ANITA SAYS.....
I counted my years
And realised that I have
Less time to live by,
Than I have lived so far
My time is short:
I want the essence,
my spirit is in a hurry.
I do not have much candy
In the package anymore
Yes, I'm in a hurry.
I'm in a hurry to live what the intensity that only
Maturity can bring.
We have two lives
And the second begins when you realize you
Only have ONE.
- Mario de Andrade
Brazilian poet and novelist
Happy New Year, everyone!
Here we are at the start of yet another year.
A year that brings with it all the hopes and promises of something better and brighter than the year that has just gone by.
Are you looking back at 2024 with gratitude, joy, delight? A twinge of
regret and sadness? Are you a better person today than a year ago? It is
a brand new start and moving beyond resolutions, there are 12 brand new
months to reset, pivot or simply get up, dust the knicks and scratches
off our knees and keep going-dancing!
For me, 2024 has been one of big ups and downs. A broken bone mid year
and weeks of rest put me in a reflective mood about my own journey. It's
been 60 years since my arangetram! How much and how far I have
travelled in my life and art! How many new initiatives, new platforms,
new brands. So perhaps 2024 has rightly been a year of pause, reflection
and perhaps a pivot!
My travels took me to many countries but in December alone I went to
villages, towns, cities, mountains and the seaside. I watched a gamut of
performances - ritual theatre, folk art, mythic plays, classical and
neo classical dance, performance art, film music orchestras,
contemporary dance and, skipping (almost) the entire Chennai Margazhi
season. I felt a huge surge of gratitude for the opportunity to
encounter new cultural experiences while staying curious with a
multitude of questions about walking the creative path.
To take the entire month of December off was always the plan. Knowing
only too well that Chennai would be drowning in too many Bharatanatyam
shows from morning to night, I intentionally planned to turn my lens
onto other kinds of creative endeavours. I wanted to absorb a greater
diversity in arts programming, to personally witness the push of
bristling young minds curating inter-disciplinary events with
courage and bravado - to acknowledge (with a wistful
twinge) the shrinking space for classical dance and to envy
classically trained musicians who are able to easily straddle so many
worlds simultaneously.
Read on....
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Anita Says...by Dr. Anita R Ratnam
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TAKITATOM
KATHERINE KUNHIRAMAN celebrates 50 years of KALANJALI in California in 2025.
Bharatanatyam Guru D KESHAVA celebrates 48 years of his dance school KALASRI in Basel, Switzerland.
MYTHILI KUMAR celebrates the 45th anniversary year of ABHINAYA DANCE COMPANY OF SAN JOSE in 2025.
On 16th Dec 2024, screening and digital release of BALA DEVI
CHANDRASHEKAR's 'Brihadeeswara - Form to Formless through the Eyes of a
Devaradiyal' took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, by Prince Tesso
Sisowath.
AAKASH ODEDRA COMPANY and his Songs of the Bulbul, choreographed by RANI
KHANAM, has been named the 2ND BEST UK DANCE SHOW OF 2024 by The
Guardian.
On Dec 8, 2024 the book NATYAVADYA SARVABHAUMAM written by
KNP NAMBISAN, a renowned percussion instrumentalist of Mumbai, was
released at Bassin Kerala Samajam School, Thane.
In a Margazhi special, the magic of Lalgudi Jayaraman and Saroj Khan in
the film SRINGARAM in the newest technological 4K avatar was re-released
for special shows on Dec 13, 2024, at Chennai. |
AWARDS
The Drishtikon Dance Foundation has announced the winners of the DR. SUNIL KOTHARI AWARD FOR EMERGING ARTIST 2024 chosen by an international jury.
First: KAVYA GANESH (Bharatanatyam) | Man: Predator or Prey?
