september 2017 new · contents editorial team 04 editor’s note 05 cultural bulletin 06 torch...

P 2 | SEPTEMBER 2017

ContentsEditorial Team 04

Editor’s Note 05

Cultural Bulletin 06

Torch Bearers 10

Volume 2, Issue 3 | September 2017


Reviews 39'Suvarna Nalanda':An Indian ClassicalExtravaganza

Reports 44

Scholarly Corner 52Bharatanatyam:The Past,Present and Future

Frozen in Time 57

Kindled Spirits 58

Tributes 60

Special SupplementDeacades of BrillianceGuru Saroja Vaidyanathanand Ganesa Natyalaya

In Sight 82

Classifieds 83

Beacons of Light 24‘Panchalakshanas’are mandatory forany learner:Sanjib Bhattacharya

Dance Runs in my Veins:Ranjana Gauhar

Cover Story 14Tourism a Boon for theCountryCoastal Tourism

Beyond Borders 30New Jersey audienceenthralled by ‘Dancingwith Krishna’

36th Annual Battery DanceFestival

Rays of Hope 36Jyothi Reddy:Age is just a Number

Editorial‘The Dance India’- a monthly culturalmagazine in English is our humbleattempt to capture the spirit and cultureof art in all its diversity.

"If the art is poor, the nation is sick."

Editor-in-ChiefBR Vikram Kumar

Executive EditorPaul Spurgeon Nicodemus

Associate EditorRMK Sharma

Sub EditorD Praveena

Editorial AdvisorB Ratan Raju

Contributions byPadma Shri Sunil Kothari

Cultural Critic

Avinash PasrichaPhotographer

Administration ManagerKV Lakshmi

Circulation ManagerV Srinivas

Communications InchargeK Bhanoji Rao

Articles may be submitted for possiblepublication in the magazine in the followingmanner.

• Send in your articles [email protected] include your full name, contactinformation (address and telephonenumber) and a short bio data.

• Articles are published in the magazine onlyon the condition that the author agrees tothe terms of the Copyright Statement andPolicy

Regd. Office: Trivikram Publications,D.No. 50-01-50/1, ASR Nagar, Seethammadhara,Visakhapatnam - 530 013, A.P.Tel: 0891-2525656

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressedby the various writers in the articles andreviews do not necessarily reflect the opinions,beliefs and viewpoints of the editorial team orofficial policies of The Dance India.

All rights reserved. © September 2017 -The contents published in The Dance Indiamagazine are an exclusive copyright ofTrivikram Publications. No part of the magazinemay be reproduced in whole or part withoutthe written consent of Trivikram Publications.

All disputes are subject to the exclusivejurisdiction of competent courts inVisakhapatnam only.

Edited, Published and Owned byBathina Ranga Vikram Kumar,Mobile No. +91-9848137445, on behalf ofTrivikram Publications fromD.No. 50-01-50/1, ASR Nagar,Seethammadhara,Dist. Visakhapatnam - 530 013, A.P. and

Printed by K. Ram Naidu, Vizag Art Printers,D.No. 30-5-21, Krishna Gardens, Dabagardens,Visakhapatnam - 530 020, A.P.

Editor: Bathina Ranga Vikram Kumar

Coordinators(News, Advertisements &Subscriptions)Sai Venkatesh Karnataka

Kashmira Trivedi Maharashtra

Alaknanda Noida

Lakshmi Thomas Chennai

Gayathri Gopi Vellore

Parinithi Gopal Sagar

PSB NambiarSooryavamsham Kerala

GV Chari New Delhi

Dr. Kshithija BarveGoa and Kolhapur

Technical Advise and Graphic DesignFollow us on

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BR Vikram KumarEditor-in-Chief

Edit

or’s

Not

e

We have numerous reservations in thecountry for castes, ex-servicemen, poorand women, but none for those whoserve in the field of art and culture. Theyare not eligible for any reservations. Wehave numerous art forms and lakhs ofartists who have dedicated their lives tothe cause of Indian art and culture.There are thousands of tribal folk,traditional art and classical art formsthat still go without proper support.

The Union ministry of culture is in-charge of preservation and promotion ofart and culture. It has many grants insupport of Indian art and culture but

those in need never receive them. Most artists have settledin Delhi and those with influence enjoy benefits from theministry and its associated bodies. Several crores of rupeeshave been given to these artists in the form of buildinggrants, production grants, salary grants and others. But thetribal folk and traditional art forms across the country aregravely neglected. Practitioners and custodians of this richheritage have been begging in the streets to keep these artforms alive for posterity. Some of them have been earning byworking as daily wage labourers. Is this how we honour ourIndian art and culture? No, it should not be so.

We have witnessed many development programmes andstunning decisions taken by the government under theleadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but there is nosecurity for an artist in India. There is no health policy,retirement scheme, permanent profession, properprogramme remuneration or food and travel allowance forartistes in our country. If this system continues, then soon wewill forget Indian cultural heritage.

Swachh Bharat has been the mantra for the last severalyears but only when we have our 'Sanskar' we will achieve'Swacchata'. Able commissions and radical reformations inthe cultural bodies are a need of the hour. The presentgovernment should think positively and aim for 'SamskrutikBharat'.

Jai Hind!

BR Vikram KumarBR Vikram KumarBR Vikram KumarBR Vikram KumarBR Vikram Kumar


Cultural ExtravaganzaCelebrates the Spirit of NewIndia Movement

'Sankalp Parva- Sankalp Se Siddhi' (Attainment

through Resolve), a Sankalp Sandhya

organised by the ministry of culture at Indira

Gandhi Kala Kendra Auditorium in Noida, celebrated

the spirit of New India Movement. Dr Mahesh Sharma,

minister of state (independent charge) for culture and

tourism was the chief guest of the function. He

administered the New India Pledge to the participants.

The ministry of culture so far has organised two

Sankalp Parva in Coimbatore on August 12, 2017 and

New Delhi on August 16, 2017. The ministry plans to

celebrate 'Sankalp Se Siddhi' in different destinations

throughout the country such as Ahmedabad & Bhuj,

Bangalore & Mysore, Varanasi & Allahabad, Shillong

& Aizwal, Agartala & Kohima, Dharamshala & Shimla,

Kolkata & Shantiniketan and

Puducherry & Chennai.

The Delhi-festivalThe Delhi-festivalThe Delhi-festivalThe Delhi-festivalThe Delhi-festival

included the following-included the following-included the following-included the following-included the following-

On August 9 an exhibition on

Quit India Movement and

Azad Hind Fauj-

75thAnniversary (1942-2017)

was launched at the National

Archives. An exhibition on

the Freedom Movement that includes Nandlal Bose's

famous Haripura Panels was held at the National

Gallery of Modern Art from August 17 to 31. The

resolve of 'Sankalp se Siddhi' resonated through

'Natya Sangeet' rendered by students from the

National School of Drama on the Red Fort lawns on

August 22. A 'Sankalp Wall' was set up at the National

Museum on August 14. A 'Sankalp Sandhya' was also

organised at Noida on August 17. The Sandhya was

an amalgamation of different visual and performing art

forms, highlighting the need for attainment through

resolve, 'Sankalp se Siddhi'.

Exhibition on"Indian Historical Monumentsin Company Painting School"Begins in National Museum

The additional secretary, ministry of culture, Sujata

Prasad inaugurated an exhibition "Indian Historical The


Source : PIB

CULTURAL BULLETIN


monuments in Company Painting School" in Ajanta

Hall, National Museum, New Delhi. The exhibition

presents illustrated paintings on Indo-Islamic

monuments with scenes of Mughal architectures

made with photo realistic approach.

The National Museum took a new initiative on a "Small

Temporary Exhibition" from its reserve collection. The

exhibition was based on several themes to attract a

large number of visitors every fortnight. Through such

programme, National Museum is trying to draw

visitor's attention and allows them to experience the

collection on many significant art pieces of reserve

storage, which generally remains out of focus.

The temporary exhibition is formulated to display a

variety of objects for six months.

Dr Mahesh SharmaInaugurated Exhibition 'QuitIndia' and 'Azad Hind Fauj

On the occasion of 75th anniversary of the Quit India

Movement and the Azad Hind Fauj, Dr. Mahesh

Sharma, minister of state (I/C) for culture and tourism

inaugurated an exhibition "Quit India and Azad Hind

Fauj - 75th Anniversary (1942-2017)" in the National

Archives of India, Janpath, New Delhi.

The exhibition is based on public records, private

papers, photographs, newspaper reports and

proscribed literature banned by the British

Government which came out during the last phase of

the freedom movement. Some of the original papers

are on display in this exhibition.

need of the hour is not 'Do or Die', instead, to resolve,

to come together, persevere and work relentlessly for

making a new India.

Ministry's Updates

The minister of state (independent charge) for ministry

of culture Dr Mahesh Sharma in his written reply to the

House in Rajya Sabha has given updates regarding

various developmental activities by his ministry. This

included Polythene Free Zones near Protected

Monuments, Problems faced by ASI in Protecting

Monuments and Sites, Tagore National Fellowship for

Cultural Research and Introduction of Cultural Talent

Discovery Scheme.

Polythene Free Zones nearProtected Monuments

Dr Sharma has recommended a prohibition on the

use of polythene. Archaeological Survey of India has

declared all ASI protected Monuments and

Archaeological Sites as 'Polythene Free Zone'. All the

field offices of ASI have been directed for necessary

compliance. In this regard secretary (culture) has also

issued a D.O. letter to all the chief secretaries of states

to elicit their active cooperation for making centrally

protected monuments as polythene free zone.

All the states and UT's

have been directed to

issue necessary direction

to local municipal bodies

and concerned

departments to keep the

area 300 metres from the

boundary of a protected

monument as a polythene

free zone.

Tagore National Fellowship forCultural Research

Jawaharlal Nehru University (School of Art &

Aesthetics) is the only participating institution under

the "Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research"

Scheme. It is situated in New Delhi.

This fellowship does not relate to students and covers

academicians, scholars and artists of repute. The

selection of fellows/scholars under Tagore National

Fellowship for Cultural Research for the financial year

2016-17 is under process.

Introduction of CulturalTalent Discovery Scheme

The government has launched a scheme namely

'National Mission on Cultural Mapping and Roadmap'

on March 29, 2017 with the main objectives of talent

hunt as well as a collection of a database of artists,

artisans and various art forms across the country.

The objective of the mission is not only to collect the

database of artists, artisans and various art forms but

also to applaud new talent and protect all age group

of artists by organising activities under 'National

Cultural Awareness Programme' from Block level to

National level.


She is a staunch believer who says, "Dance is beyond

the physical… it is a spiritual connection between

you and your God. As a dancer you are carrying

within you a great light, a great treasure, perhaps the very

kingdom of God, in your performance. For a dancer, the

mind, body and soul must always be aligned at all times."

Talking exclusively to The Dance India, Ranjana said she was

passionate about dancing from the beginning. Seeing this,

her parents allowed her to learn Kathak at the age of 6 years

and she continued it till she was 16 years. She was always

fascinated by the dance and used to get self-invited to see

programmes. However, realising and recognising the

importance of Odissi and her unknown soulful attachment to

the dance form, Ranjana started learning Odissi from the

early twenties. The more she learnt, her fascination, attraction

and attachment towards the dance grew.

Born and brought-up in Indraprastha (Delhi - the then

Kingdom capital in Dwaparyug and now the country

capital in Kalyug), Ranjana parallelly learnt many

other arts.

Revealing her contribution in the field of arts,

Gauhar said all her productions were being

documented to ensure that they are

passed on to the next generation. She has

done some projects on Doordarshan and

it was dedicated to some stalwarts of the

field. Her performances were telecast in all

national channels of Doordarshan. Apart

from this, they were highly appreciated

across the world at many national and

international festivals.

Ranjana has also produced documentaries

for various government departments,

agencies and other institutions. Odissi

Chandrika, Saundarya Lahari - a 5-episode

serial, based on "Sri Geet Govindam" of the

12th Century poet Jaidev, Nectar in Stone - a

film depicting the cultural relations of India

with Vietnam and Cambodia through ancient

Hindu Temples, The Celestial Dancer in the

Temple of Jagannath and Manas Mandir,

Prerna and Nupur are some of them.

She says contemporisation of classical

dances to some extent is acceptable but one

should not try to change the basics. If an

individual feels contemporising is the only

solution for existing or experimenting or


innovating, it is better to leave it and move out of

it. "I never moved out of tradition while

composing, choreographing or producing.

Though they are my brainchild, composing any

item only with music without literature (Sahitya) is

meaningless," she says.

Replying to a question, which side of the stage

she loves more and prefers to be, Ranjana,

diplomatically said, "I love, performing, stage

and audience but at the same time youngsters

have to be given a chance."

On being asked her opinion about others who

keep changing their gurus, she said teachers are

not meant to be changed unless any compulsion

arises. "I never changed my guru because I felt

nothing short in my guru. He was wealthy and

rich in all angles viz-a-viz compositions, poetry

etc. He was an architect."

Moving a step forward, Ranjana with an

objective to preserve, promote and propagate

India's vast performing arts has established

Utsav Educational & Cultural Society in 1987. It

endeavours to generate awareness of arts by

organising annual festivals, music seminars,

workshops, lecture demonstrations in educational

institutions and other places. 'Utsav' through its artists

have made an impact at prestigious festivals held in the

country and abroad for its high standards of

excellence in performance. The same has been highly

appreciated as well.

The cultural ambassador of India, Ranjana Gauhar, with

her art of Odissi dance has performed in many

prestigious international festivals at Berlin, West

Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Serbia, Cyprus,

Kuwait, Switzerland, Tunisia, Yugoslavia, Japan,

Holland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Croatia,

Mauritius, China, Singapore, Philippines, Egypt,

Cambodia, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Africa, South

Korea apart from Latin American countries like

Colombia, Panama, Mexico etc. She produced and

directed a number of ballets depicting modern and

mythological themes. She authored a book called

"Odissi - The Dance Divine".

One of the foremost exponents in the world of Indian

Classical Dance, renowned Odissi dancer and multi-

dimensional personality Ranjana Gauhar, whose

interests also include theatre, painting, choreography,

has been honoured with one of the highest civilian

award 'Padma Shree' in 2003 for her longstanding

services in the field of arts (Odissi Dance). She is also

the recipient of the National Sangeet Natak Akademi

Award from the then President of India, Pratibha Devi


Ranjana Gauhar receiving Padma Award from theRanjana Gauhar receiving Padma Award from theRanjana Gauhar receiving Padma Award from theRanjana Gauhar receiving Padma Award from theRanjana Gauhar receiving Padma Award from thePresident of India DrPresident of India DrPresident of India DrPresident of India DrPresident of India Dr. APJ. APJ. APJ. APJ. APJ. Abdul K. Abdul K. Abdul K. Abdul K. Abdul Kalam.alam.alam.alam.alam.

Ranjana Gauhar receiving "Mahari"Ranjana Gauhar receiving "Mahari"Ranjana Gauhar receiving "Mahari"Ranjana Gauhar receiving "Mahari"Ranjana Gauhar receiving "Mahari"Award from the dignitaries.Award from the dignitaries.Award from the dignitaries.Award from the dignitaries.Award from the dignitaries.

Ranjana Gauhar receiving National Sangeet NatakaRanjana Gauhar receiving National Sangeet NatakaRanjana Gauhar receiving National Sangeet NatakaRanjana Gauhar receiving National Sangeet NatakaRanjana Gauhar receiving National Sangeet NatakaAcademy Award from The President of India Pratibha DeviAcademy Award from The President of India Pratibha DeviAcademy Award from The President of India Pratibha DeviAcademy Award from The President of India Pratibha DeviAcademy Award from The President of India Pratibha Devi

Singh Pati l.Singh Pati l.Singh Pati l.Singh Pati l.Singh Pati l.

