It is with some trepidation that I approach VAK Ranga Rao for an interview. He is variously described as a walking encyclopaedia, great collector of music records and showbiz books, authoritative dance critic who learnt Bharatanatyam from icons, linguist, documenter of film information, connoisseur of music — both classical and film — and a treasure trove of information in this regard, advisor to research scholars, respected essayist, and an engaging, witty speaker.
All this would compel admiration and I do admire him. My apprehension stems from his other reputation. He is also known as an unsparing critic who can, and does, instantly identify mistakes in the works of best-known scholars and artistes. As I begin the interview, I wonder — have I done enough homework, will he pick holes in my questions?
However, he immediately allays my fears with a disarming smile, "I am not as notorious as people make me out to be. I am just a stickler for facts."
We get to talking about his collection of records. He has a staggering 52,000 gramophone records (78 rpm variety) in about 35 languages, Indian and foreign — India's largest such collection. These include film, classical and folk music, besides speeches of famous leaders, theatre recordings, etc. Gramophone records were regularly played at home during his childhood — the interest was born then.
Tracing roots
Ranga Rao was born in Madras in 1939 into the erstwhile royal family of Bobbili of Andhra Pradesh. As a child, he saw the dance of devadasi Gaddibhukta Sitaram and was enchanted. "It was she who stimulated my interest in classical dance." Later, he learnt Bharatanaytam under doyens like Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai, devadasi Saride Lakshminarasamma, Kalanidhi Narayanan, etc.
Yet, he also appreciates good film dance: "Chikubuku Raile is a much-loved song; and Helen and Bhagwan, favourite dancers. I also appreciate the aesthetic dances of L Vijayalakshmi, Jyotilakshmi and Jayamalini."
Ranga Rao is also widely regarded as a pioneer of scholarly study of cinema dance.
His inspiration and inputs have come from eclectic sources. "Classical dancers, famous and obscure ones, devadasis, court dancers and film dancers have all contributed to what I know of the art," he says.
He has, however, rarely performed onstage. "I only danced on a public stage about five times of which two were for lec-dems. Maybe it was my destiny, or the words uttered in blessing by dance icon Bangalore Nagarathnamma, when she came to visit my mother who was then pregnant with me. She said I would 'make my name with music' (in other words, not 'in' music or dance)."
Among his literary gurus are Malladi Ramakrishna Sastri and Dr Arudra. He has written extensively on music and dance. Currently, he is engaged in researching the Dashavatara Compositions of Tallapaka poets like Annamacharya. He also guides research scholars and wannabe authors.
Constructive criticism
When we ask him about his unforgiving attitude to factual lapses, he replies, "Facts are sacrosanct. You can like or dislike a person's work as opinions are subjective, but you cannot disagree with facts about him/her or distort them to suit you." He has frequently pointed out their respective mistakes to scholars, authors, journalists and leading publishing houses; corrected the pronunciation of famous musicians; and pointed out errors in mudras and abhinaya of well-known dancers.
This comes as much from his depth of knowledge and courage of conviction as from a burning zeal to see that distorted versions are not passed on to the next generation. So it is constructive criticism. "I am in love with these art forms and so committed to them that for their sake I will not hesitate to step on the toes of even people who have taught me, helped me grow, and in many ways, set an example for me."
He observes, "Many famous artistes, especially actors, tend to talk glibly and often mislead you into wrong assumptions which flatter them. For example, they say 'I went to so and so college or to learn from so and so famous guru' without adding that they soon dropped out, misleading the interviewer to conclude they acquired a degree from there or were trained by that guru.
Sometimes, artistes make wrong statements because their own memories are unclear or they themselves received wrong information from teachers or elders. Sometimes, a writer is unsure, so he makes vague, ambivalent statements.
Which is why so many newspaper articles, history books and biographies contain errors. Interviewers, researchers and authors have a bounden duty to check facts from all possible sources."
However, some people regard his meticulousness as unnecessary hairsplitting and believe that he likes offending others. But Ranga Rao is unfazed. "My crusade for factual accuracy will continue."
He is honest enough to apply the same yardstick to himself: "I am as quick to admit my own mistake when pointed out by others." He is also known for his self-deprecating humour.
Ranga Rao says openly, "I may be knowledgeable, to some extent, but I am not educated. I don't even have a college degree." He adds that he has much more to learn. "But I am only 73, so there is plenty of time," he laughs.