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 Sathyanarayana Raju: A life in dance- V.V. Ramanie-mail: ramanigaru@gmail.com Photos: Srivatsa Shandilya January 5, 2026  He wanted to celebrate the milestone moment, his sixtieth birthday with what he loved the most in his life - Dance. He felt that this opportunity had to be utilized meaningfully by way of an offering to the lord of dance Nataraja, who had bestowed and blessed him with the art. Sathyanarayana Raju embarked on a marathon effort to dance the Ashtaragamalika varnam composed by Tanjore Quartette sixty times before his birthday. The very next day after this thought surfaced, he got an invitation from Guru M R Krishnamoorthy of Kalakshiti to perform for his organization. Sathya began the first in the series there and subsequently more and more opportunities came his way, and on 6th January 2026 he completes the sixtieth performance of his Anjali. "It is the grace of the lord that I have been able to complete my offering," says Sathya. Hailing from a family of landlords immersed in farming and wrestling, dance was a far cry in the house of Sathyanarayana Raju. However, destiny beckoned him. A routine visit where he accompanied his mother for a Telugu movie 'Siri Siri Muvva' changed his life. He was mesmerized by the beauty and dancing of Jayapradha and charged with excitement and passion he started dancing and the rice fields of his family became the space to express his moves.  One fine day, hearing the sounds of 'Thattukazhi ' in his neighbourhood, the 17 year old boy, wondering if a boy would be taught dance, walked into the dance class of Guru Subhadra. With Rs 20 as guru dakshina, he began his training and was initiated into dance systematically that gave him his strong foundation in Bharatanatyam. After his guru's move to another city post marriage, he came under the tutelage of Guru Narmada who chiseled and perfected his art. He also had a long foray into learning and performing Kathak from Dr Maya Rao and Chitra Venugopal. Finally, he chose to pursue a career in Bharatanatyam. Thereafter, it was a journey fraught with challenges, one filled with highs and lows being a male dancer. He gradually progressed from performing in small places to mainstream venues, slowly carving a name for himself as a dancer of merit. Among his many creative choreographies, 'Rama Katha', a solo feature on Rama has garnered wide acclaim. He established his dance school, Samskruthi-The Temple of Art and has also been organizing a national festival for 15 years to promote and nurture young dancers.  Rama Katha Having performed widely in India and abroad, many accolades and recognitions like Karnataka Kalashree, Narthaka Award and many others have come his way. He is the Asthana Vidwan of Hariharapura Shreemath. "Above all these, the greatest satisfaction comes from the joy that I derive from dance," says Sathya. "This Ashtaragamalika varnam is closest to my heart and the shringara rasa that it embodies has been something I relate to. A set of 8 Jathiswaram and 6 swara passages that this varnam encompasses, inspired me to choose this composition for my homage. I have maintained the choreography exactly as it was taught to me." "Sharath Prabhath, a scholar and dancer, coined the name 'Shasthi Varna Chakra' for this series. Each time I have performed it in the mode of total surrender to Lord Nataraja and it is his benevolence that has been my strength in accomplishing this mega effort. I wanted to do each performance only to live music and this would not have been possible without the support of all the musicians who so generously came forward to perform for me without any expectations".  As he completes the homage with a mega sixtieth birthday celebratory performance, Sathyanarayana Raju is filled with gratitude to the almighty, all his gurus, students and rasikas for making his journey in dance so memorable. Beyond all these achievements, the starry-eyed boy whose destiny was shaped by Jayaprada's dance is still looking forward to performing in her presence sometime.  V.V. Ramani is a Chennai based multi-dimensional artist working in diverse fields ranging from collages and painting, teaching art, textile and costume designing, stage sets designing and wedding decor, to writing on visual and performing arts. Post your comments Please provide your name along with your comment. All appropriate comments posted with name in the blog will also be featured in the site. |
