Culture and Conversation

Yashoda Thakore first learnt of the famed courtesans Muddupalani and Rangajamma when she did her Master’s in dance. Her grandmother had recounted Muddupalani’s acclaimed work ‘Radhika Santvanam’ as a gem of Telugu literature, well-known for its ‘Radha bhava’. Yashoda was thrilled at the very idea that she could be a descendant of someone like Rangajamma who was renowned for her beauty and literary talent. Her professor painted these women as illusory beings!  However, she fou

பரதநாட்டியக் கலைஞர், முனைவர் 'திருநங்கை' நர்த்தகி நடராஜ் அவர்கள் இந்தியாவில் "பத்மஸ்ரீ" விருது பெரும் முதல் திருநங்கை ஆனார். இதைபற்றிய செய்தி இந்திய அரசாங்கத்தால் ஜனவரி 25ஆம் தேதி, 2019 அன்று வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இச்செய்தி ஊடகங்களாலும், நர்த்தகி அவர்களின் ரசிகர்களாலும், சக நாட்டிய கலைஞர்களாலும் பெரும் பாராட்டுக்களையும் வரவேற்பையும் பெற்றுள்ளது. (படம் : www.narthakinataraj.com ) அவரின் பால் அடையாளத்தினை அவரது குடும்பம் ஏற்காததால் வீட்டை விட்டு வெளியேறும் சூழல் இவருக்கு மிகச் சிறிய

Rukmini Devi – a personality with several layers Biographies usually tend to be uninteresting as they are endlessly filled with facts and events. However, VR Devika's books are unconventional maybe because she is a person who loves telling stories! One can perceive her child-like enthusiasm in gathering and putting together various details in a manner that never tires the reader. In her biography of the great Bharatanatyam revivalist Rukmini Devi Arundale, Devika has attempte

When I first read the great T.Balasaraswati's biography by her son-in-law Douglas Knight in the year of its release (2010-11, if my memory serves me right), I found that she had a student named Shyamala Mohanraj from Jaffna, Sri Lanka. As I was reading the book, I simultaneously watched several videos of dancers following the Bala Bani to visually experience what I was reading. That is when I chanced upon Shyamala Amma's videos. I was stunned at her dedication and steadfastne