investor for Rs 72,932. She will have two years to repay the debt by giving the business Rs. 1,150 a week. In other words, the business is charging her an interest rate on the loan that is greater than 25%.
That’s not all, though. For the school festival, she needed to collect Rs 13,000 for Sachu’s Bharatanatyam training, Rs 25,000 for Kerala Nadanam, and Rs 15,000 for Nadodi Nritham.
Bindu and Vellachi claimed they were not going insane as a result of the family’s mounting debt. Onmanorama heard Sachu say he wished to learn the violin. But because they lack the funds to pay for his instruction, the three mothers rejected the notion.
News Mania Desk
