Culture and Conversation

When it comes to abhinaya, one can never forget T. Balasaraswati. While it is undeniable that she was a crucial link to the past by way of her illustrious lineage, representing seven generations of hereditary performers, she also had the extraordinary ability to floor audiences through her extempore abhinaya. One recalls American ethnomusicologist Robert E. Brown’s words, “Balasaraswati performed the same piece 15 times during a concert tour, yet rendered each version anew by

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

Weaving together the pieces of a typical maargam into a thematic presentation is quite a complex task. However, Rakshita Raghunathan & Ragini Iyer did this quite convincingly in their recent Bharatanatyam duet titled ‘Adhyantara – The Journey of a Goddess.’ Pieces that were centred around Meenakshi (and Devi as an extension) were taken up in their short recital.  Starting off with an Alarippu that incorporated several gestures associated with Devi like her eyes that are shape