Second: BABINA DEVI (Manipuri) | YUM - A Home Of One's Own
Second: MEDHA HARI (Bharatanatyam) | Right Turn
Second: PRASHANT MORE (Contemporary) | Pause, Don't Pause. Forward, Fast Forward
KAVYA GANESH will receive the award along with a certificate and cash
prize of INR 75000. BABINA DEVI, MEDHA HARI and PRASHANT MORE will
jointly receive the second prize of INR 25000 (INR 8333 each) along with
a certificate.
PREETI VASUDEVAN is winner of BEST CHOREOGRAPHY for the OSCARS 2024 QUALIFIED, 'RESILIENT' at the NYC TV Film Festival 2024.
SUJATA MOHAPATRA received KONARK UTSAV SAMMAN 2024 on Dec 5, 2024 from Konark Sahitya Samsad, Odisha.
On Dec 10, 2024 Manasija honored AVINASH PASRICHA, performing arts photographer and KAMALINI DUTT, a distinguished scholar and cultural advocate with the MANASIJA SAMMAN 2024, at Stein auditorium, New Delhi.
ABHAI in association with Kartik Fine Arts presented the ABHAI PRAVASI NATYA KALANIDHI AWARD to HEMA RAJAGOPALAN for her contribution in propagating Bharatanatyam in USA, on 13 Dec 2024 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai.
On Dec 13, 2024 Narada Gana Sabha presented the NAADHA BRAHMAM award to CHITRA VISWESWARAN and the BINFIELD ENDOWMENT AWARD to her disciple DR. LAKSHMI RAMASWAMY at their premises in Chennai.
On the occasion of her Guru Adyar Lakshman's 91st birthday remembrance
in Chennai, Roja Kannan's Bharatha Natyalaya has instituted a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD in his memory to be awarded to senior artistes who have been associated with him. On Dec 16, 2024 the award was conferred on ADYAR K. GOPINATH,
renowned mridangam vidwan, younger brother of Lakshman sir, for his
immense contribution to the art of Bharatanatyam as a mridangam artiste,
as a Guru and for his innumerable jathi compositions for Bharatanatyam.
The award consists of a gold medal, citation and cash award of
Rs.10,000.
The Mylapore Fine Arts Club presented the NRITHYA KALA NIPUNA title to
Bharatanatyam dancer PADMINI KRISHNAMURTHY at their 73rd Art Festival on
Dec 18, 2024 at their premises in Chennai.
At the 92nd South Indian Music Conference and Festival, the Indian Fine
Arts Society conferred NATYA KALA SIKHAMANI on Bharatanatyam dancer
JAYASHREE RAJAGOPALAN on Dec 18, 2024 at Ethiraj Kalyana Nilayam,
Chennai.
DR. PADMA SUBRAHMANYAM received the LAKSHMINARAYANA INTERNATIONAL AWARD
2024 at RR Sabha, Chennai, on Dec 20, 2024 during the Lakshminarayana
Global Music Festival.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD was presented to music and dance scholar,
critic and columnist Dr. M. SURYA PRASAD by Sri Ramaseva Mandali Trust,
Bengaluru on 21 Dec 2024.
Sattriya dancer MALLIKA KANDALI was felicitated with GANDHARBA
ABHINAMITA SANMAN 2024 by Gandharba Kala Kendra at Srimanta Sankaradeva
Kalakshetra, Guwahati, on 25th Dec 2024.
Dr. USHA RK, Arts researcher, curator and consultant, received the NATYA
KALA VISHARADA HA award from Krishna Gana Sabha and Natya Kala
Conference on Dec 26, 2024, the inaugural day of the NKC at Chennai.
