Category: Heritage

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: Shobha Rao Smilemaker’s latest video ‘Six Decades in Incredible India’ released

After her video about Memorable Mangalore became viral last year, local resident and soft skills trainer Shobha Rao Smilemaker released a new video, this time about India.

On the occasion of her 60th birthday, the video called ‘Six Decades in Incredible India’ was released among friends and family on her Shobha Smilemaker YouTube channel.

The delightful video gives a pictorial glimpse about her travels across almost all of the 28 states and 8 union territories of India, and still she says one lifetime is not enough to experience the different corners of India.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: BUSINESS & ECONOMY / TEXTILES: G.I tagged Udupi Sari dyed with Arecanut ‘chogaru’ Natural Dyes to be launched tomorrow

In addition, the GI tag enjoying Udupi sari has been made using natural dyes from leaf of wild almond, root of ‘manjistha’.

The Udupi handloom sari, which enjoys Geographical Indication (GI) tag, dyed using natural arecanut ‘chogaru’ is set to be launched on Monday.

The ‘chogaru’ is a reddish-brown liquid obtained during the processing of arecanut. After harvesting the unripened arecanut, farmers boil the kernel or tender nuts and later dry the nuts for selling. The water thus boiled is called ‘chogaru’ in Kannada. Farmers discard or throw away this liquid.

Now Talipady Primary Weavers Service Cooperative Society Ltd., Kinnigoli, Dakshina Kannada, under the guidance of Kadike Trust, a non-government organisation based at Karkala in Udupi district, promoter of Udupi sari, has used the ‘chogaru’ for colouring the Udupi saris woven by it. The society is among the five weavers’ cooperative societies which has obtained the authorisation certificate to use the GI tag for Udupi sari.

Mamatha Rai, president, Kadike Trust, told The Hindu that arecanut ‘chogaru’ dyed saris with brown and pink shades will be launched at a function on the premises of the society at Kinnigoli on July 31. “It is for the first time arecanut ‘chogaru’ has been used for colouring Udupi sari,” she said.

In multiple shades

In addition, she said, Udupi sari naturally dyed after processing leaf of wild almond tree has been woven in yellow and black shades. The weavers of the same society have produced sari dyed using the root of ‘manjistha’ (Indian Madder), which is a climbing or scrambling herb. These saris are in orange, pink and red shades. “All the three (arecanut ‘chogaru’, leaf of wild almond tree and ‘manjistha’ root) are new natural dyes used in making of Udupi sari,” Ms. Rai said adding that the latter two will also be launched on Monday.

She said that these initiatives are expected to boost the recognition for Udupi sari further. The Udupi sari received GI tag first in 2016. The Talipady Society was the first authorised user of the GI tag for the sari. The trust arranged training programmes for weavers with the help of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

At Charaka earlier

Earlier, Charaka Women’s Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Heggodu, in Sagar taluk of Shivamogga district and some other garment makers have used arecanut ‘chogaru’ as the natural dye in their garment products.

According to the trust, the Udupi sari is woven using the best quality single ply combed cotton yarns for both warp and weft. Artificial zari or cotton yarns are used to create design in body, border and pallu portion using extra weft technique. The sari has plain or checked design in the body and dobby or plain design in the border. Light shades are used for the body, bright and contrast colours for the border and pallu.

Ms. Rai said that SELCO India has arranged solar equipment to the Talipady Society. They include dryer, pulveriser, winding device, water heater and lighting system.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: MEDIA: The little known Origins of ‘Kannada Press Day – 01st July’

A total of 7,850 copies of the MS were lithographed at the Basel Mission Press between 1st July 1843 and February 15, 1844.

On July 1, a very significant anniversary was celebrated by a certain section of media professionals – Kannada print journalists – in Karnataka. It was on this date, 180 years earlier, that the very first edition of the very first Kannada newspaper, the Mangaloora Samachara, was published, giving Kannadigas a window to the world, and to themselves, in their own language.

