January 2022
ANITA SAYS.....
The distinction between past, present and future
is only a stubbornly persistent illusion
- Albert Einstein
Sometimes the smallest things take up
The most place in your heart
- Winnie the Pooh
Welcome to a brand new Year
And YEAR #3 of the VIRUS
As New Year's Eve revelries were cancelled all across India, the week
before Christmas witnessed a huge surge of crowds in every public space.
Malls, restaurants, theatres, shops, bars and every citadel of faith.
Anniversaries and celebrations were jam packed with everyone wanting to
squeeze the last ounce of in-person laughter before being banished once
again to their homes and the dreary monotony of watching the world
through the flat screen.
Read on...
ROVING EYE 
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Margazhi Bytes Series by NeoNarthaki
While the performing arts take centre stage during the Madras
Margazhi Season, it does not exist in isolation. A plethora of allied
businesses and professions also work through the season from backstage
to ensure that the audience have an enthralling experience with the
arts.
In December 2021, team NeoNarthaki presented Margazhi Bytes,
a glimpse into the unique small business clusters --- from flower
vendors to instrument makers, from costume designers to Rangoli artists
-- through all those who add colour, pomp and festivity to the season.
Visit @neonarthaki on Instagram to watch the Margazhi Bytes series!
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TAKITATOM
The French disciples of V.S.
MUTHUSWAMY PILLAI pay homage to him on January 18, 2022 in Paris
on the occasion of his 30th death anniversary.
UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage has put DURGA PUJA IN KOLKATA on the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity.
ANITA GUHA's Bharatanjali troupe and PAVITRA BHAT/APARNA SHASTRY's
disciples to perform in the 75th Independence Republic Day parade
celebrations in Delhi on January 26, 2022.
Bharatanatyam dancer VIJI RAO receives Best Actress Award from
MALAIKANDAN International Film Festival and GONA film awards for her
work in the short film "COLORS OF TRUTH" directed and produced by
Rabinder Parasher.
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AWARDS
The recipients of this year's KALA
PRADARSHINI GHANTASALA PURASKAR on Dec 4, 2021 are: K. Viswanath
(director), Dr. L. Subramaniam (violin maestro) and Dr. Vedantam
Radheshyam (Kuchipudi exponent).
PUTHUMANA GOVINDAN NAMBOOTHIRI, chief revivalist and exponent of
Thidambu Nritham (a temple dance prevalent in Kerala) received the
KERALA STATE AWARD by Kerala Folklore Academy on December 7, 2021.
The Unblemished One - a dance film by ANJANA GHONASGI for Narthaki.com's
Devi Diaries 2021 has won 2 awards at White Unicorn International Film
Festival (WUIFF) in the categories of 'Experimental Film' & 'Film on
Women.'
SHIJITH NAMBIAR and PARVATHY MENON have been conferred the 5th BHARAT
KALA RATNA award for 2020 on Dec 11, 2021 by Kerala based Navaneetham
Trust. It carries a plaque and purse of Rs.25,000.
SREKALA BHARATH received the NAATYA PADHMAM award from Brahma Gana Sabha on December 24, 2021 in Chennai.
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 Levitate - Art by dancer / artist Himanshu Srivastava
TAALAM: COLUMN BY LEELA VENKATARAMAN
Parampara Festival: Unusual jugalbandis of different regional genres of music and dance
For the silver jubilee of the annual Parampara Festival mounted by Raja /
Radha / Kaushalya Reddy's Natya Tarangini, was this year's unusual
concept of jugalbandis comprising interactions of music, dance,
percussion traditions, belonging to different regional genres.
Grandeur of Kathakali which never fails to awe
For Kalakshetra's three day Kathakali festival Bhava
Bhavanam Anubhavam, the first day's presentation comprising
scenes from the 4th part of Nalacharitam, had its curtain raiser in a
neatly rendered Purappadu invocation by dancers of Kalakshetra.
