Giving life to the arts
One man proves that you’re never too old for the arts.
IT WAS a night of music and celebration at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Hall (now known as Matic) sometime in the late 1950s. Singing voices reverberated through the hall. Among the voices were that of Hamzah Dolmat, Kamariah Noor, and one Mathavan Velayuthan.
Mathavan took to the stage to sing Tan Sri P. Ramlee’s Joget Pahang because one of the joget singers did not turn up. As he reached the chorus, he heard a voice behind him – a voice he thought he recognised. He noticed that the others on stage were nodding and gesturing at the person behind him.
“I turned around and there was P. Ramlee singing the chorus,” Mathavan, 79, recalled. “I got frightened! But he just patted my back and said ‘Carry on,’ and gave me the thumbs-up.
“After it was over, he asked me where I had learned to sing Malay songs because my pronunciation was very good. He said no one would know I’m Indian if they had heard me on the radio without seeing me in person.”
That, said Mathavan, was the beginning of his friendship with the late singer, composer and filmmaker, the greatest talent Malaysia has ever known.
“Datuk S.M. Salim also encouraged me to sing dondang sayang and asli songs,” said Mathavan. “He also introduced me to keroncong. I love these classical songs. I used to take part in dondang sayang programmes on TV and radio.”
Mathavan is a man in love with culture. A retired schoolteacher, he tirelessly teaches Indian classical dance today at the Temple of Fine Arts in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. He has lived a colourful life, peopled by such music luminaries as Hamzah, Kamariah, S.M. Salim and P. Ramlee. Despite his age, he is active and healthy, and being a dancer, has great posture.
“I love culture, and that’s why I’m still teaching,” said Mathavan. “I want to keep on teaching because only by teaching others can we preserve culture and not let it die.”
His life in the arts started during his childhood in Klang, Selangor, where he grew up in a Glenmarie estate and then lived with an uncle in the Klang hospital quarters. He said he was always chosen to sing lead whenever there was a school concert.
A pivotal moment in his childhood was when he was chosen to sing lead for Subhash Chandra Bose, the famous leader from India, when he visited Malaysia.
“I was not nervous because it was a new exciting experience for me,” said Mathavan. “After the performance was over, he came and tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘Very good, very good.’ Everyone else also praised me, and that gave me great encouragement.”
He joined the Klang Indian Orchestra in 1953, and had the chance to sing Tamil songs on radio. Later, there was a variety radio programme called Kalapadam, and Mathavan had the opportunity to sing a Malay song for Bulan Bahasa.
Mathavan became a school teacher in 1951 and taught English in vernacular schools. But when he was 18, he had taken lessons
in Bharatanatyam. He also tried to learn Indian classical music but had a hard time finding good and dedicated teachers.
“My teacher V.K. Sivadas introduced me to his orchestra, and I was given a chance to sing for the dancers,” Mathavan recalled. “Sivadas’s father-in-law, G.R. Kurup, encouraged me to take up Indian classical music. He recognised that I had some talent.”
In the 1960s, Mathavan went to India to learn folk dances, and his experiences there opened his eyes to Indian culture. He also learned various Malay dances under one “Cikgu Manaf” from the Culture Ministry.
Mathavan said he had started dancing even before he took formal lessons. He used to watch a movie in the cinema a few times and memorised the dance steps so that he could perform confidently on stage.
In 1958, when he was just 24, Mathavan started to teach dance, sometimes helping his teacher with his classes. He mastered the Bharatanatyam when he was 28. All the while, he was also fully committed to his day job as an English teacher.
“I always made sure I did my job properly,” said Mathavan proudly. “When I was teaching, I used to plan so many things. And at the end of the year, when we had Parents’ Day celebrations, I would produce shows and teach the children a variety of dances.”
In January 1989, Mathavan retired as a schoolteacher, and joined the Temple of Fine Arts as a dance instructor. And he has pretty much stuck to his daily schedule to this day.
He leaves his house in Klang at 9am and heads for the Temple of Fine Arts where he teaches dance, helps out with administrative work and even takes care of the cafeteria. He only goes home at 11pm.
Mathavan hardly has time to perform dances or songs these days, and only sings devotional songs at the temple whenever he can. It helps that his wife also enjoys the arts and can understand his commitment to his job.
So what is his secret to keeping fit and active?
“My mind and soul are all in culture. I don’t involve myself in unnecessary activities. I always think of culture, and what I can teach the children tomorrow. Even in school, I used to prepare the lessons and apparatus for that. I love to teach,” came Mathavan’s swift reply.