Dharavath Rajkumar, popularly known as Perini Rajkumar, who has successfully conducted ‘101-day Perini odyssey’ across the 31 districts of the State, has come up with the idea of Perini Utsavalu, which will culminate in the Grand Perini Carnival. With the support from Mamidi Harikrishna, Director, Department of Language and Culture, Telangana State, the dancer, along with his senior students, proposes to set up Perini workshops for three to four months in every district simultaneously, and train 1,000 people per district to build the Perini army.
“I want to spread the art form in the State first and then across the country,” he says. Giving details on the Perini items to be taught, Rajkumar says it is Melaprapti, Tahanam, Samayati, Damuruka, Vinayaka gadya, Brahma gadya and Pushpanjali. “Incidentally, this forms the first year diploma course of Perini also,” says Rajkumar. The first batch of 1,001 students will showcase Perini at the World Telugu Conference scheduled to take place in Hyderabad in October 2017.
Perini Rajkumar bid adieu to his job in Malaysia and returned to his homeland to popularise Perini in the newly-born state of Telangana in 2015. He was handpicked by Nataraja Ramakrishna, after he shone at a 40-day Perini camp conducted at Pothana Vignan Peetham, Warangal, in 2004. “I had the opportunity of staying with Guru Nataraja Ramakrishna garu for six months in the guru-shishya parampara. Our day would begin at 4.30 am with karra samu. He would explain things so simply and vividly,” recalls Rajkumar.
Hailing from Suryapet, Rajkumar was born to folk artistes Narasimha and Sakkubai. Rajkumar initially learnt Andhra Natyam at Suryapet under Guru Afzal Pasha and graduated with a diploma in dance. He even opened a dance school in Suryapet and began teaching Perini and Andhra Natyam. “Even today, I teach both dance forms. In Perini, there is Tandavam- a fierce dance with war frenzy and Lasyam – which is mainly abhinaya,” says Rajkumar.
When an opportunity came his way in 2011 to teach dance in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, Rajkumar jumped at it. What began as class in contemporary, semi-classical, and Bollywood dance, allowed Rajkumar to teach pure classical dance form to over 100 members who expressed their desire to learn the dance form, for a period of four years. He takes time off every year to visit places for refresher and advanced classes, though regular classes are being conducted by his students there now. He has tried his hand in films Nagavalli and Maryada Ramanna as an assistant.
Rajkumar began his 101-day odyssey from Suryapet on September 19, 2016. “I exhibited Perini at government schools and colleges in all the 31 districts of the State. On some days, there were four shows per day,” he shares. During the Dasara and Bathukamma vacations, Rajkumar exhibited the dance form in temples and main areas of Gram Panchayats.
Decorating an autorickshaw as a ‘Perini Ratham’, Rajkumar, along with his driver-cum-cameraman Ravi, and assistant Jani, also a Perini artiste, has toured the districts . “When we drove into the districts, this rathamimmediately drew the locals’ attention,” he says. When he reached Warangal for a performance, Rajkumar became emotional. “This is the place where I first learnt the Perini techniques and which also happens to be Perini’s birthplace. Perini flourished during the reign of Emperors Ganapati Deva, Rudrama Devi and Prataparudra of Kakatiya Dynasty from 10th to the 13th Century AD,” he says.
Donning the make-up from 9 am to 5.30 pm was not an easy task, but when you love something, you would go to any extent to reach the lakshya. “Performing Perini was a different level. It was an energy given by the Almighty to share my knowledge,” says Rajkumar. Curtains came down on the 101-day show at Satya Sai Vidyalaya, Erragada, Hyderabad, on December 28, 2016, with the State Government honouring him on January 8, 2017.
To popularise Perini, Rajkumar performs one free show per month and is ready to teach free, provided there are a sizeable number of enthusiastic learners.