May 2022
ANITA SAYS.....
In Madurai
city of temples and poets
Who sang of cities and temples
Every summer
A river dries to a trickle
In the sand
Baring the sand rubs
Straw and women's hair
Clogging the watergates
At the rusty bars
Under the bridges with patches
Of repair all over them
The wet stones glistening like sleepy
Crocodiles, the dry ones
Shaven water-buffaloes lounging in the sun
The poets only sing of the floods
- An excerpt from A RIVER by A K Ramanujan
 It
has been a packed month of watching, talking, sharing, writing,
rehearsing and performing. With International Dance Day just concluded, I
have chosen to focus on the joy and beauty of DANCE this month.
Showered with a feast of ideas, expressions and the familiar sweat of
rehearsals, it has been 30 days of my body at play. Aaaand... my muscles
are aching and rejoicing in tandem. Read on...
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TAKITATOM
91-yr-old Padma awardee evicted from govt house, artists question move
- Aneesha Mathur
As eviction proceedings at a Padma awardee's (GURU MAYADHAR RAUT) home
began on Tuesday, artists questioned why elderly legends are being
mistreated.
Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam, Melattur, presents the 82ND MELATTUR
BHAGAVATA MELA NATAKA MAHOTSAV, as part of Sri
Narasimha Jayanti Vasantotsav, from May 19 - 27, 2022 at Melattur,
Tamilnadu.
DR. KANAK RELE's book ME & MY MOHINI ATTAM is releasing in Mumbai on May 7 at Nalanda Nrityakala Mahavidyalaya.
OFF STAGE is a new publication on the Dhananjayans with sketches by Sonali Raman.
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AWARDS
DR MAYA RAO WOMEN PIONEER AWARD will be given to Kathak Guru Chitra Venugopal on May 3, 2022 at Bangalore.
Bharath Medical College & Hospital presented the DIVA OF THE DECADE
award to Shanta Dhananjayan for her lifetime achievement in the
performing arts, on April 10, 2022 at Leela Palace, Chennai.
Geeta Chandran's Natya Vriksha conferred the 3rd NATYA VRIKSHA LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD on renowned make-up artist Brij Mohan Gupta on April
22, 2022 in New Delhi.
KARTIK AWARD OF EXCELLENCE was conferred on Delhi based Bharatanatyam
dancer/teacher Kalaivani Rajmohan during the sabha's 47th anniversary
celebrations in Chennai.
Usha RK to receive KANAK NARTANA PURASKAR 2020-21 for her contribution in propagation of the arts.
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 Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Photo: Usha RK
TAALAM: COLUMN BY LEELA VENKATARAMAN
Fond memories of generous contribution of Guru Kallianpurkar - Kathak's non gharana legator
Conceived by Kathak teacher Subhash Chandra as a tribute to his
beloved late Guru Mohanrao Kallianpurkar, and sponsored by the Guru's
family in celebration of their father/grandfather, with patronage
provided by the design and fashion house Elara Productions, the evening
of Ek Antarang was presented at Vivekananda Auditorium in association
with the Kathak Kendra
THE EASTERN EYE: COLUMN BY DR.UTPAL K BANERJEE
Stylization par excellence
Rasa-Bala-Buddhi, presented on March 20, as part of their Natyadharmi
Utsav 2022, by Chidakasha Kalalaya, was an adaptation of
Saugandhika Haranam (a favourite of Koodiyattam and Kathakali).
SOCH: COLUMN BY DR. ARSHIYA SETHI
For the Meerabai-s of Dance there is No Prescribing, No Proscribing: Dance is India's unfettered soul
When I set out to write this piece it had a definite but narrow focus.
Its focus was prohibiting dance, even certain kind of dance and about
rebarbative relationships among dance and patron communities.
BOOK REVIEW
Tracing the roots of Odissi in the Geeta Govinda
- Leela Venkataraman
In her latest book 'Odissi and the Geeta Govinda' brought out by Manohar
Publishers and Distributors, Ileana Citaristi not only reiterates
Odissi's special love for Jayadeva's prabandha, but also builds up a
strong case for the Geeta Govinda having sown the very seeds of Odissi
in the Orissan soil.
PRISM
Gender study through Nayika Bheda as applied in Indian dance tradition
- Srabani Basu
Various classifications of these heroes and heroines based on their
characteristic attributes, physical appearance, social status, state of
mind or behaviour in a romantic relationship etc - are described in
detail here which is studied as 'Nayaka-Nayika bheda.'
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ATMA SHANTI
Legendary Bharatanatyam Guru Indra Rajan passed away on April 29, 2022.
More info
Odiya
musician Prafulla Kar (16 February 1939 - April 17, 2022) passed away
in Bhubaneswar aged 83. He was a composer, singer, lyricist and writer.
He has composed music for numerous Odissi dance dramas. His composition
'Collection of Geet Govindam' is well known. Prafulla Kar has worked as
music director and often as singer in 70 Oriya films as well as in 4
Bangla films. He received many awards including Jayadeva Award (2004),
Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Award (2009), Balakrushna Das Award (2010),
Parampara Award (2012), Padma Shri (2015) for his contribution in the
field of arts. Prafulla Kar Samman is awarded to different singers every
year to celebrate his birthday in a two-day musical event.
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QUOTE
I'm very encouraged by what's happening in dance now. It's so much more
porous than other art disciplines (blessed by the fact it's non-verbal),
and you can see all kinds of fascinating encounters and dialogues among
different genres, traditions, cultures, and perspectives. Without
these, we risk stagnation, and in the slipstream of stagnation lurks
mediocrity. Dance is pluralistic and we are fighting and in some
quarters winning the battle for multiple truths and the complexity that
comes with this. Because of this I feel hopeful for the future.
- Farooq Chaudhry
('Master of art management' by Chitra Swaminathan, The Hindu Friday Review, April 15, 2022)
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