SOCH: COLUMN BY DR. ARSHIYA SETHI
The Dancing Advertisements: Do they benefit the arts?
Advertisements that have used dance and dance moves. Those that
have used well known dances consciously, those that have used well known
dancers, sometimes as dancers and sometimes as very animated actors,
those that have used dance and dancers only as mise-en-scene, and those
that have used dance moves to suggest mood and 'masti'.
DANCE MATTERS: COLUMN BY ASHISH MOHAN KHOKAR
The A to Z of dance in 2021!
Anita Ratnam kept the flame aglow in dark and depressing times with
posts, photos, portal upgrade and professionally seeking answers through
an Impact Questionnaire which hopefully most filled there and then. I
did.
Performing Artists and the Law: An unexplored and ignorant landscape of exclusive rights of performers as performers
- Somabha Bandopadhay
In the Indian context, it would be a shocker if a performer is
introduced to the bill of performers' rights. I don't know how many
would believe it. But it is true. Performers have exclusive rights as
performers.
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ATMA SHANTI
Bharatanatyam Guru RANGANAYAKI JAYARAMAN passed away on December 1, 2021
in Chennai. Sri Saraswathy Gana Nilayam Trust (SGN) was founded in 1939
by K. Lalitha to impart training in Bharatanatyam, veena, and vocal
music to the children in the Triplicane neighborhood of Chennai.
Ranganayaki Jayaraman took over the leadership of the school after the
demise of K. Lalitha. The institution now focuses on Bharatanatyam and
many SGN students now run their own Bharatanatyam schools. She is
specially known for her group choreography and dynamic nattuvangam. Her
popular group productions include: Lalitha Prabhavam, Deiveega
Vahanangal, Shakthi Prabhavam, Navarasa Nayaki, and Bhakthiyin Shakthi.
Ranganayaki was also well-versed in Carnatic vocal, veena, flute,
harmonium and mridangam. She was a graded veena artist in All India
Radio and has composed some popular veena ensembles, such as 'Pancha
Tala Priya Malika' and 'Pancha Raga Oudava Malika' for Doordarshan TV.
In July 2008, she led the 70th anniversary celebrations of Sri
Saraswathy Gana Nilayam Trust in Chennai.
Ranganayaki Jayaraman received a number of awards and honours for her
contribution to Bharatanatyam as a dancer and teacher. She received the
Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2018, Nrithya Ratnakara by Cleveland
Aradhana in 2013, Natya Kalanidhi by ABHAI in 2012, Nritya Rathna by
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 2011, Bheeshma Award by Ashram School in 2010,
Nrithya Kala Nipuna by Mylapore Fine Arts in 2009, and Kalaimamani in
1995, to name a few.
Based in London, pioneering stage artiste ALAKNANDA SAMARTH, who
popularly portrayed the landmark role of Miss Julie when she was 19,
passed away on December 6, 2021. She had worked with some of the
pioneers of modern Indian theatre such as Ebrahim Alkazi and Satyadev
Dubey. She collaborated with visual artist Nalini Malani, filmmaker
Kumar Shahani, and taught students of National School of Drama and the
Trichur School of Drama.
Alaknanda Samarth: A rare jewel of the theatre world lost
- Dr. S.D. Desai
MADAMANA SANKARAN EMBRANTHIRI (84), first Guru of Puthumana Govindan
Namboothiri, thidambu nritham (700 year old Kerala temple dance
form) exponent, passed away on December 20, 2021 at Neeleswaram,
Kasaragod district, Kerala.
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LOOK OUT FOR
Dance Conversations: Indian Dance in Southern California, a Retrospective
Over the course of this 'conversation' series with Ramya Harishankar,
the spotlight is on dancers, academics, musicians, Gurus, and colleagues
from all over the world, all walks of life, and reflect both on the
legacy and heritage that dance represents and the future that it can
fulfill, as it is imparted onto a new generation. The series playlist is
available on the Arpana Dance Company YouTube channel.
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