Jayashree Rajeev with Manju Warrier. Photo: ManoramaKannur: U.V. Manju and Jayashree, whose extraordinary talents blossomed first at school arts festivals, bumped into each other recently after a gap of twenty-five years.
With the passage of time, their career trajectory took different directions as U.V. Manju became Manju Warrier and made a mark in the Malayalam film industry, while Jayashree became Jayashree Rajeev and conquered great heights in the world of Carnatic music. The meeting reflected the camaraderie and friendship between the two who once vied with each other for glory as budding school students.
The gifted Jayashree hit the headlines in 1991 when she secured the 'Kalathilakam' title at the Kannur district school arts festival, pushing Manju behind. Manju had already been a crowd-puller at arts festival venues, and it was her second prize that became the hotter topic of discussion among art lovers than Jayashree's upset victory.
The stars of school art festival ran into each other after over two-and-a-half decades by pure chance during a dance program held in Kannur recently. Manju did not hide her surprise when she met the person who once stole the limelight from her and left her in tears. When Jayashree told her that she pursued a career in music after studies and is a professional singer now, Manju paused for a second, traveling back to their school days, and said earnestly: "I had always felt that singing was your forte."
Recalling the memories of the school festivals that marked the beginning of what was going to be a promising journey in the cultural arena, both of them were excited to know that Kannur will be hosting this year's state school kalolsavam.
Manju became 'Kalathilakam' at the State School Arts Festival in 1992. But it was Jayashree who clinched the title at the district-level competition by garnering eleven more points than Manju. While Jayashree excelled in both music and dance events, Manju concentrated only on dance items.
After a gap of three years, Manju repeated her feat in 1995 by winning the second state-level 'Kalathilakam' title. She entered the film industry on the back of her achievements at school youth festivals, and could never meet Jayashree again.
Though the involvement of teachers and parents had flared up competitive spirit among them, the duo never had any enmity towards each other. “Because those were simpler times, and as kids, our feelings and emotions were not too complex,” they said laughingly.
Jayashree, who is employed with the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, as a Subject Matter Analyst, is one of the acclaimed Carnatic singers in Kerala at present.
"My husband M.A. Rajeev Kumar is my biggest source of support," Jayashree, who has reached large audiences in India and abroad with her virtuoso performances, said.
