Kevin D. Carignan 
When he was only known as Kanaka Raju, the dance master threw caution to the wind. He approached Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, gently touched her arms and suggested she dance with him. It was in the 80’s.
Indira Gandhi accepted with a smile and joined in the steps as Raju performed the tribal dance. It was a spontaneous ‘act of bravery’ on Raju’s part, as asking the prime minister to dance with the troupe was not part of the program or protocol. For Raju, the moment and the emotion counted and not the protocol. The fact that Indira Gandhi readily agreed to join him is something that stuck in Raju’s memory.
Is he brave? While there in the forests as a young man, Raju held a stick and improvised on known dance steps and came up with more moves for the Gussadi dance that his tribe performed. Raju who learned the dance at the age of 12 was running away when one of the elders noticed his unusual experiences.
The 80-year-old man with rhythm in his body never imagined that he would get the Padma Shri award in 2021. what happens there,” said Kanaka Raju. He wants to start a small academy in his village of Marlavai in Jainoor mandal of Kumuram Bheem Asifabad.
Life has changed drastically for Kanaka Raju. He led a peaceful life. Then he was informed of the Padma Shri. Raju literally panicked.
His question was, “What is Padma Shri?” The villagers, who had eyed him warily when officials came to inquire about him, were also informed that he had been awarded the Padma award. They didn’t know what it was either. It wasn’t until the officials started coming to see him that Raju became a celebrity. “I was then known as Gussadi Kanaka Raju,” he recalls.
CM K Chandrasekhar Rao had announced a cash reward of Rs 1 crore for Kanaka Raju. “It’s a good thing for someone who has never chased money. He can now fulfill his dream of establishing the dance training center,” said his assistant Venkatesh.
Kanaka Raju cannot forget that it was IAS officer Madavi Tukaram, from the Gond community, who encouraged him to teach. Turakam is no more but Raju cannot forget the role he played in her life.
Indira Gandhi accepted with a smile and joined in the steps as Raju performed the tribal dance. It was a spontaneous ‘act of bravery’ on Raju’s part, as asking the prime minister to dance with the troupe was not part of the program or protocol. For Raju, the moment and the emotion counted and not the protocol. The fact that Indira Gandhi readily agreed to join him is something that stuck in Raju’s memory.
Is he brave? While there in the forests as a young man, Raju held a stick and improvised on known dance steps and came up with more moves for the Gussadi dance that his tribe performed. Raju who learned the dance at the age of 12 was running away when one of the elders noticed his unusual experiences.
The 80-year-old man with rhythm in his body never imagined that he would get the Padma Shri award in 2021. what happens there,” said Kanaka Raju. He wants to start a small academy in his village of Marlavai in Jainoor mandal of Kumuram Bheem Asifabad.
Life has changed drastically for Kanaka Raju. He led a peaceful life. Then he was informed of the Padma Shri. Raju literally panicked.
His question was, “What is Padma Shri?” The villagers, who had eyed him warily when officials came to inquire about him, were also informed that he had been awarded the Padma award. They didn’t know what it was either. It wasn’t until the officials started coming to see him that Raju became a celebrity. “I was then known as Gussadi Kanaka Raju,” he recalls.
CM K Chandrasekhar Rao had announced a cash reward of Rs 1 crore for Kanaka Raju. “It’s a good thing for someone who has never chased money. He can now fulfill his dream of establishing the dance training center,” said his assistant Venkatesh.
Kanaka Raju cannot forget that it was IAS officer Madavi Tukaram, from the Gond community, who encouraged him to teach. Turakam is no more but Raju cannot forget the role he played in her life.