Singh Patil, in 2007, Senior Fellowship for her

research in the temple tradition of Odissi dance by

the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Indira

Gandhi Priyadarshini Award, Mahari Award and

much more.

Despite all the above feathers in her crown, she had

to fight against all odds, as her parents were never

in favour of making dance a career and there was

no support at all from anybody including her guru.

Yet Ranjana boldly paved her own path and stood

as a strong pillar (Sthupam). "Dancing was passion

at that age and question of career did not arise. My

family was never in favour of dance," she says. In

her own way, she once again proved the Urdu

saying by Ameer Khusro "Khud Ko Kar Itna Buland

Ki, Takdeer Likhne Se Pehle, Khuda Bande Se

Pooche, Ke Bol Teri Razaa Kya Hai". With

dedication, hard work, sincerity and positive

attitude, everything is possible. Even after such

esteemed achievements, Ranjana is simple,

humble and down to earth and says, "Whatever I

am doing is to take my guru's legacy forward as

guru dakshina." This has not only made her a

doyen of art, but also an icon, a 'Torch Bearer'.


The World Tourism Day came into existence to

raise awareness on the role of tourism within theinternational community and to demonstrate how

it affects social, cultural, political and economic valuesworldwide. The United Nations World Tourism

Organization celebrated the first World Tourism Day onSeptember 27, 1980. The Statutes of UNWTO were

adopted and it was considered a milestone in globaltourism.

Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi, a Nigerian national, was theone who proposed the idea of marking September 27

of every year as World Tourism Day. He was recognizedfor his contribution in 2009.

Accordingly to Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, WorldTourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism is today the

3rd largest export industry in the world after chemicalsand fuels. It brings hope, prosperity and understanding

to so many lives and livelihoods all over the world.

The question that he puts forward as we celebrate WorldTourism Day 2017, is how we can enable this powerful

global transformative force to contribute to make thisworld a better place and to advance sustainable

development.

The UN General Assembly declared "Sustainable

Tourism - a Tool for Development" as the theme for 2017.

Tourism in IndiaTourism in India is economically essential and is growingrapidly. The country with its development and reasonable

ground transport infrastructure, scores high on naturaland cultural resources. There are a lot of factors that

make India a sort after destination for tourists from all


Vittala TVittala TVittala TVittala TVittala Temple, Hampiemple, Hampiemple, Hampiemple, Hampiemple, Hampi

over the world. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, India ishome for some of the picturesque landscapes and

undulating terrains - be it the mighty Himalayas in thenorth, alluvial Sundarbans delta in the east, marshy Rann

of Kutch in the west or quaint backwaters of Kerala inthe south. It is the seventh-largest country by area and

the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billionpeople. Geographically, it is bound by the Indian Ocean

on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest and theBay of Bengal on the southeast.

Indian cultural history spans over thousands of years. Itis believed that the foundations of Hindu philosophy,

mythology, theology and literature were laid during theVedic period and even today many beliefs and practices

such as dhárma, kárma, yóga, and mok?a, still exist. Itserved as a knowledge hub. Historians often cite the

spice trade between India and Europe as the primarycatalyst for Europe's Age of Discovery. The country is

remarkable for its religious diversity, with Hinduism,Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism

among the nation's major religions and with this diversitycomes various cultural and religious practices spread

across the country. It is an amalgamation of thousandsof distinct and unique cultures of all religions and

communities. It is also a land of numerous sites withGeo heritage tag. Every feature in Indian sub continent

makes it a perfect destination for both foreign anddomestic tourism.

Indian languages, religions, dance, music, architecture,food, and customs differ from place to place within the

country and they have been influenced by a history thatis thousands of years old. Many elements of India's

diverse cultures, such as Indian religions, Indian

philosophy and Indian cuisine, have had a profoundimpact on the world. Most of the Indian festivals are

religious in origin - Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Thai Pongal,Holi, Durga Puja, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Christmas, and

Vaisakhi are some of the important ones.

India's coastline measures more than seven thousandkilometres in length including the Andaman, Nicobar,

and Lakshadweep island chains where by creatingplenty of opportunities in diversified areas, which also

include tourism. Coastal cities and towns have beencentres of attractions for tourists. Major rivers that

substantially flow through India like the Ganges, theBrahmaputra drain into the Bay of Bengal and the

Narmada and the Tapti drain into the Arabian Sea. Thesewater bodies are of great significance and played a

pivotal role in shaping communities and clusters ofpeople in the country.

Arts and architecture have always been a part of thecultural fabric. Thanks to thousands of years of Indian

history and invaders from other countries who ruledIndia, much of Indian architecture, including the Taj Mahal,

other works of Mughal architecture, and South Indianarchitecture, composites ancient local traditions with

imported styles. Performing arts create that immersingexperience that tourists and travellers would cherish.

Indian music ranges over various traditions and regionalstyles. Classical music encompasses two genres and

their folk offshoots: the northern Hindustani and southernCarnatic schools. Indian dance also features diverse


Port BlairPort BlairPort BlairPort BlairPort Blair

Fatehput, SikiriFatehput, SikiriFatehput, SikiriFatehput, SikiriFatehput, Sikiri

folk and classical forms. Among the better-known folkdances are the Bhangra of Punjab, the Bihu of Assam,

the Chhau of Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand,Garba and Dandiya of Gujarat, Ghoomar of Rajasthan,

and the Lavani of Maharashtra. Classical dance formslike Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathak, Kathakali,

Mohiniatam, Sattriya and Manipuri have made theirpresence felt across the globe. Theatre in India has been

a combination of music, dance and dialogue oftenbased on Hindu mythology, but also borrowing from

medieval romances or social and political events, Indiantheatre includes the Bhavai of Gujarat, the Jatra of West

Bengal, the Nautanki and Ramlila of North India, Tamashaof Maharashtra, Burrakatha of Andhra Pradesh,

Terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and the Yakshagana ofKarnataka.

Agra, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Goa, New Delhi,Manali, Shimla, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Rishikesh, Kolkata,

Jodhpur, Varanasi, Mysore, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad,Darjeeling, Munnar, Jim Corbett National Park, Port Blair,

Pushkar, Khajuraho Group of Monuments, Dharamsala,Pune, Alappuzha, Madikeri, Gangtok, Kodaikanal,

Haridwar, Nainital, Ellora Caves, Hampi, Ahmedabad,Fatehpuri Sikri, Chandigarh, Bikaner, Kanha Tiger

Reserve, Mussoorie, Havelock Island, Amritsar,Pondicherry, Madurai, Pangong Tso, Mount Abu,

Thiruvananthapuram, Periyar National Park among manyothers are some of the frequently visited tourist spots in

India.

The Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency for the

formulation of national policies and programs and forthe coordination of activities of various Central

Government Agencies, State Governments/UTs and thePrivate Sector for the development and promotion of

tourism in the country.


Udaipur (City of Lakes)Udaipur (City of Lakes)Udaipur (City of Lakes)Udaipur (City of Lakes)Udaipur (City of Lakes)

Bangalore PalaceBangalore PalaceBangalore PalaceBangalore PalaceBangalore Palace Golden TGolden TGolden TGolden TGolden Temple Amritsaremple Amritsaremple Amritsaremple Amritsaremple Amritsar

A Case Study ofBay CitiesText: Challapilli NikithaChallapilli NikithaChallapilli NikithaChallapilli NikithaChallapilli Nikitha

Coastal tourism is one of the chiefeconomic and social phenomena in the

recent years. Andhra Pradesh is situatedin the southern peninsula of India and has a

coastline stretching 974 km. It is well known for itssocial, economic and industrial expansion. Coastal

Andhra comprises nine districts -- Srikakulam,Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari,

West Godavari, Krishna, Prakasam, Guntur andNellore. The opulence of these districts can be

ascribed to various portions of its rich agriculturallands, abundant water supply, fisheries, climatic

conditions, etc.

Considering the case study of Visakhapatnam

which is one of the bay cities, we come to knowabout various aspects of the tourism concerns,

geological conditions, efficient functioning of the

developmental departments, upcoming strategies to

improve the present day tourism movements. This cityhas burgeoned into a bustling port and an industrial hub

on the east coast of India. Let it be any bay city itsscenic beauty, geographical conditions, natural marine

resources, climatic change and tourism plays a vitalrole to take its finest form. Visakhapatnam, the city of

destiny, has numerous tourism spot like the Dolphin'snose which figures a rock heading into the sea with a

superlative natural harbour. The geographic location ofthis city provides copious opportunities to trade and

witness enormous economic growth which in returngenerates commercial advantages. Cities which adjoin


Aerial View of TAerial View of TAerial View of TAerial View of TAerial View of Tenneti Penneti Penneti Penneti Penneti Park at Vizagark at Vizagark at Vizagark at Vizagark at Vizag

long beaches and tourist spots where it can be an idealplace to live and work. Hill stations can also be found at

these Bay cities. Undoubtedly, they are a part of Indiannational heritage and culture. Taking Visakhapatnam as

an example, we can find Buddhists monasteries whichthrow light on Buddhist culture, practices, various

institutions of ancient Buddhist period and theirarchitecture. We can also find the naturally formed caves

which are popularly known as Borra caves. These takeus to the geological study of ancient India and the natural

formations. The list goes on with many tourist places inVisakhapatnam.

These tourism departments headed by the governmentbodies' play a crucial role in preserving the cultural and

heritage aspects of the location. They have beenworking efficiently for the upliftment of the economic

status. They are in a way creating convenience to the

the sea can have excellent means of water transportationfor trading purposes or travel. With abundant natural

resources in its hinterland, well-developed means ofexports and imports, extraction of fossil fuels along with

other available mineral resources from the sea, oilrefineries, shipping services, fishing activities it can even

become the commercial capital of the state.

Performing all the above activities can create an

employment for the public and can even pave its pathto public-private partnerships. Adequate business

ventures can take its form by collaborating with otherinternational firms in the midst of exchanging goods.

Communal harmony can also be promoted withsustainable relations. Coming to the most important

phase of coastal cities, tourism has been advancingfrom time to time. These tourist places exert a pull on

people who like to explore every part of nature. Forexample, few tourists' places in Visakhapatnam like the

Port, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Kailasagiri, BeachRoad, Rushikonda, Thotlakonda, Bavikonda, the

Submarine, Victory at Sea, Vuda, Tenneti Park, centersof pilgrimage for spiritual tourism and many other scenic

places would contribute in income generation. One canfind other private entities who participate in economic

development like the Rama Naidu studios, IT SEZ,private universities, etc. The pleasant climate of the city

would benefit to create effective learning centres in theform of educational institutions. It can extend to

establishment of many star hotels, recreational facilities,


One of the Buddhist sites in Bay City

TTTTTrain entering one of the tunnels in KK l inerain entering one of the tunnels in KK l inerain entering one of the tunnels in KK l inerain entering one of the tunnels in KK l inerain entering one of the tunnels in KK l ineon Visakhapatnam -Araku Rai l Routeon Visakhapatnam -Araku Rai l Routeon Visakhapatnam -Araku Rai l Routeon Visakhapatnam -Araku Rai l Routeon Visakhapatnam -Araku Rai l Route

public to visit many popular tourist places and in returncreating income resulting in an increase in GDP. We

have few wetlands in Andhra Pradesh consisting ofmarshes or swamps or simply saturated land. In coastal

Andhra, we have two major lakes, i.e. Kolleru andPulicat. Kolleru is a natural sweet water lake located in

West Godavari district and also a wildlife sanctuaryand nominated as a wetland of international

importance under the Internat ional RamsarConvention. Another famous attraction of the south

India is the Pulicat, which is the largest salt-water lakein the country located in Nellore which spreads

between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Here, riverGodavari splits into several distributaries like the

Gouthami, Vashista, Vainatheya and VruddhaGouthami before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Therefore, these wetlands are also a part of touristattractions in the state where people flock to visit.


It is a known fact that India is a land of diversity. Here,

everything is visitor-friendly. Consequently, every partof the country comprises varied traditions, culture,

religion, heritage and rituals. These are all factors whichare like long-lasting attractions for the tourists. The

inclusion of scientific practices like Yoga and Ayurvedacan take its form into natural health resorts in a way to

fascinate tourists. Local handicrafts, especially jewellerymade out of seashells, etc. can captivate many foreign

tourists. It has been proved according to a survey thatmost of the money is spent on shopping by the tourists.

Therefore, this can be an added advantage of convertingit into an income generation venture. Domestic tourism

is another outline which has a sustainable growth. CoastalTourism can be an effective instrument in poverty

mitigation, employment generation and sustainabledevelopment. It has got a great impact in shaping the

society in terms of social, economic, political andstructural form. Foreign exchange kitty will also swell in

the process as tourism has become the second largestnet foreign exchange earner for the country.

Therefore, tourism in coastal cities has got relevantimportance in building the state and then the nation. Few

implementations in the ministry of tourism can bring avast difference economically. Qualitative services should

be rendered and comprehensive human resourcedevelopment programmes should be conducted for

personal orientation of an individual who would assistthe tourist. Moreover, an efficient and effective teamwork

should be developed with a common goal of progress.

“Borra Caves” in Araku Val ley area. “Borra Caves” in Araku Val ley area. “Borra Caves” in Araku Val ley area. “Borra Caves” in Araku Val ley area. “Borra Caves” in Araku Val ley area.

Aerial v iew of Beach Road in VizagAerial v iew of Beach Road in VizagAerial v iew of Beach Road in VizagAerial v iew of Beach Road in VizagAerial v iew of Beach Road in Vizag


such unique and antique site is Sri Kurmam in Srikakulam

district. It houses the temple of Lord Vishnu's Kurma

avatar (tortoise). This temple can be developed under

spiritual tourism.

Visakhapatnam city has tourist spots like Bavikonda (a

Buddhist heritage site with good archaeological

presence), Erra Matti Dibbalu (a natural beauty scenic

place) and Hotel Marina (an old-time hotel visited by

popular poets, lyrics, music composers, writers). The

hotel is believed to be a launchpad for cine stalwarts.

Telugu literature and film writer Srirangam Srinivasa Rao

popularly known as Sri-Sri and his nephew Bhagawatula

Aarudra were residents of the same area and used to

spend much time here. Apart from this famous music

director of Bollywood Madan Mohan made many of his

compositions in this hotel. In the same area lies three

places of worship atop three hills i.e. Temple of Lord

Venkateswara, Ishaq Madina Wali Dargah and Rose

Mary Church alongside rail, waterways and road. The

same can be developed as heritage/ secular tourism.

The government could also plan partnerships with

private hotels to develop infrastructure along the

coastline. Any form of development in the area would

generate direct and indirect employment to the people.

This can be applied in all coastal areas across the

country.

TTTTTourism means Fourism means Fourism means Fourism means Fourism means Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Food and Entertainment:ood and Entertainment:ood and Entertainment:ood and Entertainment:ood and Entertainment:

Sriramulu NaiduSriramulu NaiduSriramulu NaiduSriramulu NaiduSriramulu Naidu

Tourism means fun, food and entertainment for

enjoyment and relaxation and where ever these are

available, tourists get automatically attracted, said

regional director of Andhra Pradesh Tourism

Development Corporation (APTDC) Sriramulu Naidu.

The Scenario ofCoastal Tourismand its ScopeText: RMK SharmaRMK SharmaRMK SharmaRMK SharmaRMK Sharma

It is practically seen and proved phenomena that tourism

plays a big role in overall development of a country.

