Retired judge makes Bharatanatyam debut at 71 before Guruvayurappan

THRISSUR: At the age of 71, a retired judge made his Bharatanatyam debut before Lord Guruvayurappan at the Guruvayur temple. Mohandas, a native of Kuthiathode in Cherthala, had served as a Family Court judge and acting chairman of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission. He turned to dance after retirement.

After moving to Vennala in Ernakulam in 2024, Mohandas joined Dr Chandrika Sundaresan's Hasta School of Dance to stay fit. After noticing that he was comfortable with the required movements and expressions, Chandrika Sundaresan encouraged him to learn the dance seriously and persuaded him to make his stage debut. Months of training followed. On Saturday, he performed for 27 minutes along with other dancers at Guruvayur.

Years ago, Mohandas had also gained attention by presenting a devotional music programme at Guruvayur. He is also a regular singer at programmes organised by the Bar Association and other events.

The son of P N Purushothaman and Bhasurangi of Pottaparambil in Cherthala, Mohandas began his official career as a Munsiff in 1988. He later served as Thrissur Sub Judge, Deputy Registrar of the Lokayukta, District Judge and officer in charge of the High Court Legal Services Authority, among other positions. His wife, Sherly Karthikeyan, is a retired bank employee and the daughter of former MLA and former SN Trust Secretary P S Karthikeyan. Their daughter Arya and son Akhil are software engineers.

Judges extend their wishes

Judges were among those who came to witness Mohandas’s debut. Former Supreme Court Justices Kurian Joseph and K N Joseph called him over the phone and congratulated him.

Eventful official career

Mohandas had also attracted attention through several notable interventions during his official career. He had made headlines by stating that there were lapses on the part of the police in the custodial death of Sreejith of Varappuzha and that the charge of murder could be sustained. While serving on the Family Court bench, he resolved the divorce cases of actors Dileep and Manju Warrier, and Mukesh and Saritha.