January 2026
ANITA SAYS.....
"I believe that a person who does not have respect for time and does not have a sense of timing can achieve little."
- Pioneering space scientist Dr Vikram Sarabhai
And just like that! It is 2026!
The Chinese year of the Horse. The sacred month of Margazhi or
Margasirsha. The time of holidays, family gatherings, dance meetings and
of transition when we watch another 12 months that has flashed past us
and a brand new dozen appears, filled with the promise of an improved
year ahead.
2025 has been a year of great fluctuations. Many of us in the performing
arts have faced major life shuffles, dislocations, health challenges
and many ruptures. But the year has also been important for personal
development, career shifts and lifestyle readjustments. Global and geo
political realities have impacted the arts and have reduced the flow of
people and ideas. The rise and rise of digital technology has caught
many of us by surprise and is presently overwhelming us with its
astonishing complexity and sophistication.
And yet, here I am. Writing this monthly column, now in its 16th year.
That means that this is the 190th monthly edition that I am sharing with
you. It has been and continues to be a privilege to express my views
and opinions as another generation of dance emerges to claim space and
attention for Indian dance. Whether Gen Z and the Millennials read my
thoughts or not, these will remain as a document of observations and
reflections of a dance passionista!
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TAKITATOM
URMILA SATHYANARAYANAN is the convenor of the NATYA KALA CONFERENCE in 2026 and 2027.
RETOUR A PONDICHERY (Return to Pondicherry) is the first fiction film by
dancer, musician and film maker RAGHUNATH MANET from Paris. The film is
about a young Indian woman who was adopted and returns to her birth
country with her two mothers. Torn between rejection and fascination, a
new bond is created via a journey of dance.
On Dec 27, 2025, the
BHARATH ARTS ACADEMY achieved the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR THE LARGEST
KUCHIPUDI DANCE LESSON, with around 5,000 performers from across the
world participating at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium, Gachibowli.
The feat was performed to pre recorded songs. Organised in collaboration
with the Telangana government, the academy broke its own Guinness
record set in 2023 with 4,000 participants.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
HCL Concerts presents
Maalyada - Andal's sacred garland
By Rama Vaidyanathan
Jan 16 - 26, 2026 South India
Drishti Art Foundation presents
21st Drishti National Dance Festival
Chowdiah Memorial Hall, 6pm
January 24, 2026 Bangalore
LOOK OUT FOR
Dancestors 2025
This unique project, supported by British Council Malaysia's Connections
Through Culture grant, bridges South Asian and Orang Asli Semai
cultures through dance while addressing issues faced by these
marginalised communities around the loss of their land and traditions.
Growing with Odissi: In Conversation with Kumkum Mohanty
One of the early disciples of guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Kumkum Mohanty
talks about the different aspects of the dance form, its costume, music
and compositions, and also about how she worked on documenting its
footwork, positions, mudras etc.
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AWARDS
Kathak
dancer SHILA MEHTA received the PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR PROMOTING
HOLISTIC WELLBEING from Prof Ramesh Mehta OBE on November 28, 2025 in
London at the annual conference of the British Association for
Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), UK. Shila's presentation at the
conference was on 'Indian classical dance forms as preventive medicine.'
Kartik Fine Arts awards for Dec 2025.
NADANAMAMANI: Deepti Ravichandran, NRITYA PEROLI: The Dhananjayans,
NATYA CHUDAR: Sanjana Ramesh, NRITHYAJOTHI AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: B.
Aishwarya, NATYA KALAI ARASI: Bala Devi Chandrasekhar, MADURAI KRISHNAN
MEMORIAL AWARD: V Balagurunathan, PROMISING ARTISTES IN BHARATANATYAM:
Sahana Selvaganesh, NRM Abhirami, Saipriya Senthilvasan, and Smrithi
Vishwanath.
On December 11, 2025 Brahma Gana Sabha honored MEENAKSHI CHITHARANJAN with NAATYA PADHMAM at RR Sabha Hall, Chennai.
On December 14, 2025 the following awards were given by Bharat Kalachar at the YGP auditorium, Chennai.
ACHARYA KALA BHARATHI: Padmini Krishnamurthy
VIMARSHAKA KALA BHARATHI: S Janaki
KALA SEVA BHARATHI: Mohan Das Delemound
YUVA KALA BHARATHI: Riha Giri, Shruthe Raammohan, Sundaresan Pandurangan (BN)
ALL ROUNDER AWARD: Kameswari Ganesan
SPECIAL COMMEMORATION AWARD: Sowjanya Suresh, Sathvikaa Shankar
BALA KALA BHARATHI: Akshath Piram (BN), PS Sudarsan (Bhagavata Mela)
ADITI MANGALDAS received the DEVI AWARD for her extraordinary
achievements (Pioneer of Contemporary Kathak, blending tradition with
bold innovation, and nurturing and launching exceptional dance talent)
from The New Indian Express on 15 December 2025 in Delhi.
