ANITA SAYS.....
"We are approaching a major turning point in world history... It is a
juncture at which concepts suddenly become hazy, lose their
precise contours, at which our familiar and commonly used words lose
their meaning."
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian author
And here we are again!
It's the beginning of the month and I am sharing my thoughts and ideas
of what has intrigued me or tugged at my mind screen these past 30 days.
The acclaimed words of the Russian author return to our minds as we see
the end of a tumultuous Indian election, the looming uncertainty of the
US elections, the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and
Palestine - a divided population and a socio-political landscape where
lies speak louder than truths. How do these macro events filter into the
lives of dancers and musicians for better or worse? We cannot ignore
the growing power of social media about which I shall comment on later
in this edition.
With Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni making the Namaste an
internationally accepted gesture which became viral at the G7 meeting, I
will open this ANITA SAYS iteration with a Namaste to all of you. What I
am sharing are not declarations, but ideas that I hope can stimulate
more discussion, conversation, and hopefully, feedback.
Read on....
Connect and subscribe to our podcast on Spotify
Anita Says...by Dr. Anita R Ratnam
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TAKITATOM
The election of the new office bearers and executive committee members of ABHAI
were held in the Annual General Body Meeting on 29th May 2024 at Eyal
Isai Nataka Mandram hall, Chennai. The list of office bearers is
furnished here under.
President: Priya Murle
Vice Presidents: Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala, S. Janaki
Secretary: Binesh Mahadevan, Joint Secretary: Sukanya Ravindhar, Treasurer: B. Bhanumathi
Executive Members: Shobana Bhalchandra, Priya Dixit, Padmalaksshme
Suresh, Mahalakshmi Ashwin, Shanmuga Sundaram, Nideesh Kumar, M S
Anantha Shree
Manager: Aishwarya Rajkumar
Abhai Shaaka Coordinators:
Mumbai: Dr Jayashree Rajagopalan, Coimbatore: Lavanya Shankar, Trichy:
Vrinda Ramanan, Bengaluru: Sathyanarayana Raju, Pondicherry: D.
Saravanan, Kerala:
Aswathy Srikanth, New Delhi: Geeta Chandran, USA East Coast: Ramya
Ramnarayanan
Bhagavata Mela Vidyalaya in Melattur (Founded by Late S Natarajan, now headed by his daughter Priyamvada Murali) was recognized as an exemplary HOME FOR HUMANITY
by Home for Humanity Movement for Planetary Regeneration, France, for
"your remarkable contribution in preserving this unique cultural
heritage of India by renewing the ancient seeds of Mela tradition and
spreading them nationally and globally and for your outstanding
dedication in empowering rural and underprivileged children through art,
culture and ancient wisdom," on International Day of Cultural Diversity
on May 21, 2024.
The archival travelling art exhibition titled "BOY DANCER: CONVERGENCE
AND CONTINUUM - A REVISITING" with art works by Birendra Pani with
artistic direction of Dr. Rajashree Biswal was organised by New Bridge
India in collaboration with Odisha State Museum and supported by Ila
Panda Centre for Arts. The exhibition was inaugurated on 14th of June
and continued till 29th at Odisha State Museum, Bhubaneswar.
Bringing the joy and wisdom of yoga heritage through an illustrated book, YOGA VATIKĀ: YOGA PATHWAYS WITH NATURE by Parwati Dutta,
was released on 22 June 2024 at Aurangabad. Stories revolving around 25
animal-inspired or nature-inspired asanas form the main theme of this
book. Stories from ancient texts, visuals depicting the inspiration from
an animal or an element from nature and its procedure and benefits are
the areas covered for each asana. The 124-page book has 3 sections: Yoga
Concepts, Stories of Asanas and Inspiring Space.
Cinematographer Max Machado won the BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD for '2M/Solitudes' at the Madrid International Short Film Festival. Sinha Danse also received the EXCELLENCE AWARD for 'Shared Breath' from the Depth of Field International Film Festival based in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, USA.
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony will feature more than 3000
dancers performing 10 different routines on the day across 7 kilometers
of the River Seine, all overseen by lead choreographer Maud Le Pladec.
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AWARDS
The KALIDAS SAMMAN of Govt of Madhya Pradesh goes to Dr. Sandhya Purecha
and Pandit Uday Bhawalkar. The other awardees include: Sudha Raghuraman
(RASHTRIYA KUMAR GANDHARVA SAMMAN), Kalpana Zokarkar and Pt Akhilesh
Gundecha (SHIKHAR SAMMAN).