The remarkable story of the MS began in 1836, when Hermann Moegling, a young German missionary, arrived from the Basel Mission in Switzerland to the bustling markets of the ancient port city of Mangaluru. His brief was simple – to teach the word of the Gospel to ‘this stray flock.’ Recognizing that his facility with languages would be handy, the 25-year-old came armed with more than a smattering of Sanskrit, Arabic and English, but found himself stumped by one unexpected aspect of speaking Indian languages.

“What a demanding task to give up the guttural R so late in life,” he laments to his colleague, Hermann Gundert, in a biography the latter wrote, “and instead learn the R spoken here, which is produced by a fluttering of the tongue!” Gundert would have understood. He himself was based in Tellicherry; eventually, he would master Malayalam and, in 1872, compile the first Malayalam-English dictionary. (PS: Gundert was the grandfather of Hermann Hesse, the author of the 20th century classic, Siddhartha.)

Like Gundert, Moegling did not let the difficulties of pronunciation deter him. By 1840, he was not only speaking Kanarese fluently, but slowly and surely falling in love with the language. In 1841, the Basel Mission set up the first lithographic printing press of coastal Karnataka in Mangaluru’s Balmatta (today the Balmatta Institute of Printing Technology). The lithographic process involved printing off stone slabs inscribed with text that had been painted on to the stone with oil, fat or wax. Moegling was fascinated. In 1842, he had 1500 copies of a Kannada pamphlet printed and was thrilled by the ease and speed with which the information was disseminated to large numbers of his flock. By 1843, he was dreaming of a Kannada newspaper that had little to do with the Gospel.

The first edition of the four-page Mangaloora Samachara came out to great fanfare on July 1st, 1843. With a mission to “prevent the spread of rumours and untruthful things, and also to make available genuine information to the people at large”, the fortnightly had sections devoted to various topics, including oora varthamanagalu (local news), sarakarada niroopagalu (government – read: East India Company – laws and policies), sarva rajya varthamanagalu (news from all over the state, although it also included news from places further afield, like Afghanistan), nutanavada ashcharya suddigalu (new and sensational news), and even kathegalu (moral stories, songs about good conduct by Purandaradasa). Citizen journalism was also encouraged – “Anybody can send the news and it will be published” – but a cautionary corollary was issued alongside – “if it is true.”

A total of 7,850 copies of the MS were lithographed at the Basel Mission Press between 1st July 1843 and February 15, 1844. From its 15th edition onwards, the printing of the newspaper was taken over by the London Missionary Society in Ballari, which had a letterpress machine. Delighted with the response to MS from all over present-day Karnataka, Moegling expanded the scope of the newspaper, rechristening it Karnataka Samachara. Unfortunately, it did not have a long run. In its last edition, which came out in December 1844, Moegling spoke feelingly of a Samagra Karnataka, in which all Kannada-speaking regions would come together as one, little dreaming that it would be another 112 years before that fond hope came to fruition.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

OVERSEAS: ARTS & CULTURE: Kannada Pata Shale Dubai’s 9th year Valedictory Event held with Grandeur

Kannada Pata Shale Dubai, a free Kannada language teaching school started in Dubai in 2014 is run by Kannada Mitraru UAE, a nonprofit association with over 100 volunteers serving the school. It is free for all children aged between 6 to 16 years who are willing to learn Kannada language.

The 9th year valedictory event of Kannada Pata Shale Dubai was held on April 29 at JSS International School, JVC Dubai. Kannada Pata Shale Dubai popularly known as KPSD has over 650 students this year, who attended the closing ceremony event, received their certificates and medal of appreciation from guests and dignitaries. Dr Mohan Ava, the president of Alva’s Education Foundation of Moodbidri graced the occasion as chief guest and was honoured by Kannada Mitraru UAE for their contribution in the field of education.

