Narthaki - Obituaries 2025

2025

VIMALA RANGACHAR (96) passed away on 25th February 2025 in Bangalore. She was the granddaughter of Venkataranga Iyengar, one of the founders of Malleswaram in the late 19th century. Fondly known as Vimala aunty, she was a vibrant personality. A promoter and lover of the arts, a patron of crafts and textiles, theatre personality, she was a pillar of strength to several organizations and educational institutions. As an educationist, she was one of the founders of the reputed Mysore Education Society (MES) in Bengaluru in 1956 and was involved in running many education institutions of the MES till her demise as a member of its management committee. She was one of the founders of the Malleswaram Enterprising Women’s Society (MEWS), and a patron of Seva Sadan.
Vimala Rangachar was active in promoting performing arts and traditional crafts. Much before Ranga Shankara or Ravindra Kalakshetra came up in Bengaluru, Vimala Rangachar had taken the initiative to build ADA Rangamandira (Amateur Dramatic Associates Theater) on J. C. Road.
She was among those responsible for setting up the Jawahar Bal Bhavan at Cubbon Park in the early 1970s, where she created space for theatre as well. She received the Rajyotsava award in 2003. She will be fondly remembered for years to come.

More info:
Multi-faceted cultural personality and Mysore Education Society co-founder Vimala Rangachar passes away in Bengaluru
- KV Aditya Bharadwaj

Guru MAYADHAR RAUT (July 6, 1933 - February 22, 2025)
Guru MAYADHAR RAUT, the doyen of Odissi, passed away on February 22, 2025 at New Delhi. He was 92.
His training to become one of the foremost artistes of the dance form began at the age of seven with learning the Gotipua dance form, a precursor to the classical Odissi dance. Raut was the first to present the Gotipua dance on stage in 1944. He was a founding member of Kala Vikas Kendra in Cuttack in 1952; it was the first institute in India where Odissi was taught.
Raut was one of the founder members of Jayantika, an association of scholars, performers and gurus, formed in 1959, that played a major part in the reconstruction of modern Odissi through codification and development of the dance form while building its vocabulary by incorporating basic science of abhinaya. He is credited with steering the revival of Odissi with Shastra-based knowledge. He also had great mastery over ancient treatises like Natyashastra, Abhinaya Darpana and Abhinaya Chandrika and adopted many aspects from them into Odissi. He is credited to have introduced sanchari bhava, Mudra Viniyoga, and Rasa Theory in the study of Odissi. He was the first to adapt Gita Govinda ashtapadis to Odissi on stage. Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium was inaugurated with the performance of his Gita Govinda in 1971.
He has been honored with many awards including Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1977), Sahitya Kala Prishad Award (1984), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), Rajeev Gandhi Sadbhavana Award (2003), Upendra Bhanja Samman (2005), and Tagore Akademi Ratna (2011).
He is survived by his daughter Odissi dancer Madhumita Raut, and sons Manoj and Manmath Raut. His wife Mamta Raut died in 2017.
More info:
Tribute to a legend: Natyacharya Mayadhar Raut
- V.P. Dhananjayan

Odissi Guru Mayadhar Raut: The last giant man standing just fell
- Ashish Khokar

Veteran make-up artiste SETHUMADHAVAN passed away in Chennai on January 13, 2025.

Kathak Guru CHITRA VENUGOPAL passed away in Bangalore on January 3, 2025. Born on 28 July 1936, Chitra Venugopal, the younger sister of Kathak guru Maya Rao, hailed from a family of artistes.

For Chitra, an art which was taken up as a hobby, turned out to be a specialized study. After completing her BA, she was awarded the Government of India Scholarship for study in Kathak at Bharatiya Kala Kendra (now Kathak Kendra). Chitra was the second South Indian to receive this award. Initially trained by Guru Sohanlal of Jaipur Gharana, she had the opportunity of being trained by Gurus Shambu Maharaj, Birju Maharaj, Devendra Shanker and Maya Rao. On completion of her specialized training in Kathak, Chitra propagated Kathak in places where it was not popular.

Chitra continued her work abroad from 1979 to 1988 in the UK and Egypt, where her husband was on an assignment with a multinational company. On returning to India in 1988, Chitra settled down in her hometown Bangalore, and was actively involved in coaching of students at Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography. Chitra joined Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 2000 as a Head of the Kathak training section in the Visual and Performing Arts of Kala Bharati, a cultural wing of the Bhavan. After a ten year association with Bhavan and 60 years of dance career, at the age of 75 she decided to hand over the baton to the younger generation to pursue the activity she had initiated at the Bhavan.

Chitra was appointed as Chairman of the Text Book Committee for the first text book released for Junior exams for Kathak in 1994. She was a recipient of the Senior Fellowship Award for research in 'Abhinaya in Kathak' bestowed by the Ministry of HRD, Central Government for the years 2000-2002. Her masterpiece was the choreography of ‘Abhigyana Shakuntalam’ which integrated Kathak, Kandyan and Bharatanatyam styles.