‘Sundari teacher’ of Kalakshetra passes away

She joined the institution soon after her M.A. in 1950

Sundari or Sundari teacher to hundreds of students, who have passed through the portals of Kalakshetra, passed away at 3 a.m. on Thursday at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home in Chetpet in Chennai. She was 94. Her last rites were perfiormed n the evening.

She was the daughter of T. S. Neelakanta Sastri, a scholar who was in charge of the Theosophical Society (TS) in Adyar.

According to guru and Bharathanatyam dancer V.P. Dhananjayan, she joined as superintendent of studies at Kalakshetra after completing her M.A. in Political Science with distinction in 1950. “She did not marry as she chose to serve the TS and Kalakshetra where she taught English, History and Geography. She was born in the TS and did her schooling at the Besant Theosophical High School. She was associated with George Arundale, Annie Besant, Rukmini Devi Arundale and Sankara Menon,” he recalled.

Sundari teacher loved animals and used to take care of several cats and dogs in the house that her parents had livedin the TS. “For the past three years, she had been ill and had nobody to take care of her. We students then looked after her, but she needed medical carePreetha Reddy of Apollo Hospitals was kind enough to put her in a private home where she was given very good care,” he said.

Dancer P.T. Narendran, who attended the funeral, said he remembered her as a very kind person. “I joined Kalakshetra when I was 12 but I did not have a place to stay. When she came to know that I was looking for a place, she immediately offered her home. I can never forget that” he said. Pakkala Ramadas, principal, Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts attended the funeral.

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