Shila Mehta received the WOW- PRIDE OF INDIA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2024 as a
choreographer, performer, educator and scholar, at the Vivette Banquet,
Mumbai, on June 12, 2024. At the 35th annual
day celebrations at Chennai on June 23, 2024, ABHAI presented the
following awards: NATYA KALANIDHI: Guru Radha Sridhar, NRITYA
PERUNJOTHI: Srekala Bharath, NARTHAKA NIPUNA: Vaibhav Arekar, GANDHARVA
NIPUNA: N Sasidaran, NAATAR KALAI KON: KN Manikandan, SADHANAI THALIR:
Bhavajan Kumar.
On May 15, 2024 at the function of the cultural awards in Liestal,
Switzerland, the Council of Governance of the Canton Basel-Landscape
awarded Bharatanatyam dancers, choreographers and dance teachers ANJALI
and SUMITRA KESHAVA with the CULTURAL PRIZE FOR DANCE. With this prize,
the government recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of art
and culture. It is the first time that an Indian dancer in Switzerland
has received such an award from the Swiss Government.
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ATMA SHANTI
GURU C.V. CHANDRASEKHAR (22 May 1935 - 19 June 2024)
A legendary dance exponent, Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar fondly known as
Chandru Anna and "Chandrasekhar Sir," specialized in Kalakshetra style
of Bharatanatyam under the able guidance of Rukmini Devi Arundale. He
imbibed from his mentor the best of Indian art, culture and aesthetics.
He served the Benaras Hindu University and MS University of Baroda and
retired as the Head and Dean of the Faculty of Performing Arts of MSU.
C.V. Chandrasekhar was a multi-faceted personality being a dancer,
choreographer, researcher, musician, academician, composer and highly
acclaimed teacher of Bharatanatyam. His presentation of Bharatanatyam
technique was at its finest and an inspiration for all dancers. He has a
number of music and dance compositions to his credit and his dance
dramas have been highly acclaimed for their individuality and innovative
approach. He was the artistic director of his dance institution
Nrityashree in Chennai, along with his wife Jaya.
Documentary filmmaker Vinu Vasudevan and Kuchipudi exponent Madhavi
Mallampalli have made a film titled NRITHYA GANDHARVA: PROF. C.V.
CHANDRASEKHAR, HIS ART & LIFE that was released on Jan 24, 2021 on
YouTube. He received the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Kalidas
Samman and Padma Bhushan in 2011.
His passing away is a deep felt loss to the dance community. Sincere
condolences to his near and dear ones and the extended artiste family.
More info:
Guru CV Chandrasekhar
- Ashish Mohan Khokar
He has lived a life full of dance colours; no wonder one finds him in attractive and unusual coloured kurtas when one sees him.
Remembering C V Chandrasekhar: A dancer's dancer
- Oopalee Operajita
I contrast Chandrasekhar's sublime art to the ubiquitous razzle dazzle
of today; and, to some of Bharatanatyam's prima donnas, who are
profoundly restless and overdone. His grace will be missed.
The lasting impact
- Chitra Swaminathan
C.V. Chandrasekhar, who passed away recently, showed how you could stand apart in the art world with commitment and passion.
Musings & memories
Personalities from the art world recall their association with C.V. Chandrasekhar.
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NEW RELEASES
Utpal Sampa Kala Kendra
has released DANCE STYLE OF UDAY SHANKAR (As Per Lessons Under Amala
Shankar), English version on 25 June 2024, authored by Aditi Singha
Mitter and Mousri Singha Sen.
Uday Shankar gave a unique modern dance style, based on Western
perception. His family members or his ace disciples did not quite use
Shankar style, barring his dancer consort Amala Shankar. This book
records Amala's lessons for the first time.
ASIN: B0D842Q2KP
Publisher: Pran Praner Boi
Hardcover: 120 pages / Price: Rs.849
Available on Amazon
JATHIS
BY SMT KAMALA RANI is an eBook for Bharatanatyam artistes interested in
the world of sollukattus. You will have access to 200 jathis (in Rupaka
and Adi tala) with Audio and notations in English and Tamil.
Kamala Rani (1927- 2003) was the first female, non-hereditary nattuvanar
to emerge from Kalakshetra and has carried forward the rich legacy of
the nattuvanars who enriched the institution.
Price: Rs.2000 for India / US$50 for rasikas outside India
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
 Remembering Ram Gopal
- Dr.Sunil Kothari
Ram Gopal was a charismatic dancer. He passed away in 2003 and since he
had settled in London, with the passage of time, few remember him.
 Speaking of Shiva
- Lakshmi Vishwanathan
There is a lot to speak of Shiva. Indian dance, Bharatanatyam in
particular, is so completely intertwined with Shiva and his monumental
mythology.
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