Tourism contributes in the exposure of a country. If a

coastline is available it is considered a boon for that

country. Realising the potential most countries have

started working on those guidelines and benefited with

very little availability of seacoast as well.

However in India, Andhra Pradesh and especially

Visakhapatnam not much development is seen on these

lines for various untold reasons. Instead, the government

is always seen focusing on industrialisation to attract

investments.

Some time ago, there came a sigh of relief and hope in

the form of a proposed six lanes coastal highway

connecting all the coastal cities, towns, villages etc.

starting from Ichchapuram in neighbouring Srikakulam

district to Nellore covering a stretch of almost one

thousand kilometres. But for unknown reasons, the

project has not progressed.

North coastal districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram

have ancient historical places near the coastline. One

Aerial v iew of Submarine MuseumAerial v iew of Submarine MuseumAerial v iew of Submarine MuseumAerial v iew of Submarine MuseumAerial v iew of Submarine Museum“INS Khurusura” near RK Beach, Vizag.“INS Khurusura” near RK Beach, Vizag.“INS Khurusura” near RK Beach, Vizag.“INS Khurusura” near RK Beach, Vizag.“INS Khurusura” near RK Beach, Vizag.

The Regional Director of Andhra Pradesh TThe Regional Director of Andhra Pradesh TThe Regional Director of Andhra Pradesh TThe Regional Director of Andhra Pradesh TThe Regional Director of Andhra Pradesh TourismourismourismourismourismDevelopment Corporat ion, Sriramula NaiduDevelopment Corporat ion, Sriramula NaiduDevelopment Corporat ion, Sriramula NaiduDevelopment Corporat ion, Sriramula NaiduDevelopment Corporat ion, Sriramula Naidu

Talking to The Dance India, Sriramulu Naidu clarified that

the government always wished to do a lot in the field of

tourism. However, to implement its plans, the

government has to clear hurdles related to culture,

acceptance and livelihood. The government has identified

various projects (zone-wise) and is implementing them

for overall development of tourism. Some of them are

Special Tourism Zone, Eco tourism, Coastal Corridor-

Sagarmala, Spiritual and temple tourism, Heli-tourism,

knowledge tourism, festivals etc.

Projects under DPR stageProjects under DPR stageProjects under DPR stageProjects under DPR stageProjects under DPR stage

n ex-naval officer and one of the experts in the field has

been appointed as a consultant for the feasibility study

of a suitable place on the beach road to install the INS

Viraat as a museum. A detailed project report (DPR) for

the same is under preparation which will be submitted

to the government for further action.

Land measuring minimum 500 acres has been identified

at 'Mulakuddu' on the seacoast near Bheemunipatnam

for setting up of Special Tourism Zone and developing

amenities related to hospitality and entertainment. The

DPR is under preparation.

With an idea to develop an eco-tourism, the government

has appointed IADC as a consultant to prepare DPR for

developing a project including several places of tourist

interest like Araku, said Naidu.

Projects at sanction stageProjects at sanction stageProjects at sanction stageProjects at sanction stageProjects at sanction stage

To develop knowledge-based tourism, a DPR has been

submitted to the government for developing Buddist

Tourism Circuit comprising different locations like

Saalihundram, Bojjannakonda, Bavikonda, Thotlakonda,

Nagarjuna Konda and Amaravati. The same is at the

sanctioning stage with Government of India.

Regarding the upcoming projects, Sriramulu informed

that a proposal has been submitted to the Government

of India for developing a Coastal Corridor under the

'Sagarmala' project. Under this project, jetties will be

set up at Kalingapatnam and Bheemili to accommodate

big cruise and to develop water sports.

He further informed that towards the development of

new destinations, Rs 5 crore has been sanctioned to

APTDC for constructing a resort at Lambasingi. Rs. 3

crore out of the total cost of the project Rs 20 crore was

sanctioned for resorts at Dallapalli. Sanction of Rs 2

crore was awarded for developing water sports (Marina)

at Mangamaripeta.

Projects at landing stageProjects at landing stageProjects at landing stageProjects at landing stageProjects at landing stage

Talking about the projects which are either progressing

towards completion or at the landing stage, the regional

director (RD) said that under the phased manner

expansion program of Rushikonda beach area,

construction of amenities like roads, toilets, stalls,

resorts, changing rooms, sitting area (phase-I) has been

completed and sanction for the proposed works for

execution in the second phase is awaited. Rs 1.5 crore

have been sanctioned for the development of beach

front at Yarada and the same is expected to be

completed by the end of this financial year.

Heli-tourism and aircraft museumHeli-tourism and aircraft museumHeli-tourism and aircraft museumHeli-tourism and aircraft museumHeli-tourism and aircraft museum

The RD further said that a memorandum of

understanding (MoU) has been signed between VUDA

and Pawan Hans for undertaking heli-tourism in Bay

City. All arrangements have been done at VUDA Park to


TTTTTourist Spot “Chaparai”ourist Spot “Chaparai”ourist Spot “Chaparai”ourist Spot “Chaparai”ourist Spot “Chaparai”in Visakhapatnam Dist.in Visakhapatnam Dist.in Visakhapatnam Dist.in Visakhapatnam Dist.in Visakhapatnam Dist.

operate "City Joy Ride" and the same is scheduled to

come into existence this month. An MoU has also been

signed by the VUDA with a Japanese company for

setting up of Sky Towers atop Kailasagiri Hills and the

same is in the active stage. Apart from these, an aircraft

museum with TU142 is getting executed at a cost of Rs

10 crore. Development has been done by the APTDC

and VUDA will take care of execution.

Fest ivalsFest ivalsFest ivalsFest ivalsFest ivals

The APTDC plans to organise monthly mega festivals in

Bay City to provide additional entertainment to the

tourists during the season starting from September to

February with an estimated cost of Rs 16 crore, apart

from organizing festivals in the hill stations. Elaborating

on this, Sriramulu Naidu said, "We like to start with 'Sounds

in the clouds of Vizag' in the month of September. This

festival is planned to identify hidden talent and to

promote the same through digitalisation. Under this

section creative works from the people, especially youth,

will be invited through given website. After scrutinising,

the shortlisted will be displayed and the meritorious will

be awarded. 'Fring Fest' will be organized in the month

of October. 'Sand Marathon' will take place in the month

of November."

Probably from this year, the month of December (at

least this calendar year) will witness two mega festivals.

For the first time in Bay City 'Yacht Pentagon' will be held

in December. It will be a three-day event organized on

the coast of Bay of Bengal between Bay City and Dutch

City (Bheemili). During this period tourists will stay

onboard yachts in the sea and arrive at the shore only

for lunch and dinner breaks. Apart from this as usual

Visakha Utsav will be organized in the city and Araku

Utsav at the hill station. 'Cooking Olympiad' will be

organized in the month of January.

On declassification of beachfront land from CRZ norms,

Sriramulu said if the proposed notification gets clearance

then there would be a good scope for development of

tourism at various places in the Bay City and

Bheemunipatnam. It will also encourage private players

to purchase land or take on lease to develop tourism.

APTDC is providing incentives to players for new

projects to increase the present room availability from

500 to 1000 in the hospitality sector in and around the

city. Some developers are Tejvivan, KSR Developers,

GS Bangarraju Resorts, GKR Constructions, Radisson,

Club Mahindra, Maha Hotels, he said.

The RD also said liberalisation in liquor policy would

attract international tourists. He also said that with more

number of shacks, more employment for the locals

could be generated.

Also, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation

(GVMC) has to play a vital role in earmarking the

appropriate areas and ensuring the cleanliness and

hygiene for overall development of the people, city, state

and nation, Sriramulu said.


Sri Kurmam TSri Kurmam TSri Kurmam TSri Kurmam TSri Kurmam Temple,emple,emple,emple,emple,Srikakulam Dist.Srikakulam Dist.Srikakulam Dist.Srikakulam Dist.Srikakulam Dist.

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'Panchalakshanas' (five qualities), as preached in

the Upanishads, are necessary for a learner,

says Manipuri dance exponent Sanjib

Bhattacharya. These are Kak-snanam meaning taking

shower or bath as fast as crow, Baka-dhyanam means

concentration, patience, attentiveness like a crane,

Swana-nidra means to sleep like a dog such that the

sound of a pin drop could awake you, Swalpa-haari

means taking light food and Girh-tyaagi means ready

to leave home in pursuit of knowledge.

In an exclusive to The Dance India, The Dance India, The Dance India, The Dance India, The Dance India, the President's

Awardee, Manipuri dance choreographer Sanjib

Bhattacharya said all these qualities are to ensure that

no time is wasted unnecessarily. Whoever follows the

above qualities strictly, would surely taste success and

reach great heights.

Sanjib Bhattacharya hails from a family with a cultural

background. His father was a doctor by profession but

also a multi-talented person. His mother was a

housewife but an artist. Even his siblings were artists.

Sanjib started learning classical dances at the age of 5

years. While watching his elder perform, he used to

advise them on dance. His first guru was his elder

sister Pratibha.

Noticing his interest in dance, Sanjib's parents

contacted Mamata Shankar, the daughter of Uday

Shankar who is known as the pioneer of contemporary

dance direction with a perfect blend of classical

dances. On her advice, he auditioned and got selected

as a fresher and joined Uday Shankar Gharana.

After completion of schooling in the early 80s, Sanjib's

journey as a professional artist (dancer) began. He

learnt a lot in all fields while doing a world tour and

performing at different places.

After having learnt three dance forms - Kathak,

Kathakali and Bharatanatyam from different teachers,

when he reached a blank and confusing phase in life

where he had to choose an art form as his career, it

was Manjushree Chaki Sircar who advised him to

choose Manipuri. He then joined Guru Bipin Singh in

1991 and established himself as a Manipuri artiste.

"Guruji has given life to me and guided me in building

my career. He was not only my guru; he was my father,

guide and role model. I learnt from Guruji and guru

Mata Kalavathi Devi", he says.

In 2000, he shifted to Delhi and since then Darshana

Jhaveri became his mentor. Initially, he joined the

school for a livelihood, but gradually he started

teaching and established an institute of his own. The

journey, however, was not a bed of roses. He started


as a solo performer and slowly gathered people and

setup a group.

At present, he is an established performer of great

repute having extensively performed across India and

abroad. He is not only performing as a solo artist but

also with eminent Gurus and icons of Indian classical

dances like Padma Vibhushan awardee Sonal

Mansingh, Padma Shri awardee Darshana Jhaveri,

Padma Shri awardee Ranjana Gauhar, Pratibha

Prahlad, Gopika Vermer, Sadanam Balakrishnan,

Parwati Dutta and other eminent gurus all over theP 26 | SEPTEMBER 2017

country and abroad. He runs several dance academies

and schools in India while conducting lecture

demonstrations and workshops regularly in India,

United Kingdom, Poland and the United States on

Manipuri dance.

Replying to a question, Sanjib clarified that maintaining

the basic tradition of Manipuri, he does change a bit of

presentation by contemporising the composition on

demand to make his piece more attractive. Finding a

source of income

is also important.

With thorough

knowledge on the

subject and good

grip on the taste of

the audience, he

knows which item

has to be

performed.

On why Manipuri

could not get its

due, Sanjib said the

dance form could

not be developed

for quite a long

time because the

initial Manipuri gurus were not well educated and did

not explore the world. They had weak communication

skills and were a bit conservative. They did not try to

come out of their place but with time and having learnt

from the past, the young generation picked up and

they are doing a better job. In future it would definitely

be on par with other classical forms, he affirmed. Guruji

was one of the first to do much work to develop

Manipuri dance. It was basically from West Bengal and

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu brought it to Manipur.

About taking the work of his guru forward, Sanjib said,

"I am trying to establish Guru Bipin Singh gharana in

Manipuri style to take the tradition forward. We follow

Vaishnav Shastra text, literature, oral version and co-

relating. Upgradation is must to suit the audience's

taste," he says. A lot is being done to develop the

traditional music of Manipur with local tribal

instruments. He started re-choreographing Manipuri

music. In fact, when Guru's last composition Teen-Tal

was composed he was one of the three people who

were present. His speciality is to take out solo pieces

from the original group-based Manipur dance.

When asked about his goal in life, Sanjib said that he

works for the blind, orphans, street children and want

to start an old

age home for

artists. His dream

project is to build

an auditorium.

He does

choreographic

productions,

lecture

demonstrations

and workshops

for different

organisations for

uplifting street

children, blind

children, children

in orphanages

and people in old age homes at Cleveland, USA; Delhi,

Gurgaon and Madhya Pradesh, India.

Major performances in IndiaMajor performances in IndiaMajor performances in IndiaMajor performances in IndiaMajor performances in India

Khajuraho Festival, Konark Festival, Vysakhi

Nrithyotsav (Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh) Indra-

Dhanush Festival, Uday Shankar Festival (Kolkata &

Jaipur), Swami Haridas Sammelan, Ghungroo Festival,

Swarna Nritya Pratibha (Chandigarh), Biswa Banga

Sammelan (Kolkata), Udayan Cultural Festival,

Kalaghora Festival, World Dance Week (Chennai),

Prayag Festival, Vrindavan Gobardhan Puja Festival,

ISKCON temples (Vrindavan, New Delhi, Gurgaon,

Punjab, Mumbai, United States, Canada, Poland), India

Habitat Centre (New Delhi), Sangeet Natak Academy

(New Delhi), Mumbai Doordarshan, IGNOU (NewP 27 | SEPTEMBER 2017

Delhi), Epicenter (Gurgaon), Homi Bhava Centre

(Mumbai), ONGC projects, DPS Dadri(UP), Indian

Festival (Lucknow), Spicmacay Festival (Mumbai), and

Pratibha Prahlad's production "Mahavidya"

(Chidambaram, Kumbha Konam, Nyelvelli and

Pondicherry), Kali Dasa Samaroh (Ujjain), Sharang

Deva Samaroh (Aurangabad), Kala Ghoda Festival

(Mumbai), National Centre For Performing Arts

(Mumbai) and many others.

Major Performances Abroad

Raas Utsav (Bangladesh), Rath Yatra Festival (Los

Angeles, USA), Manipuri Dance Vision (Los Angeles),

Festival of Helsinki (Finland), Festival of Indo-Polish

Collaboration (Poland), Kala Bharti (Montreal, Canada),

University of Pittsburgh (USA), Nandanik Dance

Academy (USA), Nritya Creations (USA), Duquesne

University (USA), and Natya Academy (USA), Natya

Academy (North Carolina), NABC (San Francisco),

NABC (Las Vegas), NABA (NY & New Jersey), Palace

(Bangkok). Apart from Performances and Workshops

in China, Japan, Mongolia, Thailand, Singapore,

Australia, Germany, Sweden, Philippines, Indonesia,

England and Scotland, the USA and many others.

Major Achievements

Sanjib got many achievements. Some are the Senior

Scholarship Award from the Department of Human

Resources Development of Ministry of Culture, for

three consecutive years from 1994 to 1997. Also,

Production Grant to create "Udhukhal Rass" for the

50th Anniversary Celebration of Indian Independence,

the award of Junior Fellowship for two years for the

project 'Tandava Lasya' from the same department

under the Ministry of Culture. Received Production

Grant from the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, New

Delhi, for his the Productions 'Jeevan Darpan' and

"Poonascha." He has been a regular performer in a

lead role with Padma Vibhushan awardee Sonal


Sanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from theSanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from theSanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from theSanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from theSanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from thePresident of India DrPresident of India DrPresident of India DrPresident of India DrPresident of India Dr. APJ Abdul K. APJ Abdul K. APJ Abdul K. APJ Abdul K. APJ Abdul Kalamalamalamalamalam

Sanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from theSanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from theSanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from theSanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from theSanjib Bhattacharya receiving awards from thePresident of India Prat ibha Devi Singh Pati lPresident of India Prat ibha Devi Singh Pati lPresident of India Prat ibha Devi Singh Pati lPresident of India Prat ibha Devi Singh Pati lPresident of India Prat ibha Devi Singh Pati l

Mansingh in her various productions like "Krishna,"

"Swaralayamadhuri," "Kumarsambhavam," "Nayika,"

etc.