Roja Kannan's Bharatha Natyalaya presented the ADYAR K LAKSHMAN LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR 2025 to mridangist NELLAI D KANNAN on December
16, 2025 at Mylapore Fine Arts Club auditorium, Chennai.
On December 17, 2025 NIRUPAMA and TD RAJENDRA received the NATYA
KALASIKHAMANI award from The Indian Fine Arts Society at Ethiraja
Kalyana Nilayam, Chennai.
On December 17, 2025 The Mylapore Fine Arts Club presented NRITHYA KALA
NIPUNA to Bharatanatyam Guru KANCHANA JANARDHANAN (Jathiswaraalaya) at
the club premises, Chennai.
Tamil Cultural Academy presented LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to
Bharatanatyam dancer PARVATHI RAVI GHANTASALA on December 20, 2025 at
Image auditorium, Chennai.
For outstanding achievements and contribution in the field of music and
dance, Mumbai based Bharatanatyam guru LATA RAMAN received the BHARAT
SIKSHA RATNA AWARD 2025 from the New Think Foundation, Delhi, on the
occasion of their National Summit held on 19th December 2025 at Delhi.
On December 21, 2025 Tamil Isai Sangam conferred ISAI PERARINGNAR award
on CHITRA VISWESWARAN at Rajah Annamalai Mandram, Chennai.
All India Artists Association Shimla presented the KALA GAURAV PURASKAR
to dance critic VIJAY SHANKER and Bharatanatyam dancer DR LATA SURENDRA
on November 16, 2025 at Mumbai.
Bharatanatyam and Kathak dancer LEKHA WOOD based in New York, has been
selected as 2026 YOUNGARTS AWARD WINNER with distinction in dance.
YoungArts award winners, all aged 15-18 or in grades 10-12, are selected
through a highly competitive application reviewed by panels of esteemed
artists in a rigorous adjudication process. Wood will receive a
monetary award of $250 in recognition of her achievement.
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ATMA SHANTI
DR. UTPAL K BANERJEE (1935-2025)
Dr. Utpal K Banerjee, a scholar-commentator on performing arts for over
four decades, passed away on December 22, 2025. He was 90.
He has authored 23 books on Indian art and culture, and 10 on Tagore
studies. He served IGNCA as National Project Director, was a Tagore
Research Scholar and a recipient of Padma Shri.
Dr. Banerjee's formal introduction to visual and performing arts began
with courses at the University of Manchester, UK. He also held an
abiding interest in management and information technology, having worked
as an adviser in those fields for over thirty years. He was a regular
contributor on cultural and professional programs to London BBC, All
India Radio, and Indian television. As President of Utpal Sampa Kala
Kendra cultural research centre, he tried to bring his life's work and
ideals to fruition through his research endeavours.
The Eastern Eye was a popular column by Dr. Utpal K Banerjee in Narthaki.com. May his soul rest in peace.
PRABHA MARATHE (Oct 8, 1936 - Dec 31, 2025)
Kathak Guru PRABHA MARATHE passed away on December 31, 2025 aged 89. She
was the ace disciple of guru Birju Maharaj and first lot in Delhi at
Kathak Kendra in the 1960s. She also created Pune's biggest (in land
size) dance school - Kala Chhaya in 1965 - where many artistes got
platformed in music and dance like Bhimsen Joshi, Amjad Ali Khan and
others. She engaged Guru Munnalal Shukla to teach Lucknow gharana for
years. She gave space to workshops by Prerna Shrimali and all other
gharanas. The space had amphitheatre, exhibition galleries and more. Her
niece Rashmi Jangam took charge in the last decade to run it. Prabha
Marathe is credited with popularising and documenting the techniques of
Kathak. She will be remembered by the art fraternity of Pune as a
pioneer and patron.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
Kalasutri Bahuliya: A dying puppetry art of Maharashtra
- Charanya Gurusathya
A qualitative research study on string puppets of Maharashtra is
conducted to explore the origin and history of puppetry, to revive the
art and to explain how and why traditional art forms continue to have
educational efficacy for contemporary developmental projects.
Dance and Martial Arts
- Umesh Naidu
It has been nine years now; however long I journey, I realize it's a new
discovery everyday, but I feel it started only in recent times.
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