So, ABC…kithhe gayi si? This was a ditty we heard as children growing up in Punj land (that’s most of Delhi and above! till Kashmir. As a language and culture, it dominates). A for Arangetram too. That’s very Madrasi or South Indian. Having had this for mother’s tongue literally (Tamil), we were also exposed to […]Read More
There are some art festivals in India that are iconic and every artist looks forward to being a part of it either as a participant or as an audience. The Delhi International Art Festival (DIAF) is one for sure that everyone awaits eagerly. For the last few years due to Covid the festival did not […]Read More
Mumbai-based dancers and teachers – the supremely talented Elvis Mascarenhas and his gorgeous dance partner Namrata Wittke – recently won the Kizomba Dance Olympiad. The event was held in Paris where Kizomba and Semba dancers from all over the world took part and the dancing duo Elvis and Namrata made Indian flag fly high by […]Read More
Summer is here! You can see in wilting flower beds, the paper-like poppy petals slowly falling off and insects being out in full force! Makhi, Machchar, maha-ugly cockroaches in Hindi called Tilchitta. Did you know that? As kids growing up in the Capital city in the 1960s, we were taken by our parents to almost […]Read More
There was a time when in the world of Indian classical dance dancing solo was extremely important. With as the times changed group dances started getting popular and dancing as a duo was always a privilege of couples. But, here we have a rarest of the rare combinations – two male dancers dancing one of […]Read More
Vidushi Geeta Chandran is synonymous with Bharatanatyam the classical dance that she has practised for decades since her journey began at the age of five under the tutelage of her first Guru Swarna Saraswati who hailed from the traditional Daasi Parampara. Since then, her dance voyage has embraced intense learning under several stalwart gurus. Yet, […]Read More
Recently my theatre choreographer friend Vedika Sai invited me for her play Golden Jubilee – A 70’s Musical at Prithvi Theatre. The name itself seems very catchy, and to add to that I was waiting to see the next interesting work of Vedika so my actress friend Shathi Priya and me decided to go and […]Read More
It is considered impolite to begin a sentence with I, me, myself and thereby hangs a tale. The tale of two cities, two cultures. India and Bharat. Modern and ancient. Yesterday and today. I, me, myself is a new malaise effecting us Indians. A new virus. Another virus is calling anyone up anytime just because […]Read More
Dance and travel go hand in hand, a dancer travels all over the world promoting his or her art and is said to be a true cultural ambassador of the country. Today I am talking about Odissi exponent Sharmila Mukerjee who has such kept the India flag flying high since she stepped on the dance […]Read More
Dancers are said to be ‘The window to the society’, it is their moral responsibility to show what is happening, what is not happening, what can be spoken or what cannot be spoken. Kathak exponent Aditi Mangaldas is one such artist who from the start of her illustrious dance career has been speaking of the […]Read More