Sanjib got selected as the Indian dance representative

for the prestigious Asia Pacific Cultural Exchange

programme organised and hosted by The University

of California at Los Angeles. Also, he was invited by

Kala Bharti (Montreal, Canada) for a two-month project

on 'How to develop Multiple Intelligence through Dance'

under the title "Dance and Child." He was also invited by

Viva Cultura Foundation (Poland) to conduct an

eighteen-city tour consisting of 50 performances and

40 workshops.

As part of International Artist Residency Programmes,

Sanjib was invited to perform in Asia Pacific Cultural

Exchange Program (APPEX) held at University of

California, Los Angeles, USA by World Dance

Department in 2006, Dance and Child Project at

Kalabharati in Montreal, Canada in 2006 and Creative

Fusion International artiste Residency Program,

Cleveland Foundation, Ohio, USA in 2012.

Educational Documentary Films

As part of Educational Documentaries, Sanjib, worked

in dance documentary based on Environmental Issues

at Pegasus Theatre in Oxford, England 1991. He

worked in dance documentary based on

Environmental Issues for Educational Archives,

IGNOU, Delhi, India 2010. He worked with NGOs in

both India and abroad.

He received special recognition awards from President

of India twice from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006 and

Pratibha Devi Singh Patil in 2011 for his outstanding

performances. He got trained under the tutelage of

revolutionist of Manipuri dance art form Guru Bipin

Singh, Kalavathi Devi, Padma Shri awardee Darshana

Jhaveri, Manjushree Chaki Sircar and Mamata Shankar.

Apart from these, Sanjib is the recipient of the Title

Award "Singarmoni" from Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai,

in 1997 and "Nartan Visharad" from Manipuri

Nartanalaya, Kolkata, in the year 1998.

He strongly feels that dancers and artists should try to

learn and appreciate each other. Cultivating such a

good feeling and strictly following the

'Panchalakshanas' have made Sanjib Bhattacharya a

beacon of light.


Sanjib Bhattacharya with the FormerSanjib Bhattacharya with the FormerSanjib Bhattacharya with the FormerSanjib Bhattacharya with the FormerSanjib Bhattacharya with the FormerPrime Minister DrPrime Minister DrPrime Minister DrPrime Minister DrPrime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Manmohan Singh. Manmohan Singh. Manmohan Singh. Manmohan Singh

Sanjib Bhattacharya with the President of IndiaSanj ib Bhattacharya with the President of IndiaSanj ib Bhattacharya with the President of IndiaSanj ib Bhattacharya with the President of IndiaSanj ib Bhattacharya with the President of IndiaDrDrDrDrDr. APJ Abdul K. APJ Abdul K. APJ Abdul K. APJ Abdul K. APJ Abdul Kalamalamalamalamalam

The community of East Windsor

was treated to a mesmerising

and colourful evening of Kathak,

Kuchipudi and Kalbeliya dance (a

Rajasthani dance performance). The

event, named "Dancing with Krishna" -

was presented by the non-profit

organization Nupur Zankar Foundation,

on July 22, 2017, at the Melvin H.

Kreps Middle School, East Windsor,

New Jersey -USA. It was the

foundation's first such event in East

Windsor. It was conceived and directed

by internationally renowned Kathak

dance exponent Shila Mehta who is the

founder and artistic director of Nupur

Zankar Foundation. The performances

included solo Kathak dance recital by

Shila Mehta. Graceful moments, subtle

expressions and sophisticated use of

rhythm were the attractive features of

Shila's dance.

Her two most talented disciples from

Belgium Maya Sapera and Aaricia

Ponnet stole the show with the

presentation of 'Kalbeliya' folk dance

and Kathak. The evening was enriched

with fantastic music support from Mike

Lushkis on tabla, Indrani Chakraborty


on vocal, Rohan Mishra on

sarangi and Tej Mehta on drum.

They enthralled the audience with

their powerful and energetic

rhythm. Another artist Swathi Atluri,

a Kuchipudi dancer, successfully

presented a dance drama

'Krishanaparijatham'. Anoop

Bhargav, a popular resident poet,

beautifully presented the whole evening. The evening

opened with an energetic and motivating welcome by

the Mayor of East Windsor Janice Mironov.

The Nupur Zankar Foundation's belief is that 'Art is a

bridge to connect to the self-discovery enriching the

values of life'. The organisation was

founded in 1983 in Kolkata, India as

a way to share the joy of Kathak

classical dance with those with no

exposure or appreciation for the

arts. In 1998, Nupur Zankar

relocated to Mumbai. Shila was

driven by a passion to spread

dance as an art form, even earning

the status of being on the Government of India's

prestigious panel of Indian Council for Cultural

Relations (ICCR).

Shila stated that the reason for the performance in East

Windsor was to bring more awareness and

appreciation to dance as art and educate people on its

benefits. She firmly believes that art is the backbone of

society. If one wants to see a healthy society, art cannot

be neglected. It is very important to create awareness

about dance as a form of education. It enhances the

quality of education if treated properly.

Being a resident of East Windsor, she feels it is her

responsibility to reach out to the local community and

introduce dance as a form of the art to them.


Battery Dance was thrilled to presentthe 36th Annual Battery DanceFestival in lower Manhattan from

August 13 - 19. The Festival featuredperformances by over 30 dancecompanies hailing from Belgium,


Botswana, Dominican Republic, India, Iraq,Spain and Sri Lanka; and various parts of theU.S. Audiences swelled to 1,500 each of the fivenights that were presented outdoors at WagnerPark in view of the Statue of Liberty. An overflowcrowd attended the final performance at

Schimmel Center in which the Belgian dance company,Bollylicious, entranced the audience in their Americandebut with their special take on Bollywood andRajasthani Kalbelia in between performances byBattery Dance of its refugee inspired work, "On Foot",and an exuberant song and dance performance by


Botswana'sMophato DanceTheatre in itsAmerican debut.Standoutperformances byChennai-basedBharatanatyamcouple Viraja andShyamjith Kiranopened the August15th IndependenceDay program thatis a 10-yeartradition of BatteryDance with itspartner the Indo-


American Arts Council under the banner of ErasingBorders Festival of Indian Dance. Sruthi Mohan(Mohiniyattam), Dimple Saikia (Sattriya, Anka Naat),Aakansha Maheshwari and Malini Taneja (RajasthaniFolk Dance), Kalamandir Dance (ContemporaryIndian), and Kalanidhi Dance (Kuchipudi) followed withstunningly crafted performances as the sun set overthe Harbor.


People have wishes in their hearts, but only a

few get fulfilled. If the same gets converted into

a desire then they can be achieved if we stay

focused and face continuous trials without giving up.

This was proved in the case of Kuchipudi dancer

Jyothi Reddy. In her childhood, she was inspired by

Sudha Chandran's semi classical multi-lingual movie

'Mayuri' and wanted to become a classical dancer.

Yamini Reddy. With the support of her husband and

mother, she pursued her dream of becoming a

classical dancer. She is the first person in her family to

learn Kuchipudi and perform on the stage. She

cultivated the interest in her daughter and both mother

and child started performing. She wishes to spread

this divine form through her performances in the world.

She made her Rangapravesam in 2016. Though it

Born in 1980 at Vajjavari Kandriga village of Chittoor

district in Andhra Pradesh, Jyothi Reddy is an

engineering graduate in software discipline from BITS

Pilani and a software engineer by profession. Bound

by the family and responsibilities, it is a rarity for a

woman to ever have her wish to be taken into

consideration. Following the same pattern, Jyothi got

married to Vikram Reddy and started a family and her

desire to learn dance got suppressed.

Later, things took a turn and Jyothi started learning

Kuchipudi from teacher

seems to be a simple and regular phenomenon, it was

a great challenge and hard task for a woman like Jyothi

to maintain a balance between family and professional

responsibility. Thanks to her passion, she could

execute it in a fine manner. Noticing her interest and

dedication towards the art, gurus Dr Raja Reddy and

Radha Reddy paid special attention to her. She was

awarded the title 'Natya Mayuri". In 2017 she got 'Natya

Tarangini' award from Natraj Music And Dance

Academy in' Natya Tarangani Festival' and other

awards in various dance festivals.

She wanted to make it a career. But

because of her age, helplessness and

various other factors, her wish to

become a classical dancer was

suppressed and instead she had to

focus on her academics. Decades later,

Jyothi saw her five-year-old daughter

practising Kuchipudi at the institute and

her unfulfilled and suppressed wish blew-

up into a new desire.


She claims that she never tried fusion and in her

opinion as long as traditional techniques are

followed, it would not affect the purity of the dance.

Giving expressions during a performance to lyrics

written by somebody else is a hidden language of

the soul, she says. As there are many languages

and dialects, each and every fusion and experiment

would add to the already growing repertories of

dance.

She gets her inspiration from the performances of

co-dancers and experts. She wants to perform as

gracefully as them. Whenever she watches students

practising in a dance academy, she wants to

become a learner with equal passion.

Her aim is to establish a school with dance as a

curriculum for economically weaker section of kids

in her native village.


Jyothi Reddy with the dignitaries at a function


'Suvarna Nalanda':An Indian ClassicalExtravaganza- 50 years of Nalanda Research Centre atNCPA's August Dance Residency

Her presence on the stage brought an

enigmatic fragrance to the packed

auditorium at National Centre for the

Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai. Renowned Indian

classical artiste, educationist, research scholar, and

doyenne of Mohiniattam, Dr Kanak Rele has

contributed immensely to the upliftment and

perpetuation of Indian classical arts in India. Her work

in developing, restoring and documenting the art form

of Mohniattam is both scientific and unparalleled. The

egalitarian who recently celebrated her 80th birthday,

along with some of her best students and alumni of

Nalanda, performed a show titled 'Suvarna Nalanda' -

The Golden Nalanda as part of the ongoing August

Dance Residency at the NCPA on August 18. Dr Rele's

choreographic works, spanning over decades, were

performed by her students like Bharatanatyam dancer

Deepak Mazumdar, Mohiniattam dancer Sunanda Nair

and the current principal of Nalanda, Dr Uma Rele to

Text: PPPPPaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemus


mesmerise the gathered audience. Students from

Nalanda presented selections of pure dance in

Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam.

Nalanda Research Centre now in its 51st year brought

their history to the NCPA's August Dance Residency,

through a site visit 'Nalanda Parichay' to Nalanda Nritya

Kala Mahavidyalaya in Juhu, Mumbai on August 14,

'Suvarna Nalanda' - The Golden Nalanda show on

August 18 and a two-day workshop on the 'Facets of

Bhakti Rasa' by Dr Kanak Rele at NCPA on August 19

and 20.

On the evening, she was accompanied by some of her

best disciples as she expounded on her legacy of 50

years. Her solo performance included two excerpts

from her internationally renowned compositions -

Gandhari and Kubja.

One cannot deny Sarojini Naidu's words: "The hand

that rocks the cradle rules the world". Gandhari was Dr

Rele's tribute to Indian women. It was inspired by an

incident in her extended family where a girl was cheated

into a marriage, which was inadequate. "I could

sympathise with her but our social norms would not

allow her to leave her husband and in-laws," she said.

To address such issues in the society, she decided to

go to our own Indian ethos of Gandhari, the princess

of Gandhar in the Mahabharata, and how she was

cheated to marry a blind man. She thought that she

was coming to Hastinapur to become the future

empress but then all her young teenage dreams were

dashed to the ground when her Sakhi told her that her

husband was blind from birth and according to the

Shastras he cannot become an emperor. She

accepted to be without any light in her life and Dr Rele

beautifully presented her anguish. Kavalam Panicker's

exquisite poetry in Malayalam showcased Gandhari in

a sympathetic way and Rele elevated it through her

brilliant abhinaya.

Her second presentation, 'Kubja,' narrated a story of a

woman with a hunchback who served as a slave to the

News


wicked king Kamsa. Once again it was Kavalam's

poetic recreation of Gyanpeeth awardee Dr Sitakant

Mohapatra's writing that drew Kanak Rele's attention.

Through the character of Kubja, she presented the

sufferings and tribulations faced by the women in

society. Towards the end, she beautifully presented

Kubja's jubilation and transformation into a beautiful

woman when she

encountered Lord

Krishna at Mathura.

Rele's expert

storytelling,

dynamism and

emotive abhinaya

made the evening a

special one for

everybody in the

auditorium.

C Gopalakrishnan

on nattuvangam,

MS Gireeshan on

vocal, KNP Nambishan on mridangam and Edakkya

performed orchestra for Kubja and Gandhari.

Later, it was time for 'Santavani', a work based on the

abhangs written by the saint poets of Maharashtra

singing the glory of Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur. The

entertaining and aesthetic rendition depicted the pranks

of child Krishna - a miraculous child playing mischief

with gopis of Gokula. It was conceptualised and

choreographed by Dr Kanak Rele and Narayan Mani

composed the music. Disciples of Dr Rele,

Bharatanatyam dancer Deepak Mazumdar, Dr Uma

Rele, Dr Meenakshi Iyer Gangopadhyay, Shivani

Trivedi, Vaidehi Rele, Apeksha Ghatkar, Priya Vinod,

Geetanjali Shrivastava and Kranti Thorat proved their

metal with the presentation. The Bharatanatyam

performance in Kasta sarees was vivacious and

enthralling to the core.

Dr Rele then invited

her senior most

Mohiniattam disciple

Sunanda Nair on to

the stage for

presenting 'Amba', a

story of the eldest

daughter of the king

of Kashi from the

Mahabharata

seeking revenge

against Bhishma.

She considers the

Kuru prince Bhishma

responsible for her misfortune and her sole goal in life

was his destruction and to fulfil it she was reborn as

Shikandi, a transgender warrior. Buffeted by the

society, Amba entered fire to be born as Shikandi. He

then takes the chariot into the war to kill Bhishma who

destroyed his womanhood in the last birth. Effective

narration by Kanak Rele before the enactment by

Sunanda was praise worthy. Sunanda portrayed the

misery of Amba and revenge of Shikandi with vigour

and intensity.

Meera Bhai Charit presented by Nutun Patwardhan,

Tanvi Palav, Shweta Padwal and Nikita Sant of Nalanda

in Kathak style venerated the life of the mystic poet and

her devotion towards Krishna. Kathak has been one of

the strong faculties at Nalanda apart from

Bharatanatyam and Mohiniattam.

Senior disciples of Kanak Rele who came down from

various countries to mark the occasion, Madhuri

Deshmukh, Dimple Nair, Saji Menon and Sunanda Nair,

presented Bhavayami by Swati Tirunal in Mohiniattam

style. Dr Rele did not pick the entire epic and enactment began from the time when Rama, Sita and

Lakshman go on Vanavasa to Dandakaranya (forest).

The characters were dressed in suitable costumes for

an effective presentation. In the dance drama, Sunanda

Nair took the role of a narrator and represented

several characters of the Ramayana - a commendable

performance.

Nandanaar performed by Deepak Mazumdar told the

story of an untouchable bhakta of Lord

Brihadeeshvara. He was kicked and insulted by the

priests while going for darshana of the Lord. He tries to



see through the gate but

the statue of Nandi blocks

his view. He beseeches

Nandi to move. Taking pity

on him God pushed Nandi

aside and gave Darshana

to Nandanar. Deepak

Mazumdar beautifully

presented the

Bharatanatyam recital with

transcendental conviction.

