Simple tale of 'Arisi: Rice' spins lavish cross cultural entertainment - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

The occasion under the aegis of the Music Academy was the Usha Marti Subrahmanyam Endowment Dance Program on Jan 15, 2024, with a packed hall of Chennai's socialites, treated to Singapore-based Apsaras Arts Dance Company's presentation of a lavish multidisciplinary production, innovatively conceived by Artistic Director Aravinth Kumarasamy, designed on what is taken for granted as a mundane everyday part of life - namely ARISI:RICE! Sharing the stage were Bharatanatyam dancers of Apsaras Arts, guest dancers from India, and Balinese dancers from the GEOK Ensemble....

The Narthaki Studio Series held amidst the very special ambience of Anita Ratnam's home has over the years, offered performance space for off-beat programs not attracting conventional Sabha patronage, during the Chennai Season. Hailing from a powerful musical tradition, wherein the reason-to-be for the Dance, is the Music, Aniruddha Knight, as performer, while remaining faithful to the musical heritage, (expressed in movement improvisation in Bharatanatyam through gestures and abhinaya) has shown himself to be a fine teacher....

Seldom has a Lifetime Achievement Award evoked such a warm response of total approbation, as when Bragha Bessell received one bestowed on her by Prof. M. Ekambaranathan Educational and Charitable Trust on an evening arranged at Tag Centre....

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India's biggest annual dance conference: The Natya Kala Conference - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

The Natya Kala Conference is an annual feature of the Krishna Gana Sabha. For those outside Tamil cultural landscape (and this portal and column travels far in the virtual world) sabhas are basically registered art bodies /societies from last century that serve the cause of the arts and culture. What began as a guild is now gold in terms of land and location; power and pelf. Trustees and members are either eminent citizens or families and they are pillars of the art eco systems. They dispense patronage while creating trends. Each may have preferences and power structures, yet, most are genuine and totally devoted to the purpose it was set up for.

So, the Krishna Gana Sabha (KGS) has for 40 years held the NKC (Natya Kala Conference). The current head Y Prabhu (son of R Yagnaraman who started and steered it for decades) with daughter Saashwathi are in-charge and do their duty with finesse, advised by stalwarts and icons in the field.

Rama Vaidyanathan needs no introduction to Indian dance audiences worldwide. A Delhi-based Bharatanatyam dancer, she is now also a star with substance and spunk. A student of Bharatanatyam's benchmark icon Yamini Krishnamurti, Rama is now herself a benchmark in dance and NKC convenorship. This year was dedicated to 'Swarna Saroja' in memory of her mother-in-law, Saroja Vaidyanathan, a veteran Delhi based Bharatanatyam dancer guru who started the Ganesa Natyalaya, whose 50th year anniversary too was being celebrated. 

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Anita says...January 2024

DREAM. DARE. DO
CARE. CLEAR. CHERISH
LISTEN. LEARN. LET GO
ABSORB. ADMIRE. APPLAUD
REFRESH. REFINE. REBOOT
LET’S GO 2024!

Happy New Year
We have done it!

Navigated through the past 12 months to replace our calendars and look forward to a brand new year.

The year 2024 is the Chinese year of the Dragon.
The United Nations has declared this year to be the year of CAMELIDS, a cluster of animals that include Llamas, camels, Alpacas and others who are vital to the indigenous peoples and local communities.

In 2023, some may have sailed through. Others trudged... some soared... or crawled... or limped... does not matter... we have all reached the starting point of yet another year... and it is a leap year!

What does it mean for us as a creative community?
What can we do to make our lives and our immediate world safer, more harmonious and more vibrant? What can we do for ourselves and our emotional well-being?

Coming to you from Chennai, I know what a roller coaster year it has been. And how strange the fluctuating moods of the final month were for my city and myself.

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Article - Harmony in Strings and Equations: Unravelling the mathematical beauty of veena - Dr. Sahana Prasad

Being a Mathematics and Data Science person, I always look for patterns and well-defined systems. When I restarted my veena lessons after a huge gap, I was able to appreciate the instrument, the divine veena. Not only was I able to enjoy the calming effects of music, especially when the string is pulled using the right pressure and the sound is allowed to gradually die away, before pressing the next sound, but also observe a strong link between the veena and science of mathematics. 

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UNbox and outta box! - Dance Matters: Column by Ashish Mohan Khokar

UNbox is the latest attempt to brand Bangalore. Earlier attempts were worthy but faded away without staying power and change in admin. As part of the 11 days feast, classical dance was offered by the UNbox Bangalore Habba team at Medea in Koramangala....

Crowds came in abundance to NADAM's 24th year Kalanadam festival at ADA Rangamandira. The hall has seen better days. Even with enhanced facilities, especially parking and elevator, the staff is nonchalant, uncooperative and plain rude. They are getting a salary for work but act as though they are doing a favour! I would tell the owners to replace them with younger, more qualified professionals if these think they are doing social service. Lights go off when needed most; elevator switched off unless you can prove you are above 80 and can't climb steps. NONSENSE.

NADAM made sense despite that and for three days brought a dance palette of taste and substance. On day one were the popular local razz-m-tazz Kathak duo Nirupama and Rajendra. Day two was Odissi from the soil by Meera Das group and G. Narendra solo. Day three was Mohiniattam by Sunanda Nair, then Kathak by Nadam ensemble and Bharatanatyam by Poornima Ashok....

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Article - The music of the Geeta Govinda - Dr.Ileana Citaristi

(Excerpt from: I. Citaristi, Odissi and the Geeta Govinda, New Delhi, Manohar Publisher, 2022)

The first English translation of the Geeta Govinda to appear in the West was the one published by Sir William Jones in 1792. In the preface to the book he writes:
"When I first read the songs of Jayadeva who has prefixed to each the names of the mode in which it has to be sung, I had hoped to procure the original music, but the pundits of the South referred me to those of the West and the Brahmans of the West would have sent me to those of the North while they of Nepal and Kashmir declared that they had no ancient music but imagined that the notes of the Geeta Govinda must exist if anywhere, where the poet was born."

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Interview - Raja Reddy: We merge originality with traditional forms - Tapati Chowdhurie

The name of Raja-Radha Reddy is synonymous with Kuchipudi dance. Their illustrious career spanning over more than half a century has created a bench mark, which is hard to achieve. Their performances, public or private, in the country or outside have gained them a reputation for rare excellence and technical perfection. Both Raja and Radha Reddy got the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan individually and simultaneously for the same cause of propagating Kuchipudi dance. That created history. Similarly they were decorated with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award too.

Sitting in the well-equipped library of his dance institution Natya Tarangini - running for the last 47 years - in Pushp Vihar in New Delhi, this writer had the rare opportunity of interviewing Raja Reddy, the doyen of Kuchipudi dance.  

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