The well-disciplined event started on the dot as announced was noticeable, as the vice president Siddalingesh Revappa explained that KPSD is well known for time consciousness as he said that the teaching has to be backed by being an example.

In his presidential speech, Shashidhar Nagarajappa sought the blessings of Shri Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji for their invaluable support and blessings to establish Kannada Pata Shale Dubai. He further explained the selfless services of 17 teachers who dedicated 6 months for the school without any remuneration. KPSD teachers who had served more than 4 years were recognized with ‘Shikshana Koustub’ award. This year’s awardees were Meena Harish Kodi, Divyashree Nagaraj Rao and Usharani Kotresh. Shashidhar urged for the support of Karnataka government to recognize KPSD so that the NRI students who complete 12th standard and move from UAE to Karnataka for their professional courses, who need to take CET exams, are required to attend separate Kannada exam, which is unnecessary for KPSD students and hence needs to give exhumation for those who are having certificates from KPSD.

An extravagant display of talents was seen, as children showcased their talent in Kannada language through various art forms like dance, singing and acting. The skit ‘Ekalavya’ was the heart winner with the spontaneous dialogues which is unseen in the young diaspora. A play ‘Kannada Granny and Naughty children’ mesmerized the audiences with its message to emphasis the importance of learning Kannada language. An overcrowded auditorium cheered the young performers with joy of appreciation.

In the formal event ceremony, the KPSD patron and president of KNRI forum Praveen Shetty thanked the parents for bringing in a record number of children and making KPSD a big success and appreciated the Alva’s Kannada and cultural activities such as ‘Nudisiri’ and ‘Virasat’ and called in for all the support. KPSD patron and KNRI vice president Mohan Narasimha Murthy appreciated the service of the teachers and called for highest number of admissions in the coming years.

Post felicitation, Dr Mohan Alva gave an impressive and elaborative speech. In his words of humbleness, Dr Alva sought the blessings of Shri Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji. He further on appreciated the efforts put in to keep the culture and language alive and pass it to the next generation. He further called all parents to continue to teach Kannada as their primary language. He further assured his support to KPSD for getting necessary recognition from the state government and assured of an award of appreciation from the government.

One of the most prestigious awards for contribution to Kannada ‘Kannada Mitra-2023’ was awarded to Dr Rajani Krishna Rao for her invention of phonetics techniques to teach and learn Kannada language. Another Kannada Mitra-2023 awardee Huchhamma Basappa Choudri was felicitated virtually due to her inability to travel to Dubai.

Further in the dignitary’s speech, Harish Bangera thanked the parents for sending a record number of students to learn Kannada and he appreciated the efforts of the teachers. The next speaker, the CEO of JSS Schools Dubai, Govind Rao Naik welcomed Dr Mohan Alva to the JSS institution and remembered the days of KPSD foundation at JSS school in Al Safa and wished all the organizers a grand success for the future years. Sarvottam Shetty, president of Karnataka Sangha Abu Dhabi made an impressive speech and explained the origins of Kannada and wished all the parents and organizers.

Another guest of the event, award winning director, actor and writer of Sandalwood, Shivadhwaj Shetty gave a joyous speech of appreciation and thanked the parents and teachers for their love of the language.

General secretary Sunil Gavaskar, joint secretary Shivasharanappa Meti, treasurer Nagaraj Rao and organizing secretaries Mahadev, Harish Kodi, Jeetendra, Prakash, Vijay, Santosh, Guru Prashanth, Sudhir, and Suresh managed the certification and medal of students in the first batch of students.

Over 500 students were encouraged with certification and medal of appreciation. The felicitation was done by all the dignitaries namely M E Mulooru, advisor of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah, prominent businessman Harish Sherigar, honorary advisor of Karnataka Sangha Dubai Jayanth Shetty, James Mendonca of Mangalore Konkans, vice president of Karnataka Sangha Dubai Daya Kirodian, Balakrishna Salina of Mugaveers UAE, general secretary of Karnataka Sangha Dubai Manohar Hegde, Vokkaliga Samaja UAE president Dr Rashmi Nanda Kishore, former president of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah Novel Almeda, president of WOW Power Yoga Anand Bailooru, and Basava Samithi president Dr Mamatha Radder. Other heads of associations who participated and wished the event were Sagar Shettar couple and Vineeth.