In the end, Thillana by

Bharatanatyam students of

Nalanda - Vaidehi Rele,

Trusha Panchal, Sonali

Tambe, Pranali Kalyankar,

Paridnya Kalyanpur and Bhakti Mahajan sealed the

evening with power packed footwork and perfect

poise. It had vocal and nattuvangam by Ambika

Vishvanathan, mridangam by Shaktidharan and violin

by Balasubramaniam.

On the August 19 and 20, a two-day workshop on the

'Facets of Bhakti Rasam' by Dr Kanak Rele was

conducted at NCPA from 10 am to 5 pm and several

interested dancers enrolled for the workshop and

learnt from the master.

She also established Nalanda Nritya Kala

Mahavidyalaya in 1973 and has so far produced

numerous artists who have taken the Indian classical

dance to greater heights.

Vishnu DigambarJayanti Festival 2017

Text: Shaili KhannaShaili KhannaShaili KhannaShaili KhannaShaili Khanna, Pics: AAAAAvinash Pvinash Pvinash Pvinash Pvinash Pasrichaasrichaasrichaasrichaasricha

Delhi's Annual Music Festival, the Vishnu

Digambar Jayanti, to mark the birth

anniversary of Pandit Vishnu Digambar

Paluskar, was held from August 18-20 at Kamani

Auditorium, New Delhi. The festival opened with Vidushi

Jayashree Patnekar, veteran erudite musician

representing Gwalior Agra and Jaipur gayaki. Her

opening rare Raga Lalita Gauri set the pace for the restof her recital. After her came 7th generation sarod

player Ayaan Ali Bangash who started his recital withRaga Kamod. Sadly, his nails gave him problems, and

unusually, but much to the delight of the audience, hisconcert was concluded by his legendary father Ustad

Amjad Ali Khan who played Raga Hafiz Kaus.

The next day, Ramakant Gaikwad who was introduced

to Delhi audiences for the first time, enthralled with hisrich baritone, and measured performance in Raga

Gorakh Kalyan, followed by the evergreen "Yaad PiyaKi Aye". Niladri Kumar, who impressed with a neatly

defined Raga Shudha Kalyan followed him on the sitar.He then played his own new creation Raga Tilak Nat.

Niladri on request concluded his performance with"Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" composed by Pt.

Vishnu Digambar.

The final day started with violin recital in the morning by

the youngest performer Nandini Shankar who lived up

to her famous grandmother Dr N Rajam's standards.

This was followed by a vocal recital by Pt. Sanjeev

Abhyankar. Flute by Praveen Godkhindi and vocal by

Pt. Venkatesh Kumar performed to a packed audience

at Kamani Auditorium was a fitting finale to the festival.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Jayashree Patnekar Sanjeev Abhyankar

Ayaan Ali BangashRamakant Gaikwad

Niladri KumarPravin Godkhindi

Venkatesh KumarPravin GodkhindiNandini Shankar

GMV students singing Bhajans


AnniversaryCelebrations andEminence Awards

News

The Vishaka Music and Dance Academy (VMDA)

on the occasion of its 31st-anniversary

celebrations and National Eminence Awards

function has honoured Padma Vibhushan awardee and

renowned classical dance exponent Dr Yamini

Krishnamurthy with multi-awards in an extravaganza at

Kalabharathi Auditorium in Visakhapatnam. The awards

of Appreciation and shawl by the guest of honour K

Parvati Kumar (global chairman, World Teachers Trust)

and clothing & fruits by Academy's honorary secretary

GRK Prasad (Rambabu).

The week-long programmes started with the traditional

practice of lighting up the lamp, Vinayaka Vandhana

and Saraswathi Vandana followed by Carnatic vocal by

Priya Sisters accompanied by VV Srinivasa Rao

(violin), Vidwan Dihi Sairam (mridangam), Vidvam BS

Purushotham (kanjara) on August 14. Grand

Nadaswaram Concert by Gurivilla Appanna from Vizag

accompanied by Dilleswara Rao Shankara

(Nadaswaram), G Durga Rao (Dolu) and R

Venkateswarlu (dolu) from Guntur followed soon after.

On day 2, grand Hindustani vocal concert by

Manjusha Karmakar Patil (Pune) accompanied by

Vidwan Suhan Sastry (Tabla) and Surendra Bharathi

(Harmonium) captivated the audience. On day 3, the

festival witnessed a grand Carnatic vocal concert by

TM Krishna accompanied by RK Sriram Kumar (violin)

and VV Ramana Murthy (mridangam). On day 4,

grand Carnatic vocal concert by Shankara Shastry

(Bangalore) accompanied by MSN Murthy (violin), P

Jaya Bhaskar (mridangam) and S Hanumanth Rao

(ghatam) was presented and on day 5 'Mahahrshi

Valmiki', a drama directed by Megada Ramalinga

Swami, was presented much to the delight of the

audience.

- D. Praveena- D. Praveena- D. Praveena- D. Praveena- D. Praveena


Renowned Classical Dance Exponent and Padma Vibhushan AwardeDr. Yamini Krishna Murthy Receiving Honors (Multi -Awards) byDignitaries at VMDA's Annual Program

Priya Sisters accompanied by W.Srinivas (Violin) Vidvan DihiSairam (Mrudagam) and Vidvan B.S. Purushottam (Kanjara)Presenting Carnatic Vocal

include - 'Naty Vidya Bharati' - 2017 and 'Swrana

Kamalam' by the chief guest of the function and

president of Madras Music Academy (MMA), SN

Murali, cash award of Rs 1 lakh and garlanding by the

VMDA president and organiser, CSN Raju, Certificate

A Journey of

100 EpisodesText: PPPPPaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemus

When organising a small event is an arduous

task, Sai Nrityotsav organised by Sai Arts

International on the 1st of every month at

Bengaluru under the guidance its founder president Sai

Venkatesh has achieved an extraordinary feat - it

completed 100 monthly festivals.

Sai Nrityotsav happened accidentally, "After setting up

Sai Arts International, we have been trying to put up

some show for more than 30 years. We never named it

a festival but right from 1987-88, we started doing a lot

of things. We gradually picked up and annually we

were doing 2-3 festivals without branding them. Later,

World Dance Day and National Dance Day caught up.

Sai

Nrithyotsav

started out of

demand

from young

dancers. I

used to

attend a lot of

Arangetrams,

I organised

photography,

videography

and event

management,"

says Sai

Venkatesh. During that phase, a lot of young dancers

and their parents lamented that there were no

programmes and platforms after the Arangetram.

Festivals were a rarity in those days. There were only

one or two festivals organised by the Government of

India and Karnataka. That too only influential people

got opportunity in those.

Sai Nrithyotsav started in a humble way 8 years and 4

months ago. It was an experiment and they wanted to

establish a monthly festival on the first of every month.

It was never expected to last this long. Completing 25

months was a great achievement, but they did not relax

after that and it went on celebrate 50 episodes or the

Golden Jubilee. Then came 75 Platinum Jubilee, a point

where they wanted to wind it up but the pressure to

continue was so immense that it has now completed a

hundred editions. "Nobody can imagine, how we

reached hundred monthly festivals with no proper

support from the government, co-sponsors or funds,"

he says.

ChallengesChallengesChallengesChallengesChallenges

Sai Venkatesh never faced a challenge from the artist

community; the only challenge for him was from

economic quarters on financial matters. He could not

afford to

organise the

festival in

bigger

theatres and

had to

search for

smaller

setups. The

only

problem

was to fetch

money for

the theatres.

He did face

difficulty when artists from far off places like Delhi,

Kolkata and Assam participated. Providing them

boarding, lodging and travel were a challenge.

"Those were the times when I needed to arrange

money. The state did not help me nor did the Centre,P 46 | SEPTEMBER 2017

Festival Director Festival Director Festival Director Festival Director Festival Director Sai Venkatesh along with Dancers' family membersSai Venkatesh along with Dancers' family membersSai Venkatesh along with Dancers' family membersSai Venkatesh along with Dancers' family membersSai Venkatesh along with Dancers' family membersSuparna Venkatesh(Spouse) and Shweta Venkatesh (Daughter)Suparna Venkatesh(Spouse) and Shweta Venkatesh (Daughter)Suparna Venkatesh(Spouse) and Shweta Venkatesh (Daughter)Suparna Venkatesh(Spouse) and Shweta Venkatesh (Daughter)Suparna Venkatesh(Spouse) and Shweta Venkatesh (Daughter)

only my friends and community helped and a lot of

people cooperated. I applied for central support and

received only Rs 4 lakh in total from the state when

others received Rs 19 lakhs for a festival. A dancer with

much influence received Rs 25 lakh for a single festival.

We don't have influence and hence we are not

recognised," he said. Thousands of dance artists from

all over the world have performed at the monthly

festival for more than 8 years yet there is no proper

support from the government. "I don't feel the need to

stand in the queue after these many years of service,"

he added.

CorruptionCorruptionCorruptionCorruptionCorruption

Corruption in the cultural bodies has to end. "Every

time a file moves when you bribe people and this has

been happening for the past 70 years. Everybody

wants to make easy money. In other countries like

England and America, dance companies apply and if

the project is approved, they receive lakhs to present

the production. But here, it is not the same. Even for a

grant of Rs 2 lakhs, we have to run after government

officials. Corruption has to be eradicated. The whole

cultural department should be replaced. The ministry of

culture and Sangeet Natak Akademi are the examples,

it starts right from the selection of awards," he laments.

FutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Dates have already been fixed for 5-6 months in Sai

Nrithyotsav and many are waiting in the pipeline to get

an opportunity to perform. "I'll try to push it as long as I

can with the grace of God and friends who can

support us," he says. When it comes to screening, the

committee goes through their profile and encourages

mostly professionals. Armatures come and go but it is

the professionals who are going to sustain Indian art

and culture. They try to recognise professionals who

are looking for a platform and encourage them.

Another approach was to contact gurus like Dr Kanak

Rele, Dr Saroja Vaidyanathan.

Sai Nrithyotsav mostly encourages professionals who

are above the age of 18 years and usually steers away

from senior artistes who are above 50 years as they

are already reputed. Performing arts is such a thing

which has space for only those who are fit. For

example, in Russia, the ballerinas are expected to have

certain features and they have to acquire certain points

to be eligible to perform. It might not be applicable in

the Indian context for everybody as there are several

artists who create magic even in the 70s and 80s.

"I have to thank so many people who have stood by

me in this long journey. Kapini Anna, who has been

organising with me even at the age of 84 years and

one of my own students Somshekar who has been

doing the poster work and design throughout. These

people have not only charged me but also have been

doing these things with a motto of service. I have to

thank all the dance artists and their gurus, who keep

asking for opportunities. Some theatres have been

really kind enough to provide the place at concessional

rates. My family has been with me all through the

journey and now my daughter is seriously looking into

it.

MessageMessageMessageMessageMessage

"As organisers, we have to fight our way out. It is the

survival of the fittest and we have to fight for our

survival. We can't depend on the government or public

sector for financial support. I request all the festival

organisers to dive deep and start doing more festivals

in a simple and systematic way. I see some festival

organisers spend a lot of money in one festival when

the same amount can be spread out over a year.

Budgeting should be done in a simple way and an

economic strategy should be adopted. During my

journey, I have seen several festival organisers wind up

their festivals after six months, 1 year or in a short

period of time. It is difficult to organise festivals for a

long period as a lot of economic planning is needed,"

he concluded.

News


1st AnniversaryCelebratedat Mumbai

A year passed since the launch of "Dance India",

a magazine released by Vikram Goud in 2016;

a magazine exclusively for Indian Dance forms

for the benefit of art lovers across the globe. The first

The evening unfolded with a prayer song on Ganapathi

beautifully rendered by Sujatha Nair followed by shortperformances of few dancers representing their guru/

institutions. The gurus/teachers represented were GuruJayashree Nair, Guru Vijayashree Pillai, Preetam

Sebastian, Ramya Shetty and Vrunda Shukla. Therewere a few solo performances by senior dancers/

teachers namely Sashi, Vasanthi Joshi and Uttara Unni.

The presence of eminent gurus and scholars in their

respective art forms and honouring them with


anniversary was celebrated in a grand manner onAugust 19, 2017 at Sri Subramanya Mutt Hall, Chedda

Nagar, Chembur. The Maharashtra coordinator of themagazine Kashmira Trivedi organised a wonderful

evening for dancers, teachers and art lovers. She hasbeen the key person to initiate maximum subscriptions

for the magazine from Maharashtra in the last one-year.

mementoes added much allure to the celebrations.Among the gurus present and honoured were

Udyogamandalam Vikraman, Vasant Kumar, TusharGuha, Deepak Muzmudar, Debi Basu, Jayashree

Rajagopalan, Mandakini Trivedi, Malathy Agneeswaranand Jayashree Nair. All of them need no introduction to

dancers and art lovers, as they are exponents in theirrespective fields.

Text: PPPPPaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemusaul Spurgeon Nicodemus

Editor in Chief of the Dance India Magazine and Founder Director of Natraj Music and Dance Academy Bathina VikramEditor in Chief of the Dance India Magazine and Founder Director of Natraj Music and Dance Academy Bathina VikramEditor in Chief of the Dance India Magazine and Founder Director of Natraj Music and Dance Academy Bathina VikramEditor in Chief of the Dance India Magazine and Founder Director of Natraj Music and Dance Academy Bathina VikramEditor in Chief of the Dance India Magazine and Founder Director of Natraj Music and Dance Academy Bathina VikramKumar Goud addressing the gathering/Artists performing, during its 1st Anniversary Celebrations in Mumbai.Kumar Goud addressing the gathering/Artists performing, during its 1st Anniversary Celebrations in Mumbai.Kumar Goud addressing the gathering/Artists performing, during its 1st Anniversary Celebrations in Mumbai.Kumar Goud addressing the gathering/Artists performing, during its 1st Anniversary Celebrations in Mumbai.Kumar Goud addressing the gathering/Artists performing, during its 1st Anniversary Celebrations in Mumbai.

News


Each of the honourable gurus shared their views about

the magazine and also suggested few inclusions forfuture subscriptions. All of them wished the magazine

long years of circulation, distribution and expansionthroughout the country.

Kashmira Trivedi and her senior students worked as anefficient team and administered the event to the fullest.

Jayashree Nair, T Sudhakaran Nair and Sujatha NairSanjay ably supported them. To work more efficiently

in future, a sub-committee under the authority of

Kashmira, was announced and the appointed

members were Vrunda Shukla and Kala Srinivasan.

A special highlight needs to be mentioned about the

very tasty prasadam prepared and served by the Muttpriest for all guests. The personal interest taken by the

Mutt authorities in making arrangements deserves ahumble gratitude.

Mangesh Parab (videography) and Paul Spurgeon

Nicodemus (photography) efficiently captured thecomplete event on camera.

The event concluded with a formal thanksgiving byShyamal Pawar. She with great humility thanked each

one present on the occasion and expressed hergratitude on behalf of Vikram and Kashmira.

As the celebrations neared conclusion, there was asense of achievement and inspiration within the

organisers to continue the good work of including

various articles and spreading knowledge about all

arts forms to the younger generation with extensivesupport from seniors and scholars; a sense of

responsibility towards dancers and a sense ofdeliverance of information through the future

subscriptions throughout the country.

Wishing Dance India more years towards success.

