Hiromi Maruhashi | Photo Credit: Athira M Hiromi Maruhashi’s face lights up as we sit down to talk about Mohiniyattam. The classical dance form of Kerala has been integral to her life for over three decades now. Every year she comes down to the State to brush up on her lessons, learn new productions and […]
Kathak dancer Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee’s performance highlighted the guru-sishya bond between Ramakrishna Pramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Ashimbandhu Bhattacharjee (Kathak), Deepak Majumdar (Bharatanatyam) and Aruna Mohanty (Odissi), who performed at the festival, showed how poetry finds diverse interpretations in dance. It was an evening meant to celebrate the contributions of three veteran […]
‘Parishvanga Pattabhishekam’ performed by the students of Anita Guha. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B Over the years, the Ramayana has been reimagined and reinterpreted by various dancers and choreographers, reflecting the richness and complexity of the classic. As part of Rama Navami celebrations, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan had organised the dance-drama ‘Parishvanga Pattabhishekam’ by students […]
From ‘Meanwhile Elsewhere’ staged at Natarani in Ahmedabad | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement That you get a reality check while watching Yadavan Chandran’s ‘Meanwhile Elsewhere’ is true, that you question the meaning of life and death, attachment and detachment, is a given too. But, what does not happen after watching it is you walking out […]
Srividya Angara in a scene from Manomanthana | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Jagadananda Karaka, Endaro Mahanubhavulu or KaniKontini — may sound familiar to any classical dance or music patron. These are some of the most used works of one of the greatest poets, Tyagaraja, in Indian classical music and dance. He is often also identified […]
Kumudini Lakhia | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Kadamb When you looked at Kumudini Lakhia’s gentle, modest and cheerful persona, you could have hardly imagined she was a woman with immense inner strength and a steely resolve. After all, she fought the patriarchal setup in the Kathak world in her own quiet way, and encouraged many young […]
Kathak legend Kumudini Lakhia | Photo Credit: The Hindu Eminent Kathak exponent and choreographer Kumudini Lakhia passed away at her residence in Ahmedabad on Saturday (April 12, 2025) at the age of 95 due to an age-related ailment. Lakhia was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, on the Republic Day this year […]
Janane Sethunarayanan. | Photo Credit: K. Pichumani The Music Academy has been organising HCL concerts to encourage talented artistes in the field of performing arts to showcase their skills. Its recent edition featured Bharatanatyam dancer Janane Sethunarayanan. She began her performance with Shanmuga Kavuthuvam in Gowlai raga set to Adi tala. Her subtle depictions of […]
From Sri Desika Vaibhavam, presented at Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai | Photo Credit: M. Srinath Bharatanatyam, with its intricate expressions and deep-rooted storytelling, has long served as a medium to celebrate history and spirituality. Sri Noopurlaya, under the guidance of guru Lalitha Ganapathi, a senior disciple of veteran dancer-scholar Padma Subrahmanyam, presented ‘Sri Desika […]
Sri Gururaju | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement In the world of classical dance, men are mostly preferred in the role of a teacher. For instance, the great Vempati Chinna Satyam, Kelucharan Mohapatra or Pandit Birju Maharaj, despite being great dancers themselves, gained fame as great teachers. But, what if male dancers also want to be […]