The entire event was well coordinated by the organizing secretaries in various roles such as dinner distribution by Santosh, Harish Kodi and Rohit, and the stage co-ordination was handled by Girish Patwari, Yuvaraja, P Wadekar, Rohit and Shivu. Guest welcome was handled by Girish Kalkund and Guru Prashanth, and the creative and AV display was superbly managed by Shashidhar Mundaragi, Grish Vorate and Vinay.

The stage and student coordination was handled by a team of 16 teachers managed by Roopa Shashidhar.

Nagaraj Rao thanked all the guests and attendees.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: Ashes of John Merwin Fritz, a London-based Archaeologist, Immersed in the Tungabhadra waters at Hampi

The ashes (asthi) of John Merwin Fritz, an 83-year-old London-based archaeologist and anthropologist, who died in London on January 23 this year, were, as per his wishes, immersed in the Tungabhadra waters at Hampi on Sunday.

Fritz was an internationally acclaimed archaeological researcher who made notable contribution to research on the great imperial city of Vijayanagara.

As per his wishes, his cremation was carried out according to Hindu rituals in London and the ashes were immersed in the Tungabhadra waters. His grandson Williams performed the ash-immersion rituals at Hampi.

Fritz’s daughter Alice Chandra Fritz and his friends John Gollings and George Michell were among those present at the Hampi ceremony.

“Fritz was very fond of India, especially Hampi. As per his wishes, his ashes were submerged in the Tungabhadra waters. His other wish was to complete the Vijayanagara Research Project which he started 30 years ago. I am also part of the project with a specific assignment of mapping surface archaeological features and I have finished it. We will try to complete the entire project,” Surendra Kumar, a Hampi-based researcher, told The Hindu.

Born on December 29, 1939 at Glendale of California in the United States, Fritz had settled down in London.

His work, Paleo-Psychology Today (1978), anticipated not only new directions in archaeology but also what would become the core of his research and publications regarding the symbolic features of past architectural monuments and structures, including aspects of both the Chaco site in New Mexico and, most substantively, the grand imperial city of Vijayanagara at Hampi in India.

In April 1981, Fritz joined George Michell, an architect from Australia, for archaeological research of Hampi. Over the next 20 years, he and George Michell ran an independent field camp in the middle of the ruins in Hampi. Together with the many scholars who became involved in what came to be known as the Vijayanagara Research Project, Fritz published extensively, editing the two-volume “Vijayanagara: Archaeological Exploration, 1990-2000”, and, together with George Michell, issued a popular guidebook on the site.

Their jointly authored “City of Victory” published in 1991 by Aperture in New York was the first of the several superbly illustrated volumes. They gifted much of the project’s maps and drawings to the British Library. Before his death, Fritz made a bequest to the American Trust for the British Library to fund a one-year cataloguing post for the collections.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ’19th Toto Funds the Arts (TFA) Awards 2023′ Ceremony returns to Stage, February 18th

The 19th edition of the Toto Funds the Arts (TFA) awards recognised 10 winners across various categories, including literature, music, short film, photography, and digital art.

Dadapeer Jyman, a promising talent in the Kannada literary scene, could hardly contain his emotion as he accepted the award for creative writing in Kannada at the 19th edition of the Toto Funds the Arts (TFA) awards ceremony held at Bangalore International Centre on February 18. With a tremulous voice, Jyman expressed his joy at winning the prize. “I’ve dreamt of winning a Toto for three to four years now. I’ve been longlisted and shortlisted… It feels like finally being accepted after pursuing a loved one for long,” he said.

