Article - In Me - The Shishya and the Guru - Dr. Lata Surendra

Abstract:

In Me - The Shishya and The Guru:
The Dualistic Paradigm of Shishya and Guru in the Eternal Continuum of Learning

The paper explores the epistemological and ontological dimensions of lifelong learning through the dual lens of the Shishya (the perpetual student) and the Guru (the inner teacher). Rooted in the rich philosophical heritage of India, this study unpacks the multi-tiered evolution of mentorship - tracing the spiritual and intellectual trajectory from Upadhyaya (skill instructor) to Acharya (the exemplar of conduct) and, ultimately, to Guru (the absolute dispeller of existential darkness). Drawing upon a shared global tapestry of insights, the narrative synthesises the existential angst of Western thought (Eliot, Sartre, Kafka, Dostoevsky), the abstract spatial geometries of modern painters (Kandinsky, Van Gogh), the humanist architecture of Rabindranath Tagore, and the moral and contemplative rigour of East Asian classical traditions (Confucius and Japanese Zen Buddhist aesthetics). On the occasion of Teacher's Day, and in alignment with the seminal warnings of philosopher-statesman Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the author argues that true intellect resides not in the accumulation of empirical certainty, but in the radical vulnerability of acknowledging one's own profound ignorance. The paper establishes that the act of giving (teaching) is intrinsically an act of receiving (learning); by interacting with the diverse human "moulds" of life, latent wisdom, historical experiences, and artistic masteries are reawakened and transmuted into immediate tools of comprehension. Ultimately, the paper positions life's inevitable crises - typified by the divine alchemy of Sri Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra - as the supreme catalyst for spiritual unravelling and self-realization. The study concludes with a phenomenological reflection on macro-micro cosmic unity, asserting that the deepest depths of universal wisdom do not require external conquest, but an open, receptive heart capable of listening to the echoing depths of the infinite cosmos mirrored in the most ordinary fragments of nature. 

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Article - Beyond Familiarity: Authenticity, Adaptation, and the Odissi Experience - Dr. Rohini Dandavate

Ever since I migrated to the U.S., I have sought to remain rooted in the authenticity and integrity of the Odissi style while finding ways to connect with audiences unfamiliar with its traditions, aesthetics, and cultural contexts. For me, the tension between authenticity and adaptation has never been about choosing one over the other. Rather, it has been a continuing process of understanding what must remain rooted in the tradition and what can evolve so that Odissi can speak meaningfully within the multicultural context of my adopted home.

Authenticity, as I understand it, cannot be static. Odissi itself has evolved through many historical transitions - from temple traditions and Mahari and Gotipua practices to its modern reconstruction and codification. Authenticity, therefore, is not the preservation of a frozen historical moment, but an ongoing relationship with tradition. My challenge has been to translate the form without losing its grammar, integrity, or cultural memory, while making it possible for audiences to encounter Odissi without first needing to understand all that lies behind it.

My experiments in translation began almost a month after my arrival in Ohio. In one of my earliest presentations, for a class of kindergarteners, I quickly learned from these five-year-olds that I needed to begin with stories and images familiar to them. Their response prompted me to think, learn, and discover new ways of presenting Odissi that could create curiosity about a movement language they had never encountered. 

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Interview - We worship Bharata Muni in Thailand: Bharatanatyam dancer Awassada Kilnsukhon - Shyamhari Chakra

She was in her mid-20's when she represented her country in the historic international conclave on Indian dance hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Sangeet Natak Akademi in New Delhi two years ago. The youngest delegate in the meet, she was one of the panelists to speak in the important and interesting session on Indian dance diaspora.

She is Bharatanatyam dancer Awassada Kilnsukhon from Thailand who was in India for two years and recently returned to her country upon completion of her masters in Bharatanatyam from Banaras Hindu University.

How did you get interested in dance?
I was born into a family of Thai classical musicians. Therefore, I grew up surrounded by the arts traditions of ancient Thailand. As a kid, I was quite fond of dancing. I began learning classical Thai dance as part of my school's dance curriculum from kindergarten when I was just four years old.

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Anita says...September 2026

 Aaaand... hello again!