Venkatesh KumarVenkatesh KumarVenkatesh Kumar

NRITYAANTARANGAText: M Gopal, Shimoga

'Nrityaantaranga' is a series of dance through which the attemptis made to understanding the art form better. It is a journey tothe inner substance of dance especially Bharathanatyam. It is

a dream project of B. Deepak Kumar, Director of Sri MookambikaCultural Academy. Deepak kumar had a taught creating a plot form forupcoming young talents performing solo performance to show theirtalent and training them in facing audience in future. Today'Nrityaantaranga' fame was spread all over the state and many artistesfrom outstation come here to perform. It completed successfully 28series . The 29 th series was performed by B. Deepak Kumar in'Shashi Shankara' auditorium in Darbe . The evening was inauguratedby Smt. Sarojini Nagappyya, a National Awardee she appreciated theachievements of B. Deepak Kumar and his academy . VidwanDeepak Kumar performed ' Bhakti Marga' the evening started with aSholka praising Mother earth, then moved to Sankeernachapu Alaripuwhich was newly choreographed by this event. Moving in the VarnamDeepak portrayed all shades of devotions to ultimate Lord of DanceNatraj , the next number was a beautiful Bhajan on Lord Ramacomposed by Tulasidas in Yaman Kalyani Raga. Deepak portrayedthe various characters of Ramayan the evening was concluded byThillana with unique Shollukattus. Vidushi Preethikala , Deepak's wifesupported on both Nattuvanganam and vocal.

Sri Mookambika Cultural Academy of Puttur which is regularlyconducting dance series 'Nrityaantaranga' which was successful 30thseries by its own young talented troupe 'Shadkona'. Shadkona, as thename says is a group of 6 upcoming artistes with dedication andenthusiasm. Kum. Isha Sulochana Muliya, Akshaya Parvathi Saroli,Vindhya Karanth, Shama Chandukudlu, Shreya Kalluraya andPrarthana .B are the students of B. Deepak Kumar who has givensuccessful show. The evening was inaugurated by Dr. ShobithaSathish, lecturer and artiste. Vidwan Deepak Kumar welcomed thegathering and the event started with the able Nattuvanga by Deepak

kumar, vocal by VidushiPreethikala . Theevening started withGanesh sthutiperformed by all the sixdancers. The next itemwas performed byShama Chandukudlu"Gajavadana


Karunasadana". The third performanceby Isha "Mamavathu Sri Saraswathi", thenext followed by Vindhya"Paramapurusha Jagadheeshwara" is aVishnu Sthuti. The fifth dance was "DeviSthuthi " by Shreya Kalluraya . The nextperformance was given by Kum.Prarathana. B "AnandaThandaveshwarana". Akshayaperformed in depecing devotion onRama "Brochevarevarura". Theconcluded item with " Sri RamaaSaraswathi" performed by all six artistes,then moved to Mangalam.

Smrt. Raksha Kashyap of Bengalurugave a beatuful Kathak performance inNrityaantaranga 31 series. The eveningwas inaugurated byAkshavani andDoordarshan artiste Puttur PandurangaNayak . Kum. Akshatha gaveintroductory note. Lakshmi didinvocating recital. Kum Dhanyashree andUsha Alva gave the opinin on behalf ofthe audience ; Vidwan Deepak Kumarconducted programme.On thisoccasion, Isha Sulochana Muliya , atalent of thde academy who representedIndia in Japan for cultural exchangeprogramme, was felicitated by VidushiPreethikala.

Raksha performed Ganapathi Moorathas invocatory piece. Later on PhalaNetra- a Shiva Sthuti was presented withvibrant movements and footwork thenext was Drupad on little Krishna whichdescribed his pranks,mischieves inGokul. Continued item was again onKrishna with Sringara rasa. Raksha gavesoothing mild expression in portrayingGopikas Charecters. The concludeditem was Tharana in Darbari Ragachoreographed by legendary guru lateDr. Maya Rao . The presentation ofRaksha with neart beautiful foot workblocked all the vision of audience.

KATHAKPERFORMANCE ATSAGAR A BY NEHASESHADRINATH

Text: GopalGopalGopalGopalGopal

Neha seshadrinath, an ardent practitioner of

Indian Classical dance, presented a solo

Kathak performance in Sagara for the

Antaranga Trust. The artist, a

disciple of Smt. Nirupama and

Sri T.D.Rajendra began the

evenng's rectical with Shiva Stuti.

Choreographed by Late Dr.

maya Rao,this composition

showcased the different

attributes of Lord Shiva this was

followed by a nritta composition

'Alankar' which explored the

Vilambit lay in Khatk. The

highlights o the composition was

the presentation of 'Thaat' which

displayed the subtle nuances

and the stylized pose of the art

form. This was choreographed

by her gurus and music

composition by Ustad Faiyaz

Khan.

Neha presented three

compositions abhinya aspects

of Kathak. In the first

composition she depicted

Radha and Krishna doing

Shringara getting ready to meet

each other .This was followed by an Ashtapadi

'Lalita Lavang' Neha potried character of Radha

suffering pangs separation from Krishna and

showed how sakhis celebrating Vasantha

season composed and choreographed by Dr.

Maya Rao. Ibrahim Adil Shah's Ghazal 'Ek narri

dekhiya' showcased the influence of Mughals .

Neha concluded the evening recital with a Tarana,

it portrayed the pure joy of dance inersepered

with tukdas , paranas and tihays.


Our motherland has given a

great gift to this world. It is

our culture. But, what is

culture? Culture is a spiritual

manifestation which is linked with

religion and classical arts. The history

of dance in India captures the spirit of

culture. One of its functions is to give

a symbolic expression to religious

concepts. This close relationship of

dance and religion began very early in

Hinduism. How was dance practised

in the older ages? Are there any

pieces of evidence or any

references? Did the arts face

changes? How was it preserved?

How is it being handled now? How will

it be in future? Every artiste should not

only know the technical aspects but

also the real history of every art.

Through this article, I will try to outline

the past, present and future of

Bharatanatyam.

Bharatanatyam is one of the

ancient classical dances of India,

having had its beginnings in

ancient Tamil culture and mingling

with the Sanskrit culture

enveloping the whole of India.

Overwhelming literary,

architectural and epigraphical

evidence testify to its antiquity.

The earliest literary work in Tamil is

"Tolkappiyam" (1st- 4th century

BC), a work of grammar offering

insights into the art and life of

the people. The earliest of

Tamil literature grouped into

schematic anthologies contain

references of both female


(Virali or Kuttiyar) and male (Kuttar) dancers, mainly

victory and celebratory

dances, and travelling musicians (Porunar). The

earliest archaeological evidence of dance in Tamil Nadu

is found in rock-cut caves of Era dynasty by prince

Ilango Adigal who composed the Tamil epic

"Silappadikaram"(1st century AD) (Silambu means

anklet and Adikaram means a Chapter). This study of

the anklet, with the central character of a dancer,

"Madavi", is a treasure trove of information on dance.

The Natya - Ganikai, as the dancer is called, is

mentioned as having mastered dance and the allied

discipline of music for seven years before her debut or

Arangetram on a stage of prescribed measurements.

The stage is a simpler version of the stage mentioned

in Natya Sastra, the oldest

treatise on Indian theatre, of

which dance was a part. The

commentary on Silappadikaram

written by Adyarkunallar in the

12th century and Manimekhalai

by Chitalaichaththanar of the

Sangam Age (500 BC-AD 500)

are important from the point of

explanations regarding some of

the aspects of the art of dance.

The dance is referred to as

"Kuttu" in Tamil works.

Bharatanatyam has a clear and established history of

its concepts. As we all know the first dance drama was

choreographed by saint Bharata which in detail is given

in his "Natya Sastra". This was to entertain the Gods.

Since Bharata required women actors and dancers or

celestial dancing nymphs, Brahma created apsaras.

Details regarding the Devadasis are also available in

Rig Veda and Atharva Veda. The oldest mention of a

courtesan is probably in Rig Veda where the goddess

of dawn Usha is compared to a dancing girl richly clad

in revealing embroidered garments. The Atharva Veda

describes the courtesan as a Gandharva-grihita

(possessed by a Gandharva). Women dancing and

pouring water in a ritual gesture on the fire were

probably the precursors of women in later temple

rituals. Similarly, evidences about dancing girls are also

available in Upanishads, Sutras, etc. The divine right of

kings as God's representatives on earth was never in

doubt. They employed hundreds of people to please

the gods. God became king and therefore "God" too

needed all comforts. Devadasis became the

adornments of both temple and court. They danced

and sang for a divine purpose. The song of the

Devadasi became the cry of the human soul to be

united with the divine soul… the Jivatma yearning to be

one with the Paramatma. To secure her position in the

temple, her duties were codified and sanctified by the

divine authority. The importance of dance and dancers

in ritual worship was sanctioned by what is known as

the Agamas. Separate Agamas grew around Siva and

Vishnu temples. The Agama that deals with Siva

worship is known as Kamika Agama, while the

Pancharatra Agama specifies the details of Vishnu

worship. Agamas prescribed a fourfold path for temple

service:

1. Karya

2. Kriya

3. Yoga and

4. Jnana

Every activity, like the cleaning of temples singing the

Lord's praise, dancing, reciting hymns, lighting lamps,

gathering flowers and making garlands out of them

was sanctioned by the Agamas as ways to attain

salvation. For example, the Uccikala puja or mid-day

worship was accompanied by the dance of the

Devadasi. With symbolic hand gestures, she marked a

time measure (tala) with her feet. A song accompanied

her dance, with drums beating the rhythm. This routine

was repeated again the next day to herald a new phase

in the life of the universe. A prescribed pattern of daily

worship was followed in temples for centuries. Even

today, while dance is a forgotten factor, this time table

of rituals with singing and playing of instruments is

observed in all the big


temples. When a deity is carried in a procession, the

palakku bearers dance to the accompaniment of the

Nagaswaram music and drums (periya Melam). In

ancient times, four hours were needed to complete this

list on festival days. Each direction has specific

presiding deity, with Brahma the creator of the Hindu

trinity at the centre. Each of them had to be propitiated

with suitable hand gestures, songs and dances. These

specific compositions came to be known as

Kautuvams. Temple festivals were important annual

events, as they are even today. To commence the

festival, an auspicious day was chosen. The temple flag

is hoisted (dvajarohana) "Bali" is performed to ensure

the safe and successful conduct of the ten days

festival. The Nava Sandhi Kauthuvam was performed

by devadasis during this time; this was accompanied

by Sarva Vadhya. The rituals included a recital of

selected hymns followed by Pushpanjali - a simple

dance with flower offerings. A thematic dance,

supposed to be important, known as Bhujanga

Nrityam, was also performed while the oduvars sang

Tevaram, Tiruvacakam and Tiruppallandu, The dancers

followed suit with Pushpanjali. This custom is even

followed now in modern dance recital. The mridangam

was played in rhythm known as Brahmatalam. Dance

which used gestures and which was known as nrityam

was performed at each sacred spot around the temple

in a sequential order. As we known K.P. Kittappa Pillai

the successor of Tanjore quartet preserved the original

manuscripts, published them in 1950 as the music and

dance movements of Nava Sandhi Kauttuvam. The

comprehensive list of ritual songs and dances gives us

a splendid idea of the evolved state of the role of the

Devadasi. The musical forms were:

o Gitam

o Varnam

o Kirtanam

o Kriti

o Padam

o Tillana and

o Sloka

Literary forms that were charted included

o Curnika

o Ashtaka

o Venpa

o Kalittogai and

o Viruttam which had varieties like

o Ammanai

o Vannam

o Ula

Before the deity was taken out in procession in dances

were performed to certain compositions played on

Nagaswaram like Alarippu & Mallari. God was the king

of kings and devotees expressed their innermost

feelings with uninhibited passion. The perfect genre for

this was the dance-drama performance in the temple.

Kuravanji Natakam, sivakama sundari parinayam and

other such ballets for which Tiruvarur temple was

particularly famous, were enacted as part of the festival

in many rich temples. Dance is one among the

shodasha upacharas prescribed the agama. The

duties that have to be followed by the Devadasis are

completely given in Agama.

Thus, we can understand that it is in the temple that the

classical arts were preserved and nourished.

As time passed from the temples dance and other

classical arts slowly moved to the courts. But an item


that was performed in the temples was not performed

elsewhere. An item that was performed in court was

mostly composed in praise of the king. Since the 7th

century AD, Kanchipuram and a good portion of

Kaveri delta came under the jurisdiction of the Pallavas

and lasted up to 980 AD. Then Tanjavur had been

occupied by the Mutharaiyars and the power of the

Pandyas had not been completely eclipsed. The

Pandyas suffered defeat at the hands of the Cholas

later. After Chola, evidently, the Nayaka and Maratta

regimes at Tanjavur are marked by an unprecedented

leap in the development of this art. During Nayaka

period many varieties of items were introduced in solo

dance recitals. Sangita Darpanam, Sangeetha

Muktavali by Devanacharya gives the repertoire of a

dance performance. Sangeeta darpanam gives the

following items: Mukachali, Yati nritta, Sabda Chali,

Udupa, Dhruva, Souda Sabda, Kavada, Gita, Cintu,

Desi Kattari, Vaipota, Sabda nritta. Sangita Muktavali

gives the following items: Pushpanjali, Mukachali,

Suddha Yatinritta, Raganga Yatinritta, Sabda nritta,

Rupa nritta, Devanritta, Sabdachali, Sudagita, Gita

Prabandhas, Cintu, Darus and Dhrupad.

Vijayaraghava Nayak in his dance drama Vipranarayan

a Charitram explains that a dance drama should be a

Natya Kadamba imbibed with Navarasas. He mentions

many items which should be incorporated while

composing a dance drama and they are: Gopika

Gitam, Dvipadas, Brahmara Gitam, Dandakam,

Srnagara Padam, Savathikayyam, Vendu Kolly, Gujjari,

Vilvedu, Danda lasya, Kanduka Krida, Kuravanji,

Gujarathi, Desi (varieties), Darus, Hela Padam, Nidi

Padalu, Sankeertana, Aelyatma, Valviccu, Chanpadam,

Padakelika, Jakkini, Padachali. During their period

"Yakshagana" ballets was perfected. Skilled dancers

performed novel dance items before Nayak and his

courtiers in an elaborate stage put up. Like Nayakas,

Marathas made a cultural history during their rule. The

new padams, Darus, yakshgana dramas etc were

composed during their period. While talking about the

new format of dance, King Serfoji introduced Nirupans

(a story narration with all features of dance repertoire).

The root seems to have been from Maharashtra Kirtan,

Popularly known as Kathakalakshepam. Serfoji's

Nirupanas are presented with single theme woven with

18 different types of dance compositions: Jaya Jaya,

Saranu, Alaru, Sollu, Sabda, Varnam, Pada, Swarajati,

Abhinaya pada, Tillana, Arjita pada, Jakkini, Giti,

Prabandha, Triputa, Sloka varna, Kauuva and Mangala.

Seven Nirupanas of King Serfoji are the following:

o Parvatopakhyana - Yadukulakambhoji- Adi

o Saripatacha - Purvikalyani - Adi

o Dandaniti - Sama - Adi

o Sakhine nayaki - Arabhi - Ata

o Sakhine nayaki - Pantuvarali - Adi

o Kute re - Ahiri - Adi

o Suladi - Saveri - Rupaka

Though these Nirupanas are in the Marathi language

they are set to Carnatic mode. This forms a good

background for sadir dance. Apart from Nirupanas,

Serfoji composed Suladi in Raga Tala Malika, Kalpita

Katha in raga Atana & tala Adi. This dance piece

explains various kinds of Salams, (salutations) to the

kind Serfoji in his darbar. A novel form patronised by

Serfoji II was Kuravanjis in the Marathi language. His

Devendra Kuravanji and Tristhaitirthayatra Lavani, (folk

variety in Maharashtra) are interesting compositions.

