Kalaikoodam’s silver jubilee ends with a rousing concert by N. Vijay Siva and a Bharatanatyam recital by Komala Varadan.
Komala Varadan at the event. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma
Anjana Rajan
Due to delayed start, the Carnatic vocal concert of N. Vijay Siva on the penultimate day of the celebrations could go on for only about two […]
Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan on three decades of work.
Well-known danseuse Shovana Narayan has authored several books besides being a bureaucrat and a Kathak guru. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma
GEETA NANDAKUMAR
Premier Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan’s dance radiates a divine spark that touches viewers. In her art, there is a resonance of heritage at its best, steeped […]
NRI dancers converged to exchange thoughts on Bharatanatyam’s new paths.
Srinidhi Raghavan and Sahasra Sambamoorthi
Leela Venkataraman
Participating in a ‘Writing Dance’ workshop for young hopefuls from different parts of the south nursing aspirations in a field crying out for more evaluative depth, was inadvertently an occasion for exposure to several non-resident Indian approaches to Bharatanatyam. […]
Remembering the great Rafi.
VINAY KUMAR
Immortal Rafi. Melodious Rafi. One can go on describing the music, songs, and energy of Mohammed Rafi who dominated Bollywood music industry till 1980s. Rafi Saheb, as he was fondly called, lent his golden voice to all leading heroes of the Bollywood during his time. He was the voice of […]
Sitara Devi, veteran Kathak dancer, talks about the fate of Kathak.
Legendary danseuse Sitara Devi was in the Capital to attend the SNA Award ceremony at which she was made an Akademi Ratna. Photo: S. Subramanium
Anjana Rajan
Sitara Devi, doyenne of the Benaras gharana and the Kathak community in general, was once just another child […]
Justin McCarthy on the kind of music he loves, and hates.
Justin McCarthy giving a piano recital at Gurney House in Nainital.
RANA SIDDIQUI ZAMAN
Known as much for his Bharatanatyam, teaching and choreography as for his piano playing, Justin McCarthy is part of an increasingly rare breed of professionals who do not hanker after […]
Hildamit Lepcha, just accorded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, on promoting the music of her tribe.
Hildamit Lepcha performing in New Delhi. Photo: Sandeep Saxena
SHAILAJA TRIPATHI
Entangled in the daily grind, we, the city slickers often take solace in the numerous soap operas, 24/7 news supply and cinema. Those looking beyond the stipulated fare, frequent […]
Gangubai Hangal, like many women artists of her times, led an arduous life in and out of luck with fame, fortune and family support.
Gangubai Hangal. (1913-2009)
SHANNO KHURANA
I must have been about 12 when my ears would perk up every time I heard the music of Roshanara Begum, Gangubai Hangal, Hirabai Barodekar or Narayan […]
With Gangubai Hangal’s demise, a significant chapter of Hindustani music has ended.
Gangubai Hangal
RITA GANGULY
At the beginning of the 21st Century, a galaxy of brilliant musicians appeared who not only carried forward the great heritage of our classical music but also contributed in their own distinct ways. Since it is an oral tradition, an […]
Three youngsters brought a wave of freshness to the torpid season.
VENKATESH SRIKANTH
The ‘slowdown syndrome’ that has affected the economy and the monsoon in the country seems to have affected the Carnatic music scene in the Capital too. Not many concerts were organised in recent times. But a revival of the music scene se […]