Sailaja Chaudhary Tummala is the head of Sri Kuchipudi Natyalaya, an institute devoted to Kuchipudi Dance. She has mastered the performance of one the oldest Indian dance forms. She founded the SKN academy in the Greater Boston area to promote awareness of this ancient dance form. Sailaja recieved her master’s degree in Kuchipudi Dance Performance from Telugu University in Hyderabad. She has been dancing under the blessed guidance of Guru Padma Shri Shoba Naidu from the age of fifteen, but began learning at the age of eight. She recieved  a Natya Visharad Degree from the Kuchipudi Art Academy. During her long years of rigorous dance training, she has performed in India, USA and UK where she received awards such as the Singar Mani from the Sur Singer Samsad of Bombay.

Sailaja is a devoted teacher and a talented performer and has composed, performed and directed numerous dance dramas. Her personal moto: “Dance for Cause”  has driven her to organize dance shows to raise funds for charity. She received the prestigious Community Service award from Telugu Association of greater Boston.

Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a Kuchipudi dancer?

Originally, my mother urged me to learn Kuchipudi because she had never been able to realize her own dream when she was young. When I was six years old, she took me to classes and I was relatively successful, executing the correct movements and performing at the age of seven. But until I saw my guru Dr. Shobha Naidu perform, I wasn’t passionate about dancing. I was mesmerized by her performance. That’s when I really decided to pursue dance as my career. Following the performance, at the age of sixteen, I decided to move to Hyderabad to learn from Padmasri Dr. Shoba Naidu, traveling and performing with her.

What distinguishes Kuchipudi from other classical dance forms?

Kuchipudi shares many similarities with other dance forms as they all derive from the Natya Shastra, but I would say that Kuchipudi has evolved from being solely drama to the solo style. This makes Kuchipudi highly versatile in its ability to be performed as a solo, a group, and as a drama. Kuchipudi was also historically used as a medium for social change, and it is the meaningfulness, versatility and natural movement style of Kuchipudi that really draws me to the dance form.

What was the greatest moment of your being a teacher?

I feel that dance is not only a dance form, but a lifestyle, so my greatest moments are when I hear that students who left for college are still practicing there. Often when they come home, they drive straight to dance class and this is incredibly satisfying to me. When I see their desire to make sure dance stays in their lives that shows me that I’ve succeeded as a teacher.   

What was your motivation to create “Tripaadi Ganga?”

Being sentimental, I felt drawn to Tripaadi Ganga in particular for this event because of the way river Ganga absorbs streams into her. To me, this is symbolic of what the OM Hindu Community Center is trying to do, by uniting our community, just as Ganga unifies all rivers. I was also extremely captivated by the concept of the drama as well as the brilliant characterization and music. It is immensely complex, which makes it a very challenging piece to perform. It is an honor and a pleasure to be able to actualize it on stage.

Could you describe the piece for us?

Tripaadi Ganga is a beautifully choreographed dance drama about three personality traits depicted in Ganga. It is essentially three stories which depict the river Ganga as a Nayika (heroine), with three specific characteristics. The various emotions expressed in the narrative of the ballet are crafted to represent the three forms of the Nayikas. It is composed and produced by Guru Sri Pasumarthi Ramalinga Sastry.

Why did you decided to use it to support the Om Hindu Community Center?

As the mother of two daughters born in the U.S, I see firsthand the necessity for cultural unity. I believe that a community center will be able to provide a place for our community to come together as a family, and for the kids to learn about, know and love their heritage.

Any special message for the community?

I request that everyone come and watch “Tripaadi Ganga” on Dec 5th at Collins Center for the Performing Arts in Andover, MA. It will be a show worth remembering. I would also request everyone to donate generously to help build the OM Hindu Community Center, as it represents an incredibly fruitful investment: the future of the next generations.

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