Prabandhas of Sahaji Maharaj was very popular. The

innovation of Kriti and Kirtanam replaced the old


prabandha form of musical Lavani. Generally,

prabandhas denote any work based on Purana or a

piece of literature. A prabandha is a composition with

four angas and six types of dhatus (elements). Dhatus

include svara, pada (lyric), biruda (ornamentation of

pada), pata (rhythmic syllables), tala (beat) and tenaka

(words like om, nam, tam etc). The prabandhas of

Sahaji are a compilation of various types of darus like

vigneswara daru, sringara daru, Leeladaru, Abhinaya

daru, Jakkini daru etc. Each daru is mentioned with

appropriate names of raga and, tala. Apart from tuning

the "Sarabhendra bhupala kuravanji", Tanjavur brothers

systematised and composed the repertoire of the

present day Bharatanatyam recitals like Alarippu,

Jatisvaram, Sabdam, padavarnam, Javali, Padam,

tillana, svarapada, kavuttuvam etc. In present day most

of the Bharatanatyam recitals do not start with Alarippu.

They start with pushpanjali, melaprapthi and Mallari.

Very few dance programmes begin with Alarippu (of

panchanadai Talas.ie. Tisra, Chatusra, Kanda, Misra

and Sankirnam) as a novelty in alarippu is that the usual

tatakaram is said in the background and a Tirupugazh

is sung by the vocalist in the natai raga. The item

Todayamangalam (item performed only in the

beginning of a dance drama during Maratha period) is

now performed as invocation piece. Following this

dance on Lord Ganesha, occasionally a prayer song

on Siva, Vishnu etc are performed. This is followed by

padavarnam, pada, kirtana Javali, ashtapadi or Bhajan

or kavadicindu at the end tillana followed by Mangalam

or Tirupugzh or sloka.

Bharatanatyam faced its dark side during the British

rule. After so much struggle, Bharatanatyam regained

its respect because of the great legendary artistes like

Rukmini Devi Arundale, Bala Saraswati, Uday Shankar,

Vayjeyanti Mala Bali, Harikrishnan, Dr

Padmasubramaniam, Santhana Dananjeyan,

C.V.Chandrasekar, Lakshmi Vishwanathan, Chitra

Vishveshwaran, Mallika Sarabhai, etc.

Bharatanatyam is now, I feel, becoming fashionable.

Fashion does belong to art. But there are few who still

follow the tradition. We must think more of this art

reflecting the spirit of India in all its creative genius and

we must make this art once more a living art. We have

gone away from temple spirit. No theatre can replace

the temple. But dancers can bring the atmosphere to

the audience through their dance that they are sitting in

Chidambaram or Tanjavur.

Rukmini Devi Arundale, in her speech about "Future of

Bharatanatyam" in the oriental conference at Tirupati on

March 22, 1940, said, "It is necessary to study books in

order to know something of what other people have

said, but a person who studies must not be a mere

repeater of what books have said, but must try to enter

into the minds of the persons who wrote the books.

And it is this that gives learning proper foundation. It is

really this particular spirit that can bring new creative art

into the modern world and form the foundation of

future work. It is this which gave birth to creative art and

genius in ancient India and there is no country in the

world that had greater genius than India". From these

words of Rukmini Devi Arundale, what I feel is, we must

go back to the original foundation but must not stay

there. We must progress and create from this firm

foundation. So we shall progress according to the

spirit which has been given to the world for the benefit

of mankind and only if we enter into that stream of

creative art, India once again can achieve her

greatness.



Recently decommissioned naval aircraft - TU-142 M long-range maritime patrol aircraft

being installed on the Beach Road in Vizag. The aircraft had served 29 years in the

defence and now it will continue to serve as an Aeroplane Museum.


She is 15-year-old girl

studying in Class 10 in

Etasi Timpany Senior

Secondary School,

Visakhapatnam. While most of the

students are busy with their

academics, she has excelled and

shown brilliance in the area of

Indian classical dance. Her recitals

are such that anybody who

watches her perform on stage

would definitely concur that she is

a dancer with virtuosity.

Kumari Peesaapti Maanasi

Tejaswini started learning classical

dance at a tender age of 5 years.

She took her first steps in

Bharatanatyam from Guru Uma

Maheswari. Later she continued

learning Bharathanatyam from

Guru Lakshmi Mahanthi, w/o Guru

Mahanthi Venkateswara Rao. She

gave her first dance performance

on stage during Durgashatami

celebrations in Visakhapatnam.


She performed the role of Lord Krishna in the dance

ballet - Sri Krishna Leelalu. She gave her first solo

performance - Alarulu Kuriyaga Adenede, an

Annamacharya Kriti, in the year 2011. On the same

stage, she also performed in the group on the song

'Kolonitho Parike Gobbillo'.

In 2012 she started learning Kuchipudi under the able guidance of

guru AB Balakonadala Rao and in December of the same year,

she participated in 'Mahabrinda Naatyam' during Silicon Andhra

Dance Festival and etched her name in the Guinness Book of

World Records. She performed for the cultural celebrations held

by Government of Andhra Pradesh at various celebrations.

In January 2017, she made her Arangetram in Kuchipudi at

Kalabharathi Auditorium in Visakhapatnam, under the guidance of

guru AB Bala Kondala Rao. After her performance, Kuchipudi Kala

Kendram conferred her with the title 'Natya Ratnam' and renowned

Kuchipudi dance exponent Manju Barggavee presented it. Her

recent performance at the 5th Satyabhama Yuva Nrithyotsav, an

Indian Classical dance festival organised by Nataraj Music and

Dance Academy, was a work of art and she was awarded the title

'Natya Manjari'.


Shanta Sarbjeet SinghShanta Sarbjeet SinghShanta Sarbjeet SinghShanta Sarbjeet SinghShanta Sarbjeet Singh

Eminent art andculture critic ShantaSerbjeet Singhpassed away onAugust 2, 2017.She died ofcardiac arrest.Singh (81) hadbeen reportedlyailing for sometime. She hadcontributed richly

to art criticism and promotion of arts in variouscapacities, including as the vice-president of the

Painkulam Damodara ChakyarPainkulam Damodara ChakyarPainkulam Damodara ChakyarPainkulam Damodara ChakyarPainkulam Damodara Chakyar

Renowned artist of the traditional theatre art formKoothu and Koodiyattam, the oldest survivingspecimen of ancient Sanskrit Theatre, PainkulamDamodara Chakyar passed away in Bangalore onJuly 26, 2017. He was 82. Damodara Chakyar wasthe uncrowned monarch of Prabandha Koothu forover half a century.

Hailing from a small hamlet of Painkulam in theThrissur district of Kerala, Damodara Chakyar wasembedded with the Kutiyattam art form deep in hisgenes and training in it was just a domestic affair. As achild, he waddled around the Koothambalams(temple theatres of Kerala), clenching the hands of hisuncle, the great Painkulam Rama Chakyar, whobecame his first guru. With decades of training,Damodara achieved mastery over this intricate artform. In addition, he also learned Sanskrit Literaturefrom Poomulli Neelakantan Namboothiri, which is aprerequisite to becoming a good artist.

Damodara had his feet firm in Koodiyattam andbecame an established artist and teacher in the art

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Sangeet Natak Academy and head of UNESCO'sAPPAN. She had a successful stint in several nationaldailies and had also been president of the IndianWomen's Press Corps. She was married to notedartist Serbjeet Singh and is survived by two sons anda grandson.

Born on January 11, 1936, Shanta Sarbjeet Singh'scraft of writing was unparalleled. She was valued forsharp but sensible critiques of films in the 1960s anddance in 1970s. She was a largely loved and loomingfigure. She was the elegant first lady of dance writingin Delhi in the '70s. Her eagle eye made her someonenot to be taken lightly.

form. When Painkulam Rama Chakyar crossed theseas with his troupe to perform Koodiyattam for theEuropean audience, his nephew Damodara Chakyarawas an essential member of his team. Together withthe great artists of Kalamandalam (a major centre forperforming arts in Kerala), Damodara Chakyarperformed in Poland, France, Germany and Thailandbesides making appearances at the major festivalswithin the country.

The Government of India conferred PainkulamDamodara Chakyar with the prestigious KendraSangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2012. He receivedthe Kerala Kalamandalam Award in 2004 and theKerala Sangeeta Natak Akademi Award in 2006.


She believes in the proverb, "The journey of a

thousand miles should begin with a single

step". She took the first step and established

Ganesa Natyalaya, an exclusively training centre for

Indian classical dance Bharatanatyam at New Delhi.

Now, several decades down the line as GuruDr Saroja Vaidyanthan celebrates her80th birthday this

month, The Dance India

once again looks into her

life, legacy and her

institution and wishes her

many more happy years.

She is an inspirational

personage, an exemplary

artist and a living legend.

She embraced classical

dance and music at the

age of 7 years and ever

since her hunger for art

kept growing and ran

deep into her soul. She is

a guru, author,

choreographer, exponent

of Bharatanatyam and

founder president of

Ganesa Natyalaya who won several awards and

accolades including Padma Shri in 2002 and Padma

Bhushan in 2013.

Born to an orthodox family at Bellary, Karnataka, on

September 19, 1937, Saroja Vaidyanathan's journey

into the world of art began at Chennai. Her family was

academically oriented. Her father Dharmarajan, who

worked in the Royal Air Force during the Second

World War, came back and joined the Madras

University as a secretary of the Information Bureau

and her mother Kanakam Dharmarajan was the vice-

principal of a school. Both were, however, innately

passionate about art.

"They were very good nature painters. I made a big

album with their work. My mother was very good at

embroidery, flower making

and she was also a good

singer," Saroja recollects.

Her father wrote guidebooks

for students, while her

mother wrote short crime

stories, novels and pocket

books. As a seven-year-old,

she was interested in dance.

But even as music was

allowed in the family, dance

was not. Initially, her family

members disliked the idea of

her learning dance, but

having looked at her interest

in sports and art, they

allowed her to train in dance,

vocals, music, veena and the

flute and even encouraged

her to take part in the sports

like netball and badminton. "I joined a nearby school

under Guru Lalita at the age of seven in Chennai. I am

so glad that my parents supported me," she adds.

For several years, Saroja enjoyed the art education

under accomplished teachers. Her Guru Lalita

imparted dance, veena, vocal, violin, flute and

mridangam classes. Later, Saroja studied music at

Madras University under professor Sambamoorthy

and practised Shankara Bhagavatar at home. She

S P E C I A L


Awards1 PanchaliSabadam (of SubramaniaBharathi) 1982 Tamil

2 AdiSankara (the story of Sureshwara&Sharada) 1988 Sanskrit & Hindi

3 AarupadaiVeedu (Six episodes of Lord Muruga) 1988 Tamil

4 Rudram from Yajur Veda 1992 Tamil

5 Paramacharya 1994 Tamil

6 Hare Krishna Om Skanda 1995 Tamil

7 Anmol Moti (Freedom fighters of pre independence) 1997 Hindi

8 Bheeshma Katha (From Mahabharata) 1997 Tamil

9 Varsha (The Rain - Nature) 1998 Instrumental

10 RudraBharataBhaaratham 1999 Sanskrit & Tamil

11 Krishnarpanam 1999 Sanskrit & Hindi

12 Bhavayami (Ramayana) 2002 Sanskrit

13 Jalapraya (Water) 2000 Hindi

14 Jagriti (theme based on drugs and AIDS) 2002 Hindi

15 Ganga (Shiva &Bhagiratha story) 2002 Sanskrit

16 Dasavatar 2002 Sanskrit

17 Women Empowerment(Based on SubramaniaBharathi`s poems) 2002 Tamil & Hindi

18 Five Elements 2003 Sanskrit

19 Pradosham (Origin of Natya Shastra) 2003 Tamil & Sanskrit

20 Buddha 2005 Hindi & Tamil

21 Women Empowerment 2008 Multi Lingual

22 RabindraSangeet 2010 Bengali

23 Karanas 2010

24 Bharathiar Katha Kalakshebam 2011 Tamil

25 "From Zero to Infinity" & "Nakshatra" Choreographedby DakshinaVaidyanathan 2012

26 Yashodhara (Story of Gautham Buddha`s wife) 2013 Tamil

27 Ramayana (Thailand) 2016 Sanskrit

S P E C I A L


Dr.SarojaVaidyanathan - As an AUTHORPublished four art books on classical dance and music, compiled an encyclopaedia on Bharatanatyam for NCERTand wrote a fellowship Paper on the Aharya aspect of dance.

Publications and CD`sPublications and CD`sPublications and CD`sPublications and CD`sPublications and CD`s

1. MahakaviSubramaniaBharathi Vol -1 $ Vol - 11 1982

2. The Science of Bharatanatyam 1984

3. CarnatakaSangeetam 1989

4. Bharatanatyam an In-depth study 1997

5. The Classical Dances of India 2005

6. Encyclopedia of Bharatanatyam 1994

7. Fellowship from Govt. of India 2004

8. Two volumes of CD (based on SubramaniaBharathi`s poems) 2004

9. Two Margams (CD) 2008

10. Syllabus (Practical) Video for IGNOU 2009

11. CD on the life of Paramacharya 2013

12. VCD of Basic Abhyas, Adavus, Hastas, Viniyogas, Bhedas, Rasas and Ga


But more criticism and rejection was yet to come her

way. Recollecting an incident she says, "Once I visited

a particular official during Prime Minister Indira

Gandhi's tenure with a copy of my book. On receiving

the book, she advised me to look after my family and

not waste my time as I was a married woman and

there were already many artistes in Delhi."

At home, she got a lot of encouragement from her

mother-in-law, who was herself a harmonist. Saroja

was her beloved till her death and this helped her with

the career. "I knew the value of time and knowledge

and developed a belief that hard work would surely

take you to the top," she said.

Though she never wanted recognition, it started pouring

in towards the later part of her life. People started

recognising her sincerity and standard of presentation

as she choreographed different ballets based on social

and mythological themes. Her dance ballets were always

full of happiness, struggles, hard work, patience,

knowledge and the faith in the Supreme One.

Growing through struggles was no cake walk but it

made her what she is today. From being a student of

arts, sports and academics to a professional

performer, teacher, choreographer, author,

administrator and social worker, life taught her

valuable lessons through various struggles. "Solving

and going through troubles led me to a peaceful and

calm life," she says.

She believes that artistes can spread a message

through dance as they could easily convey it through

expressions on the stage. "We have to fuse

mythology with social and sensitive themes based on

women, child labour and health and bring awareness

in the society," she suggests.

A dance presentation is also an elaborate task. Saroja

selects her subject and critically analyses it first to

understand if it is suitable for her presentation. Then

she does research and takes out the nuances, which

are important for her to convey the message through

the medium of art. After that, she meticulously

chooses the words and lyrics and if that doesn't

happen then she asks lyricists and poets to make

beautiful verses of the story, based on mythology and

society or even personalities like Shabari,

Soorpanakha, Draupadi, Sita, Urmila, Mandodri or

any great human being like Subramania Bharathi.

Then she sits down with the lyrics and selects either a

part of the life or part of the story with the strongest

message. That is then elaborated as a particular

scene. "If it is a dance drama, I close my eyes and

visualise the characters and select my disciples

accordingly," she explains.


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All this is mostly done in the early hours of the

morning as she believes that it is the best time for

the creative process. "I start recording the music,

repetitions, melody, raga, tempo, instruments,

pitch and other components. After completing all

these analytical work, I record the music and then I

start teaching. Sometimes I get great ideas while

composing the choreography and I change the

music on the spot," she adds.

