Friday, 15 November 2024

Old n new winds!: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar


In dance, like in wine, old is gold. Guru Anuradha Shridhar is one such gold in the field of Indian dance, who has kept the tradition intact, trained new generation well and maintained dignity and standards in the form. She's a chip off the old block, so to say. Anuradha's early life and dedication to Bharatanatyam are deeply rooted in her cultural heritage and familial background. Born into a family of musicians and Vedic scholars, with her father, the late H.S. Chandrashekhar Shastri being a revered mridangam vidwan and Vedic scholar, and her mother, Leela Shekhar, also a musician and homemaker, she was naturally immersed in the world of music and dance from a young age.

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12 comments:

  1. Yashaswini (mother of Adithi Vikram)15 November 2024 at 16:54

    First of all, thank you, Sir, for this wonderful article on our beloved Guru, Anuradha Ma’am. She is the epitome of Kalakshetra Bharatanatyam. Not only that, but she is also an inspiration to many people. She easily understands her students' minds and helps them cultivate their overall personality. We are very blessed to have Shridhar Sir and Anuradha ma’am as our Guru’s ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป. Thank you very much ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿป

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  2. It's the most gratifying and fulfilling feeling to read your article on Guru Anuradha and of course, Snigdha as well. We, as parents and Snigdha, feel indebted for those kind but apt paragraphs.

    Yes, coming from a true connoisseur of the Indian art form with decades of experience in the field having watched innumerable talents perform on various stages means Snigdha is on the right track.

    With Guru's guidance and the internationally renowned foremost art historian's kind blessings, Snigdha will be well prepared to traverse the challenging road ahead in her pursuit of the divine art form. As parents, we earnestly hope and pray Snigdha's future endeavours would be noticed and blessed by your good self.

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    1. Of course, the major credit accrues to Guru Shri. Shridhar for not only shaping the initial years of Snigdha's fledgling steps in the divine art form but also transforming her into what she will eventually emerge while pursuing the same. The invaluable values inculcated in her by Guru Shridhar is showing small signs of manifestation now. Hope it truly fructifies sooner than later. The journey of a decade plus with Guru Shridhar has been one of truly life altering for Snigdha. Yes, the Khechara Academy has been no less than a second home to her. It's very rare to find such supremely dedicated Guru to this divine art form. May his tribe keep growing perpetually.

      Indeed Guru Smt. Anuradha Shridhar has been a remarkable teacher in upholding the true virtues of the classical art form with absolute devotion and diligence. A stickler to the norms and a tough task master to the core, but with a heart of gold. Pray to the Almighty to bless her with an abundance of energy and zeal to go about shaping innumerable wannabe dancers. Snigdha is indeed blessed to be firmly ensconced under her wings.

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  4. Awesome article!

    The great inspiring journey full of artistic creations & contributions of the accomplished artist couple Smt Anuradha Shridhar & Dr Shridhar, has been extremely well covered by such a renowned historian himself. This indeed goes into history as deserved.

    Snigdha, a natural talent well groomed by gurus, deserved every appreciation the author has showered here… having seen this very awesome performance of her.

    My hearty congratulations to gurus & the star disciple!

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  5. Shriti (student and now a parent)15 November 2024 at 22:20

    A fine diamond needs to go through a lot of pain as a stone to be called as diamond. There are many such diamonds that are crafted carefully to perfection. Why am I talking about diamonds on this platform..well it's because that's what Anuradha maam does to each and every child she teaches. I have been a student to sir and maam myself, but due to my education I had to discontinue. My dreams of being a dancer is being fulfilled by my daughter kashvi who is being beautifully crafted under the love of Maam, yes love the pure and unconditional love maam showers on each child is just like she does on Anagha her daughter. As sir has rightly said in the article the arengetram is just a name, they are so will prepared for their exams that they have the confidence to face the audienece than itself. We are blessed to be under the guidance of her as parents. Thank you ma'am, for taking our children as your shishyes. No words to express my gratitude towards the dedication u show towards making each one of them perfect.

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  6. Namaste sir๐Ÿ™
    Thank you so much for writing this article, on our beloved Anuradha mam, our heart felt gratitude to you sir.
    We are always grateful to our teachers for supporting and enlightening all the way. Your teachings ,dedication will always lead us to the right path and inspires us to be better human beings....Learning the great art form from them has been a great experience, as they teach not only dance but discipline, dedication, and devotion to art .
    Being a student of khechara Acadamy am eternally grateful to God to have great Gurus like Shridhar sir, Anuradha mam and Anagha Akka. Thank you for all the goodness and advice you have showered us with and being the source of inspiration and guidance to many of us.

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  7. Such a beautifully written article capturing the remarkable journey of our Guru Smt. Anuradha Shridhar in the world of Bharatanatyam! Her passion for the art form, meticulous attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to preserving its authenticity have been truly inspiring to all her students. I feel immense pride and gratitude to have learned under her guidance, as she not only imparts technical excellence but also nurtures a deep understanding of the emotion and spirituality that Bharatanatyam embodies. Congratulations to Snigdha on her arangetram, and heartfelt thanks to Narthaki magazine for beautifully showcasing our guru’s unparalleled dedication, artistry, and enduring legacy in this timeless art form!

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  8. Lakshmi Sudha Dubey16 November 2024 at 08:32

    Thank u Ashish sir for the beautiful presentation of different performances and the Performers๐Ÿ™.Such a well description of Anuradha mam.
    As a mother of the student at Khechara Acadamey,I am filled with gratitude for Shridhar sir and Anuradha mam.
    The students at the Academy are not only trained in the art of dance but also guided with human values.
    True picture of Guru-Shisya parampara.
    The effort and dedication shown by Mam and Sir for the performances at the academy are commendable.What I always feel is the presence of DIVINITY in the performances of students.
    We are blessed to witness such performances.๐Ÿ™

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  9. Student Name - Bandhavi Reddy
    Parent Name - Shilpa M
    With the blessings of God, My daughter is blessed to have you both as Gurus - Anuradha Mam and Sridhar Sir for teaching Bharatanatyam Dance. Your dedication and passion towards dance is endless. It carries both discipline and culture towards our future generations. Thank you so much Ashish Sir for your wonderful article๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™

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  10. Students name- Lakshmi Nandhana
    Parent- P Bhavitha
    This article is beautifully written, Anuradha maam is indeed the best dancer and guru out there, my daughter is truly lucky to be learning this amazing art under her guidance, she has truly brought out the the best in her mentally physically and spiritually. Thank you so much for carrying the amazing culture of our country and glorifying it with such grace, commitment and devotion. Extremely blessed๐Ÿ™

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  11. We as parents of Snigdha would like to thank you Khokharji for your wonderful words and blessings on our daughter.Pranaam ๐Ÿ™

    And I would like to thank gurus Dr Shridhar and Smt.Anuradha Shridhar for shaping our daughter and showing the path of divine art form of Bharatanatyam.

    I take this opportunity to mention here that Snigdha learnt the art form for 10 years under Dr.Shridhar and last 2.5 years under Guru Anuradha Shridhar leading up to the successful conclusion of Rangapravesha. Thank you so much Sir and Ma’am.

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