Nritya Ratna for Parvathi

Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala receiving the Nritya Ratna title from B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar,  Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Coimbatore, on 26 October 2018. A Bharatanatyam dancer for the last 40 years, she established Kala Pradarshini where she teaches and organises programmes. She has curated over 1000 dance shows in over 20 years. 

Natyanjali Trust presents Nartaka Award

Senior Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher Vaibhav Arekar receiving the Nartaka Award from dancer-actor Sripriya Rajkumar on 4 October 2018, at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai, on the inaugural day of the 12^th Nartaka Festival organised by Natyanjali Trust, Chennai. The annual festival, curated by S. Prema (Managing Trustee), features talented young and senior male dancers.

English translation of book on MDR

The English translation of M.D. Ramanathan—a long poem in Malayalam written by P. Ravikumar—was released by Sanjay Subrahmanyan recently in Tiruvananthapuram.  Tamil poet Sukumar and C.V. Krishnamurthy, Trustee of  Neelakanta Sivan Sangita Sabha,  received the book in the presence of the author (extreme left). Published by Writers Workshop, Kolkata, the English translation is by M. Dakshinamurthy. (A review of the Malayalam book was published in Sruti 320, May 2011). The Hindi translation Ramanatha Smriti by D. Thankappan Nair and K.G. Balakrishna Pillai was published by Jawahar Pusthakalaya, Mathura in 2014. M.D. Ramanathan is among the few vidwans eulogised in three languages.

Radha Namboodiri receives Sangeetha Pracharya award

Radha Namboodiri, veteran musician, guru and disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, receiving the Sri Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi Sangeetha Pracharya award from the Chairman V. Shankar, on 16 September 2018 in Mumbai. Her disciples presented a concert highlighting the Semmangudi bani.

Adyar K. Lakshman

Birthdays & Anniversaries

16.12.1933 - 19.08.2014

Adyar K. Lakshman, vocalist, nattuvanar, mridangist and erstwhile dancer, is indubitably a sangeetagna, the complete expert in all the aspects of his vocation. Over the years he has received prestigious awards and titles for his popularity and prowess as a natyacharya. Citations for Kalaimamani (Eyal Isai Nataka Manram - 1981), Padma Shri (1989), Sangeet Natak Akademi award (1991), Sangeeta Kala Acharya (Music Academy), Nadhabrahmam (Narada Gana Sabha), adorn the walls of his sitting room. The latest feathers in his well decorated cap are Natya Kalanidhi (ABHAI – 2010) and Natya Kala Sarathy (2011).

77-year old Adyar Lakshman is one of Bharatanatyam’s foremost nattuvanar-s with a reputation for providing excellent support. As a member of the orchestral team, he has embellished the recitals of many famous dancers like Rukmini Devi, Kamala, Vyjayantimala Bali, Krishnaveni Lakshmanan, C.V. Chandrasekhar, the Dhananjayans, Yamini Krishnamurti, Sudharani Raghupathy, Lakshmi Viswanathan and the Narasimhacharis.

He is a prolific teacher. Over 300 students have performed their arangetram under the banner of his dance school Bharata Choodamani in Chennai, which has branches abroad.

Lakshman is also known as “the NRI guru”, as one of the earliest in his field to travel abroad to teach and conduct workshops. His disciples are spread all over the globe and many of them are famous. Notable among them are Kamadev (France), Anandavalli Satchidananda, Chandrabhanu (Australia), Ramli Ibrahim (Malaysia), Padmini Chari, Sudha Srinivasan (U.S.A.), Radha Anjali (Austria), Mavin Khoo (U.K.), Anita-Pritha Ratnam, Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari, Bragha Bessell, Jayanthi Subramaniam, and Roja Kannan (India).

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