Another month goes by. Another capture through my personal lens. Another set of thoughts shared. As Time marches on and tastes shift and change, it is a challenge to find that common ground that you, the reader who can be - dancer, choreographer, guru, teacher, musician, composer, costume designer, lighting director, Arts manager or anyone who is interested or working in the performing arts sector can connect to. Being a senior in the field, I realise that many of my views are shaped by the long decades of learning, performing, producing, curating, mentoring, speaking and writing about dance and society. I write and speak as I see it.

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Monsoon showers along with a program deluge - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

PARAMPARA FESTIVAL

Following a fairly barren two months, came a deluge of programmes in the capital starting with the annual Parampara Festival of the Reddys – which this year, considering the vagaries of sudden monsoon showers, was held at the Kamani auditorium, instead of the usual haunt of their own open-air theatre in their Saket home....

 

SARE JAHAN SE ACHCHA

Odissi exponent Ranjana Gauhar’s annual festival Sare Jahan se Achcha, began in the customary way established so far with the first evening being devoted to a presentation by the host institution Utsav. This year’s presentation Chitrangada based on Tagore’s play, with concept, script and direction by Ranjana and music direction by Saroj Mohanty, had Sandeep Dutta’s technical direction, for what has become the institution’s most prolifically staged nritta natika presentation.....

UNUSUAL KUCHIPUDI/KATHAK PERFORMANCE
Performing for a Delhi audience for the first time, Ritusri Chowdhuri and Amrita Singh settled in Kolkata, provided an evening of Kathak and Kuchipudi respectively, at the Stein auditorium....

REGALING TWOSOME FOR IIC’S MONSOON FESTIVAL

Geetanjali Acharya, a student of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, trained in Srjan, the Guru’s Odissi institution, performing at the IIC , given the brief recital, comprising the first half of the first evening, for the two-day Monsoon Festival, showed in her dance the unmistakable stylistic impact of the Guru. 

The Odissi recital was followed by a superb Bharatanatyam presentation by Apeksha Kamath, a student of Indira Kadambi of Bangalore. For the first time after a number of years, one found a dancer stressing the idea of the Monsoon (in the title of the event) as a central theme, while planning the recital....

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Article - The Ethics of Dance Critique: Why it matters who writes - Anita Vallabh

(The article first appeared in Global Indian Artist™ LLC, dated July 19, 2026)

In an interview, the former New York Times chief dance critic Alastair Macaulay described his work this way: “To reconcile heart and head; to show how emotion and intelligence can combine when absorbing works of art. To report on and to evoke an event for those who weren't there. To provoke and enrich discussion of dance. To help people show how many elements - how many values - go into the process of judgment.”

It's an apt description of the critic's role: feel deeply, think clearly, write truthfully. But behind those thoughts, lies an ethical terrain every dance critic must navigate.

I started critiquing in 2014 for no other reason than my love for writing and dance. My first critique was on a performance by my gurus, The Dhananjayans and published in Narthaki. Soon after, I had a conversation with my Gurus about what I had written. In that exchange, I understood the power of words and the responsibility to choose them with care.

It was then I realized that if I wished to write honestly and critically, I could not also remain a performing artist in the same spaces. I made a conscious decision to step away from the stage and commit to critiquing. In the eleven years since, apart from the occasional performance for a non-profit or community event, I have not danced publicly. My love for dancing will never vane, I think of my transition form dancer to writer as expanding the artistic canvas. 

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Prism - Mohiniyattam: Identity and Aesthetics - V. Kaladharan

Kerala, the south-west tip of the Indian sub-continent, can boast of giving birth to several highly evolved traditional performing arts viz. Kutiyattam, Krishnanattam, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam and Thullal, a semi-stylized solo dance-theatre narrative. Except Kutiyattam the first stage performance of which is deemed to have taken place between the 10th and the 11th century AD, the rest of the artforms came into being in the 17th century AD. Thullal dates back to the 18th century. While there are convincing evidences to establish the period of origin of Krishnanattam, Kathakali and Thullal, the history and development of Mohiniyattam prior to the establishment of Kerala Kalamandalam in the early 20th century is still shrouded in mystery not withstanding multiple references from various sources made by genuine and pretentious scholars over a period of time. Even the so called Mohiniyattam which poet laureate, Vallathol Narayan Menon, resurrected at Kerala Kalamandalam way back in the 1930's, was the remnant of its glorious past. 

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