Initially, she practised dance full-time and her entire

day revolved around practice and performance,

but then that changed in 1974 when she started her

school. From then on, she had to divide her day

into academic classes and dance practice. In

1982, when the Delhi government provided the

land for constructing a building of her own, her life

was divided into four parts - family, dance, teaching, and

construction. Early in the morning, before anybody woke

up, she practised dance for an hour. Later during the day

she took care of her family and visited the site. Post

lunch, she took classes until the evening and again

enjoyed quality time with her family.

Even now, her day starts at 4:30 am which she dedicates

to meditation, choreography, writing her dairy and

replying to all emails and messages. "It is the best part of

the day to do something creative," she suggests.

Apart from dance and music, Saroja loves gardening. "I

love to see the plants grow!" she exclaims. Every day in

the morning, she spends at least half an hour moving in

her small garden, watching each plant, flower, vegetable,

and tree. She also follows the news and enjoys reading


Vysakhi Li fe-Time Achivement Award, VisakhapatnamVysakhi Li fe-Time Achivement Award, VisakhapatnamVysakhi Li fe-Time Achivement Award, VisakhapatnamVysakhi Li fe-Time Achivement Award, VisakhapatnamVysakhi Li fe-Time Achivement Award, Visakhapatnam


magazines. She says watching challenging movies,

crime stories and investigations broadcasted on

television channels like Discovery interests her. "I

really love them," she admits. As a family, they talk

about family matters and crack jokes. Indian

classical dances with their rich cultural heritage have

impacted the world, cutting across different cultures

and have been widely accepted and appreciated.

Whenever Saroja travels abroad, she feels extremely

proud and happy to represent a classical art form that

has been in existence for more than 2000 years

before a foreign audience. In her workshops and

dance performances, she grabs every opportunity to

talk about her country's history and heritage. "I feel

proud and happy that I am an Indian and God has

given me the opportunity to present our country's

heritage and history to the world," she says with

patriotic fervour.

Speaking about the younger generation, she says that

they are smart, quick and focused. While feeling

happy about their dedication, she also feels sad that

they are impatient. "Today's generation wants to

acquire everything in a flash. Our art is an ocean; there

is no end to it," she says. She always advises

youngsters who train under her to be patient, practice

constantly and focus on the subject. Hard work would

eventually bring recognition. "If they learn to be patient

and respect our culture, I am sure we would have

more scholars in the generations to come. More

research workers should come forward to propagate

Indian culture. Though there are a lot of books and

scripts, the younger generation with all the modern

technological advancements could do wonders and a

lot more than what we previously did," she says.

Workshop at Vignan School in VisakhapatnamWorkshop at Vignan School in VisakhapatnamWorkshop at Vignan School in VisakhapatnamWorkshop at Vignan School in VisakhapatnamWorkshop at Vignan School in Visakhapatnam

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TTTTTanjavur Kattumannaranjavur Kattumannaranjavur Kattumannaranjavur Kattumannaranjavur KattumannarMuthukumaran PillaiMuthukumaran PillaiMuthukumaran PillaiMuthukumaran PillaiMuthukumaran Pillai, Tanjavur (1894 - 1960)

He was a well-known pioneer nattuvanar and a guru of

his time in Tanjavur. Though he was a performing

artiste and used to dance along with the legendary

Thiruvalar Gaanam, he emerged as a guru of great

eminence, when he migrated to Madras in 1936.

He was born in 1894 at Kattumannar Koil

(Mannargudi) village, 14 miles from Chidambaram.

He studied directly from his mother, Yogam Ammal,

who was a dancer and a musician and also studied

under famous nattuvunars like Maharaja Pillai of

Pandanallur, Sabhapati of Rajamannar Koil and

Arunachalam of Kattumannar Koil and studied

abhinaya from other devadasis and Thiruvalar

Gaanam. His arangetram happened when he was

barely nine years old. He was well versed in the

Shastras and also wrote a book Sangeeta

Swaragnana Bodhini in Tamil. He used to study rare

Gurus Gurus Gurus Gurus Gurus of Saroja Vaidyanathan inMusic and Dance (Tanjavur Bani)

learned the veena, flute and other arts at the Saraswati

Gana Nilayam for a brief period.

Having a guru, who believed in divinity and dedication,

instilled all the right ingredients in the artistic life of

Saroja Vaidyanathan. Bharata Natyam was the only

classical dance form taught and practised during

those days in Tamil Nadu. Guru Lalithamma, director

of Saraswathi Gana Nilayam, a school based in

Chennai for the over seventy years, was her teacher.

She was herself a disciple of Tanjavur Kattumannar

Muthukumaran Pillai, a great legend of yester years.

Though vaguely, Saroja still remembers her guru

taking her to Thanjavur and learning the song 'Padari

Varuguthu Padam' from him.

Guru LalithaGuru LalithaGuru LalithaGuru LalithaGuru Lalitha had sacrificed her marriage and

completely devoted her life towards art. She was an

accomplished singer, dancer, choreographer,

composer, flautist, veena and mridangam player who

even composed several margams (syllabus items),

padams and dance dramas. Her source of inspiration

was her puja room. She would sit there for two to

three hours and come back with beautiful

compositions. In 1940's, Guru Lalita wrote all

the lyrics in the form of a book and published

recorded music for her disciples, especially for

those who are not from Chennai. "Sometimes, I

feel extremely sad that she was not properly

recognised for her work because the society

during those days was not ready to accept a

woman who disowned her married life. Also

coming from a high-class Brahmin family to the

world of art made things even difficult," Saroja

laments.

It was her performance at the famous Gokhale

Hall in Chennai at the age of 16 years that changed her

life. Renowned producer Madhavan watched her

performance and approached her for a role in his film.

Outraged, the whole family got to together to end her

dance training and get her married to CR

Vaidyanathan, an IAS officer of Bihar Cadre, who had

just entered the service.

"When I got married at the age of sixteen and a half, I

thought my whole career was over," she remarks.

Eventually, they had two children Ramachandran and

Kamesh. She taught both of them sitar and tabla.

In Bihar in 1964, she got another chance to rekindle

her passion. As a commissioner's wife, she

assembled children of the local club members and

started composing several dance performances.

"I created, composed and choreographed numerous

dance dramas for children and made them perform at

various places," she says. Though not on a

professional level, she even performed as her

husband allowed her to teach and dance on the


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condition that she should not charge any money for

her performances. "I agreed to it because I was not

keen on earning money, it was more to satisfy my

soul," she said.

An unexpected phase in her life started to unfold when

they moved to Delhi in 1972. The true beginning of

Saroja's professional career began to take shape in

the capital. She started performing and set up a small

institution with only four girls in her Curzon Road

apartment. "I never thought that I would be doing

something like this at a later stage in my life," she said.

However, things came to a sudden halt in 1982, when

the construction of her building began and she

stopped her professional career as a dancer in

order to oversee the construction work. "To

gain something, you have to lose

something," she says. So for a period

of four years, she did not perform

as she could not get a break

from teaching or the

construction work. "Both

these were important to me,

especially constructing the

building which has been

my dream," she

explains.

Being married and in

her thirties now, it

was not easy for

Vaidyanathan to

prove her mettle.

But she got

immense support

from her husband

to realise her dream. CR Vaidyanathan was also a

musician who trained under the legendary GN

Balasubramaniam. He was an accomplished singer,

but instead of singing, she says, he became a critic of

her work. "He often pointed out my mistakes. He

expected perfection in administration and career," she

said.


books on the Shastras and followed Arjuna

Bharatam. Unlike other nattuvanars, he used to

perform and show the adavus and movements to his

students even at an advanced age in an effortless

manner.

He came to Madras in 1936 and taught at the summer

school of Indian Music and in 1938 he joined

Kalakshetra. He taught the well-known dancers and

gurus like Ram Gopal, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Lalitha of

Saraswati Gana Nilayam, Kamala Lakshman, MK

Saroja, Janak Khendry and a foreign student Robert

Riviera alias Nala Rajan. From 1940, he taught for two

years at Ram Gopal's school in Bangalore and also in

1948 at Mrinalini Sarabhai's academy, Darpan in

Ahmedabad and Saroja Vaidyanathan.

Guru Lalitha Guru Lalitha Guru Lalitha Guru Lalitha Guru Lalitha (1908 - 1992)

Founder Director, Saraswathi Gana Nilayam, Chennai (1939)

She founded Saraswathi Gana Nilayam, an institution

for music, veena and Bharatanatyam in Triplicane,

Chennai in the year 1939. The institution celebrated its

Golden Jubilee at Music Academy, Madras in 1988.

Lalitha was a disciple of Kattumannar Koil

Muthukumaran Pillai and learnt vocal music from the

great guru Venkataram Iyer, Sankara Iyer and

Professor Sambamurthy. Apart from Bharatanatyam,

she could play with equal felicity the veena, flute, violin

and mridangam. She choreographed many dance

plays, the notable ones among them being

Jayadeva's Ashtapati, Sri Valli Kuruvanji Javantharai

and Lalitha Prabhavam. Further, Pinnal Kollatam,

Kumni and Hari Katha were her specialities.

Her disciples have participated for six years in the

Republic Day Parade in New Delhi and the late

president, Dr Radha Krishna had showered

accolades on her at a special function in the

Rashtrapati Bhawan.


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Music Guru Prof. P SambamoorthyProf. P SambamoorthyProf. P SambamoorthyProf. P SambamoorthyProf. P Sambamoorthy(1901 - 1973), Madras University

He was a legendary figure in the music circles of

Madras. On finishing his degree from the Presidency

college, he learnt vocal music and to play the violin

and the flute. Simultaneously he pursued a degree in

law also.

In 1928, a department of music was set up to offer

courses in music at the Queen Mary's college,

Madras and professor Sambamurhty was its first

head. In 1931, he went to Munich, Germany to study

the western violin, flute and musicology.

In 1937, he was made the head of the music

department at the Madras University. In 1961, he

started the Sangita Vidyalaya and became its director.

In 1972, he was awarded the title of Sangita Kala

Nidhi'.

Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan considers herself blessed

to have trained under him. The knowledge that she

gained has been of immense help to her in

composing and choreographing new compositions.

Ganesa Natyalaya

This premier institution in New Delhi established by

Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan imparts training exclusively

in Bharatanatyam, one of the classical dance forms of

India. It has its own building and is now into the

fortieth year of its inception. It has grown in strength

over the years and has a large number of Indian and

foreign students on its rolls. Many of them are

scholarship holders from the Department of Culture,

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Sahitya

Kala Parishad and Centre for Cultural Resource and

Training (CCRT). A large number of her disciples are


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teaching and performing as established artists all over

the world. Over the years many celebrities and

dignitaries have graced the Natyalaya and enriched

them with their presence.

Milestones1974 Establishment of Ganesa

Natyalaya

1983 Registration under the

Societies Registration Act

1984 Foundation stone laid by

Jagmohan, Lt. Governor of Delhi

1985 Book release - "Science of

Bharatanatyam" (Author - Guru

Saroja) by Smt. Indira Gandhi,

Prime Minister of India

1988 Phase -I of the building completed, Inauguration

by Sh. SD Sharma, President of India

1988 Book release - "Carnataka Sangeetham" (Author

- Guru Saroja)

1996 Book release -

"Bharatanatyam - An In-depth

study" (Author - Guru Saroja) by

Sh. SD Sharma, President of India

1999 Silver Jubilee celebrations,

Presided by Smt. Shiela Dikshit,

CM of Delhi

2000 Affiliation with Indira Kala

Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya,

Chhattisgarh

2001 Completion of 100

Arangetrams


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2005 Renovation of the building - Nataraja Statue

installed

2005 Book release - "Classical Dances of India"

(Author - Guru Saroja) by Shiela Dikshit, CM of Delhi

2009 Dance Presentation for the Queen's Baton Relay

2010 Dance Presentation for the XIX Commonwealth

Games Opening Ceremony

2014 Completion of 250 Arangetrams - 40th Year

Celebrations

2014 Release of a DVD, Fundamentals and nuances

of Bharatanatyam

2015 Release Third Edition of the science of

Bharatanatyam

2017 Completion of 270 Arangetrams

Ganesa Natyalaya would be presenting Akanda Nitya

Nrittam (ANN), 26 hours of non-stop Bharatanatyam

dance by gurus, institutions and professionals from all

over the world on September 23 and 24, 2017 at C-

16, Qutab Institutional Area in New Delhi.

Nitya Akhanda Nrittam, is a one of its kind

Bharatanatyam festival conceived and conceptualised

by Dr Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan. This festival is a 26-

hour marathon relay of Bharatanatyam to be

performed by 200 dancers from across the globe.

First of its kind, Nitya Akhanda Nrittam aims to set a

world record in the field of Bharatanatyam dance.


Centres established by disciples ofGuru Saroja Vaidyanathan


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Centres established by disciples ofGuru Saroja Vaidyanathan


Nataraj Music & Dance AcademyTeacher: K V Lakshmi50-1-50/1, ASR Nagar, SeethammadaraVisakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, IndiaContact No: + 91-955322969

K U C H I P U D I

C L A S S I F I E D S

Note: Do you want your cultural festivals and events covered byThe Dance India? Send your invitation to [email protected]

BHARATHANATYAMGeeta Nritya VidyalayaTeacher: Girija Nair'Gurukul' 32/2 Powai Chowk behindShastri Nagar,Saibaba Temple Mulund ColonyWest Mumbai - 82, Maharashtra, IndiaContact No: + 91- 9867234249

Takshashila Nrityakala MandirTeacher: Kashmira TrivediA - 405, Asawari Co. Op. Hos. Soc.Pokhran Road No - 1, Varkat Nagar,Thane (W) - 400606, Maharashtra, IndiaContact No: + 91- 9820649671

Sri Krishna Kala MandirTeacher : Gayathri GopinathNo 5-469 .18th St Sathuvachari Phase - 2Vellore - 632009, Tamil Nadu, IndiaContact No : 98945 29708

Shanmukha Arts Institute of Performing ArtsTeacher : Kala SrinivasanD-309 , Usha Nagar, Village RoadBhandup West, Mumbai- 400078Contact No : 98671 14223

Nitya Veda AcademyTeacher : Vidya SriramE - 404, Krishna bldg.Vasant Sagar ComplexThakur VillageKandivli (e) 400101


Atharva School of Fine ArtsTeacher : Mrs. Shamal PawarC-1401, Gulraj Tower, Nehru Nagar,Kurla (E), Mumbai – 400024.+91 99690 23246/ 9869272392.Bharatanatyam and Folk Dance Classes,Website-www.atharvaschool.com,[email protected]

K A T H A K

Nritya Tapshya Kathak Dance AcademyTeacher: Chetan Saraiya. MA, Kathak.Vasai Nallasopara, Kandival. Grand RoadPune, Maharashtra, IndiaContact No: +91-9821138190

Nritya Darpanan FoundationTeacher : Paullumi B MukheerjeeAlap C.H.S. B woing, Plot No 173Sir Bhalchndra Road,Opp. 2nd Lane Hindu Colony, Dadar (E)Mumbai - 400014 .Contact No. 9821583004

Kalanand Nritya sansthaTeacher : Bhavana Sanjiv LeleShop No-2,3,4,5 Rosewood BuildingPrestige Residency, DongripadaWaghbil Naka,Ghodbunder RoadThane West, MaharashtraContact No : 9223440605

Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. APENG/2016/68616.Date of Publication 5th of every month and Posted on 10th of Every month under License No. VM/219/2016-2018

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