Anita Ratnam is one of India’s most celebrated dancer and choreographer. Trained in the classical dances of Kerala, Anita specializes in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniattam. Apart from being a dancer, she has exhibited her multi-dimensional skills as trans-cultural collaborator, TV personality, author, speaker, arts presenter and cultural activist. Anita Ratnam initial training was under Adyar K. Lakshmanan, after which Anita Ratnam received Rukmini Devi Arundale’s advanced training in ‘Kalakshetra’ where Anita Ratnam secured her post-graduate [...]
Sampooran Singh Gulzar, more famous as Gulzar, has made a name for himself in the annals of Indian cinema. Besides being a lyricist, he is a poet, filmmaker, director and playwright. Born in Dina in present-day Pakistan on August 18, 1936, he has given the lyrics for some of Bollywood’s popular songs. His life story is almost straight out of movies. Before becoming a writer, Gulzar worked as a car mechanic. But soon he found [...]
Samudragupta (reigned 335-380) is the second ruler of the Gupta Dynasty, who ushered in the Golden Age in India. He was a benevolent ruler, a great warrior and a patron of arts. Samudragupta, son of Chandragupta, was perhaps the greatest king of Gupta dynasty. His name appears in the Javanese text ‘Tantrikamandaka’. But the most detailed and authentic record of his reign is preserved in the rock pillar of Allahabad, composed by Harisena, the court [...]
Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi or M.S. as she was popularly known was born in the temple town of Madurai on September 16, 1916 and grew up in an atmosphere surrounded by music. Though her family led a frugal existence, her mother wanted M.S.Subbulakshmi to start formal training in vocal music, but unfortunately, her guru Madurai Srinivasa Iyengar passed away soon after she started training under him. Her musical genius was on display when she cut [...]
Hindi theatre has a firm footing in India. A study reveals the fact that Hindi theatre is believed to have been first started by a person named Bhartendu Harishchandra of Varanasi. He tried to make Hindi theatre famous not only in India but also overseas. Bhartendu added few concepts of Sanskrit Theatre in Hindi. He established an association, Bhartendu Natyamandali, whose main aim was to make Hindi theatre famous world wide. The concept of modern [...]
Sampooran Singh Gulzar, more famous as Gulzar, has made a name for himself in the annals of Indian cinema. Besides being a lyricist, he is a poet, filmmaker, director and playwright. Born in Dina in present-day Pakistan on August 18, 1936, he has given the lyrics for some of Bollywood’s popular songs. His life story is almost straight out of movies. Before becoming a writer, Gulzar worked as a car mechanic. But soon he found [...]
Padmabhushan Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna was an Indian Carnatic vocalist. Born on July 6, 1930 at Sankaraguptam village in Rajolu Taluk in the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, he inherited the musical traits of his parents. His father Mangalampalli Pattabhiramayya was a famous flutist and a music teacher, and mother Suryakanthama was a veena artiste. His father put him under the guidance of Parupalli Ramakrishnayya Pantul, with whom he reached the heights of [...]
Chitra Vishweswaran is one of most distinguished and leading Bharatnatyam dancers of India. Chitra’s mother Smt. Rukmini Padmanabhan recognized her talent when she was just three years old. Her father was a Railway Adviser at the Indian High Commission in London. She started taking Classical Ballet lessons in London. She also took training in Manipuri and Kathak, later in Kolkata. Chitra learnt Bharatnatyam from the maestro Smt. T. A. Rajalakshmi for 10 years. She surprised [...]
Carnatic music is an ancient classical music of southern India. History tells that the origin of Carnatic music dates back to 2500 years. Carnatic music is the oldest and the richest form of music in the world whose present form is believed to be based on the historical developments of the 15th-16th centuries and thereafter. The basic form is monophonic with 72 basic scales on the octave with a rich melody. Carnatic music has got [...]
Regarded as one of the best classical musicians India has ever produced, Ustad Bismillah Khan’s name is synonymous with the shehnai in India. This great musician was born on March 21, 1916 at Dumraon in Bihar. He traced his lineage to an illustrious lineage of court musicians in the princely state of Dumraon in Bihar. He trained under the tutelage of his uncle, the late Ali Bux `Vilayatu’, a reputed shehnai player in his own [...]
