Article - Education in Spiritual Values through Bharatanatyam - Part XIV - (ii) Maxims of teaching and training of margam - Chandra Anand

{This article is based on the identification of the use of the simple device of Maxims of methodical teaching for giving training in dance. It is seen that the use of “maxims of methodical teaching” [1] help organize and grade teaching matter according to the age, background and psychological make-up of the students to be taught. The judicious and ingenious use of these maxims also helps expedite the teaching-learning process of the students in the academic curriculum.
The researcher has attempted to expose the use of these maxims in giving training or teaching Bharatanatyam by using as a model the curriculum design of Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharatanatya Kala Mandir (the Alma Mater of the researcher, therefore the progression of lessons is as learnt by the researcher then). The researcher has been fortunate to learn under all the gurus of the institution and observe their teaching methods at close quarters; particularly of Late Guru G. Karunambal, the co-founder of the institution Sri Rajarajeshwari Kala Mandir, Mumbai, who taught at the Chembur branch. There, with her, the researcher has worked as trainee, assistant teacher and teacher for nine years. By observing and analyzing her mentor’s teaching methods as a trainee, the researcher attempts to document the commonly used teaching methods of Bharatanatyam as per the list of maxims of methodical teaching. It has to be mentioned that Guru Karunambal Pillai, has always humbly maintained that she was emulating the methods applied by her father, the legendary Guru Kuppiah Pillai, to train the students in this dance form. The approach to theoretical part is the researcher’s work keeping in mind the exam oriented hobby classes.}

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