During RASA's annual festival The Kala Rasa Mahotsava from Dec 24, 2024
to Jan 4, 2025 in Chennai, the following dance artistes are being
honoured: Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari ( Lifetime Achievement Award and
the title of NATANA RASA SHIRONMANI), Dr Sarada Natarajan ( NATYA RASA
MAMANI), Jayanthi Subramaniam, Priya Murle, Revathi Ramachandran,
Radhika Shurajit, Shobana Bhalchandra, Srekala Bharath, Roja Kannan,
Madurai R Muralidharan & Chitra Muralidharan, Parvathi Ravi
Ghantasala, Anitha Guha and Mala Bharath ( NATANA RASA MAMANI). Every
day, one special achiever will be presented the STAR (Special Talent at
RASA) Award for excellence in the fields of music, dance and natya..
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ATMA SHANTI
MADATH THEKKEPAATTU VASUDEVAN NAIR (15 July 1933 - 25 December 2024) was
an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was a
prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was
one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. Randamoozham,
which retells the story of the Mahabharata from the point of view of
Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.
His first major novel, Naalukettu (The Legacy), written at the age of
23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels
include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu (The Demon Seed), and
Randamoozham (The Second Turn). The emotional experiences of his early
days went into his novels, and most of his works are oriented towards
the basic Malayalam family structure and culture. Nair was a
screenwriter and director of Malayalam films. He directed seven films
and wrote the screenplay for around 54 films. He won the National Film
Award for Best Screenplay four times. In 1995 he was awarded the highest
literary award in India, Jnanpith, for his overall contribution to
Malayalam literature. In 2005, India's third highest civilian honour,
Padma Bhushan, was awarded to him.
Eminent Odissi dance guru and adept mardala player (disciple of Pt Swapan Chowdhury), POUSHALI MUKHERJEE
passed away on December 22, 2024 at Kolkata. A senior disciple of Guru
Kelucharan Mohapatra, she was an exceptional teacher in her Poushali
Mukherjee Dance Academy, mentoring many students who are now
accomplished performers. Her unwavering dedication and invaluable
contributions to Odissi and her efforts to uphold and spread the legacy
of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra will always be cherished and remembered.
Global musical icon USTAD ZAKIR HUSSAIN ALLARAKHA QURESHI (9
March 1951 - 15 December 2024) passed away in San Francisco, aged 73,
after a brief illness. He was a tabla player, composer, percussionist,
music producer and film actor. He was
the eldest son of tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha. Known for his many
remarkable collaborations, he has won four Grammy Awards out of 7
nominations. He was celebrated for his role in popularising tabla and
bringing classical Indian music to a global audience. He received Padma
Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan (2002) and Padma Vibhushan (2023). Nasreen
Munni Kabir has written the book Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music, which
was published in 2018. Hussain was married to Antonia Minnecola, a
Kathak dancer and teacher, who was also his manager.
Zakir Hussain, who beat a syncretic rhythm, no more
- Anuj Kumar
One of the greatest global ambassadors of Indian classical music, the
maestro transformed the modest instrument into a robust voice for
universal peace and brotherhood.
In Memoriam: Zakir Hussain (1951-2024)
India's Heartbeat
- Veejay Sai
Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain's music crossed boundaries and united the world of rhythm.
SUMATHI SRIRAM was the oldest alumnus of Bharata Kalanjali.
With this lone student, the Dhananjayans started Bharata Kalanjali in
1968. Sumathi passed away peacefully on 9th December 2024 early morning.
All through these years till her last day, she kept up a good
relationship with her alma mater in the capacity of a teacher, program
participant, helper in various activities of BK. Bharata Kalanjali was
planning to celebrate Sumathi's 50th year of arangetram shortly. It is
indeed a great loss to the Bharata Kalanjali family.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
 Interview: Shanta Serbjeet Singh
- Ananda Shankar Jayant
For me, the arts just happened. Not only because my father imported a
music teacher to live in the house and teach classical music and dance
to my two sisters and myself, then a child of six. But because the
template of one's sanskaras is too indelible over many lifetimes to be
denied in the one that is being lived.
Rukku: My mother
- Chitra Visweswaran
She never looked at the half-empty cup, only the half-full... gentle,
soft-spoken, dignified, she was an epitome of inner strength and
spirituality.
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