Obit/Tribute - Radha Bhaskar Menon: A life in rhythm, a legacy in grace - Bijoy Anand Shivram and Neethi Srikumar

In the evolving cultural tapestry of Ahmedabad in the 1970s where classical traditions had already found fertile ground through pioneering institutions like Mrinalini Sarabhai's Darpana Academy, Kumudini Lakhia's Kadamb Dance Center and Elakshiben Thakore's Nrityabharti, emerged a school that was intimate in spirit, uncompromising in discipline and luminous in vision - Mudra School of Indian Classical Dances, co-founded in 1973 by Radha Bhaskar Menon and her husband and fellow artiste Bhaskar Menon.

For us - Bijoy and Neethi, a brother-sister duo who would later become the first such pair in Gujarat to perform their Arangetram - Mudra was more than a school. It was our sanctuary, our forging ground and most profoundly, our home of art. At its heart stood Radha chechi and Bhasker aettan, as we fondly called them - our beloved Gurus, mentor and the guiding light of our earliest encounters with Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. 

Read more in the site

Please type your name / email id along with your comment. Anonymous and derogatory comments will be removed.

Unmute - Copyright Concerns: A Case study from Indian Music - Dr. Arshiya Sethi

At a time when the nation is mourning its dead tourists in the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack and containing enemy attacks through Operation Sindoor, I fear that not many would be interested about writings on music and the arts. Yet I do so because the bad times will pass and we will come back to being who we are- a civilization that values the arts and creativity, both of which flourish during times of peace. What I write today, is a tribute to those "achhe din" that lie ahead, round the corner, literally. It is also in keeping with the reason for my incessant writings on the lesser considered subject of arts and the law, as I want to imprint in the minds of all artists, the elements of the law that are uniquely applicable only to creative beings and which is both our right and our responsibility as stakeholders in the arts.

In this article, I focus on copyright. In recent days, the issue of copyright in the arts has been very much in the news, with the Delhi High Court hearing and then passing an interim order on case between Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar and A.R. Rahman. As this matter is sub-judice, I use only the facts in the public domain or those referred to in the order of Justice Pratibha Singh to reiterate some of the ideas and terms that are used in the understanding of Intellectual Property Rights.

 

Read more in the site

Please type your name / email id along with your comment. Anonymous and derogatory comments will be removed.

Article - Comedy Natyam - An experiment that marks the thick line between comedy and mockery - Ramaa Venugopalan

We all need to take life a little lightly. Laughing and adopting a comical perspective toward ideas or facts is healthy - so long as it does not cross the fine line into condescension and mockery.

History has shown us, time and again, how casual mockery, masked as "creativity," often leads to lasting consequences - for both individuals and communities. In the world of classical dance - Bharatanatyam in particular - we are witnessing a worrying trend: mocking our traditions, our Gods, our perspectives, and our very essence. This is not a new phenomenon. A slew of artistes, under the guise of being revolutionary, rebellious, or asserting creative freedom, personalize such approaches to gain quick fame and applause. 

Read more in the site

Please type your name / email id along with your comment. Anonymous and derogatory comments will be removed.

Tribute - A Dance Narrative Unbound, In memory of Kumudini Lakhia (May 17, 1930 - April 12, 2025) - Dr. Chitra Sharma

As I witnessed the arts unfold in their abstract dreams, my very being was drawn into the silent struggle of understanding the tangible through the intangible. To rebel against tradition, to transgress limitations, to give birth to something original - beyond theory, beyond scripture - must have been an unimaginable journey, Kumiben. And such a journey was never meant to unfold within the confines of Delhi. You left because what you sought had no precedent in Kathak.

Read more in the site

Please type your name / email id along with your comment. Anonymous and derogatory comments will be removed.

Article - MOVE 2025 - World Dance Day Online Festival - Michelle Jueney

Recap: International Dance Day was founded in 1982 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) to celebrate the birth anniversary of the creator of Modern Ballet, dancer Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810) on the 29th April every year. 

Read more in the site

Please type your name / email id along with your comment. Anonymous and derogatory comments will be removed.

They danced, we believed: Honouring a legacy that still breathes - Ratikant Mohapatra Calling

A life, in its truest sense, is sanctified when it is gifted with the rare opportunity to witness greatness - not from a distance, but in intimate nearness. I count myself immeasurably fortunate to have lived moments woven with the presence of two of the most divine embodiments of Indian classical dance: Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Pandit Birju Maharaj. To speak of them merely as legends would be to limit their magnitude; they were not only masters of their respective art forms but also vessels of divine rhythm, celestial grace, and boundless creative spirit. 

My journey with them was not confined to the stage or the rehearsal hall. It was in the quiet, unassuming spaces that I gathered pearls of wisdom - while traveling with them from city to city, accompanying their majestic renditions on the Mardala, assisting in the simple yet sacred act of preparing paan, and silently absorbing the philosophical cadence of their conversations. These were not merely memories - they were transformative experiences, each moment resonating with the vibration of legacy, discipline, and divine devotion.

Read more in the site

Please type your name / email id along with your comment. Anonymous and derogatory comments will be removed.

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.

Read more in the site

Please provide your name / email id along with your comment. Anonymous and derogatory comments will be removed.