Anita says...May 2025

Welcome to the merry month of May... it's a gorgeous time of the year. Nature expresses herself in fascinating and unusual ways and the world is on the move. Flights are jam packed, airports are teeming with people, roads are jammed - it looks like our planet is buzzing... the oceans are filled with resort and holiday crowds on cruise liners. And, of course, the dance world is buzzing and humming and singing along - even if the world seems to be burning as we look around.

However, what else are dancers supposed to do? As the opinion pendulum swings from right to left, never pausing at the centre, my travels and thoughts will focus on the here and now of what the month of April unpeeled for me.

April concluded with INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY. Started in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of UNESCO International Theatre Institute to promote global awareness of the art of Dance, it has become a marker for all dancers to celebrate in their cities and towns across India and the world. Performances and more performances, talks, discussions, conclaves, seminars - every form of word, movement, visual and thought fill many spaces in the days leading towards April 29.

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Obit/Tribute - Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt: A Colossus - Seetha Ratnakar

She towered over us like a Colossus!

That is how I looked up to Kamalini. I had the highest regard for her profound knowledge, her thorough professionalism and her extraordinary sense of aesthetics. I loved and admired her beyond words. Kamalini was my inspiration, strength and support in more ways than one. She took me under her fold when I was transferred to Delhi in 1980 and was a loving and nurturing friend. She was a truly admirable person. She managed to overcome her excruciating physical pain by channeling her mind towards artistically creative endeavours.  

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Obit/Tribute - Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt (1950 - 2025) - Sharon Lowen

The worlds of art, culture and spirituality had lost a towering personality as Kamalini Nagarajan Dutt left us (1950-2025). It would be difficult to say whether her public contributions as Doordarshan producer and director of over a thousand programmes, founder-director of the digitised Doordarshan Archives, and selective Bharatanatyam guru are as great as her private contributions as a guide to a pantheon of performing artists, including the most celebrated, who owe much of their interpretive abilities and brilliant concepts to Kamalini's generosity in sharing the breadth and depth of her knowledge of Indian languages, literature and philosophy. She was my Kalanmitra, spiritual friend as well as collaborator on dozens of productions for stage and television. 

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Tribute - Jathis sounding like thunder: Indra Rajan (1939 - 29 April 2022) - Dr. C.S. Lakshmi & Shanmuga Sundaram

(This tribute was first published in SPARROW Newsletter SNL 42, 2023).

When the Narada Gana Sabha Trust honoured Indra Rajan on August 7, 2007, the first day of Natyarangam's 11th thematic dance festival Kshetra Bharatham at Chennai, the following citation was presented to honour her. 

Guru Indra Rajan has had an illustrious career as an accomplished Bharatanatyam exponent, teacher and nattuvangam artist.

Indra was born in 1939 in an Isai Velalar family at Karaikal in Tamil Nadu. Her grandmother Sundarambal was a renowned Sadir dancer of her time, mother Sundara Kamakshi was a well-known musician, and paternal uncles KN Dandayudhapani Pillai and KN Pakkiriswami Pillai were eminent natyacharyas. Indra was initiated into dance under Kutralam Ganesa Pillai and had her arangetram at the age of nine. She continued her gurukulavasam and launched on an independent dance career when she was 13 years old.

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Interview - Tradition in Motion: Daksha Mashruwala on Choreography and Continuity - Ratikant Mohapatra

My association with Guru Daksha Mashruwala spans over four enriching decades. Both of us had the profound privilege of learning under the guidance of my revered father and Guru, Kelucharan Mohapatra. Over the years, I have watched Daksha evolve into a complete artiste—someone whose journey in Odissi reflects depth, dignity, and devotion. Her understanding of the art form is layered and sensitive, and she brings a unique finesse to both performance and pedagogy.

During my recent visit to Kolkata for my fellowship project work, I coincidentally met Daksha. This serendipitous meeting offered me the opportunity to engage in heartfelt and insightful dialogue with her. The conversations that followed became the foundation for this candid and enriching interview. It was truly a moment of shared reflections—rooted in memory, learning, and the timeless bond of Guruji’s teachings.

How was your overall experience conducting the workshop in Kolkata under the aegis of the Odissi Dancers’ Forum?
The workshop in Kolkata was an enriching and heartwarming experience. The Odissi Dancers’ Forum provided a nurturing and focused environment, and I felt deeply encouraged by the seriousness and dedication of the participants. It was a joy to witness the city's vibrant cultural energy channelled into the practice space each day.

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Interview - Darshana Jhaveri: Recording oral traditions for posterity - Tapati Chowdhurie

Darshana Jhaveri is a distinguished name in the field of Manipuri dance of Guru Bipin Singh style. I had the rare chance of meeting the octogenarian performer at the 51st Khajuraho Festival of dance. Chances like this are rare and I seized this opportunity to interview her. The following are some of her brilliant answers to my questions.

What inspired you to learn Manipuri dance?
The 40s were the times when the youth in Bombay (Bombay was renamed Mumbai on 6th March 1996) were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and Gurudev Tagore. Inspired to revive our ancient culture, we started learning classical and folk dances for stage performances.

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Book Review - Kathak in Focus: New Performing Arts book released in Pune - Kiran Java

A review of Elements of Dance in Natyashastra and Abhinayadarpan - This book is an exploration of traditional hand gestures as laid out in the two major dance treatises i.e., Natyashastra and Abhinaya Darpan, and their relevancy to Kathak classical dance.

Book Title: Elements of Dance in Natyashastra and Abhinayadarpan
Author: Dr. Nandkishore Kapote
Subject Area: Indian Classical Dance, Performing Arts, Kathak
Published by: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
Supported by: The Academic Development Programme supported by Infosys Foundation
Printed at: New Bharat Printers, Pune
Edition: 1st Edition January 2025
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 978-93-92194-90-0
Total photos: 196

Price: Rs.2000 

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