Having won the Sahitya Akademi’s Yuva Puraskar in 2022, Jyman is making a name for himself as a rising star in Kannada literature. His award-winning story, Taha’s Letter, explores the clash between two worlds, through the lens of two close friends, Dileep and Taha. One is stuck in the village, while the other has become an activist in the city. Taha is queer, and, as the story unfolds, we see how two worlds collide and get a chance to examine why it did not work out between them.

Following two years of virtual editions, the Toto Awards finally made a return to the physical stage. “Nothing compares to meeting young artists in person and hearing a live audience cheer them on. All of us at TFA were excited to do an on-ground event,” said CK Meena, chaiperson, TFA.

The TFA is a non-profit trust that was founded in 2004 to commemorate the passing of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani, a 20-year-old art and literature lover. Every year, the trust awards prizes in a range of categories, including literature, music, short film, and photography, and hosts workshops, talks, readings, film screenings, and intimate addas to discuss arts-related topics.

A new category was established this year to pay tribute to the memory of abstract artist Mehlli Gobhai, dedicated to digital art, and an additional award was presented for music. The ceremony included a short ghatam performance by Sumana Chandrashekar.

“It is a great platform for youngsters riddled with self doubt about their potential,” said chief guest MS Sriram, Kannada writer and chairperson of the Centre for Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. “This award is a big endorsement from the community. While there are several language-based art communities in Bengaluru, what makes this one unique is its diversity. I was amazed by the different regions the award winners came from, as usually in these gatherings we only see local talent.”

Moachiba Jamir, who won the award in the creative writing in the English category, said, “The story, Expecting Caterpillars, talks about grief in a way that also touches the culture that I come from, where very strong emotions such as grief and happiness are not really shared. We don’t really hug people, we don’t say we are sorry… I wanted to explore that in my story,” said Jamir.

A native of the Ao tribe in Kohima, Nagaland, Jamir includes his cultural roots in his writing. “I am inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who said there’s not just one story. So, I am not the only story from my culture; I am just a little voice out of all the voices that are around.”

This year’s ceremony recognised 10 winners across various categories, each of whom received a cash prize. In the music category, both Dindūn and Rudy Mukta were awarded ₹60,000 each. The creative writing in the English category saw Moachiba Jamir and Aparna Chivukula winning ₹50,000 each. Dadapeer Jyman won ₹50,000 in creative writing in the Kannada category. The photography category was won by Aswin Sharma and Anuja Dasgupta, with each of them receiving ₹50,000. In the short film category, Pratik Girish Bhoyar and Nikhil Vinay received ₹50,000 . Sankalpa Raychaudhury won the digital art category, receiving a cash prize of ₹50,000.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPORTS / BOATING: ’11th National Dragon Boat Championship’ begins in Swarna River, Heroor,Udupi, February 23 to 26th

700 participants from 15 States are likely to participate in the races till February 26. The event will be held at Swarna river in Heroor.

The 11th national dragon boat championship will begin in Udupi for four days from Thursday, with about 700 participants from 15 States expected to participate.

Organised by the Udupi district administration, in association with the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, the competitions will be held on the Swarna near Heroor in Udupi.

Those selected in this championship will be eligible to participate in Asian Games to be held in September/October, 2023.

Arrangements like two access roads, space for viewers have been organised in Heroor.

According to Udupi MLA K. Raghupathi Bhat, dragon boat race has evolved into a competitive global sport.

‘‘Udupi got an opportunity to host this championship. The prospects of Udupi in organising water sports championships can be explored further. The championship will have 200 metres, 500 metres, and 2 km race,” he told presspersons.

In each category, 25 participants will get selected to participate in the Asian Games, Mr. Bhat said, adding that the dragon boats have already arrived at the venue.

The boats have been designed to look like a dragon’s head, while the rear is carved to look like a tail.

In this event, 22 persons sit on the narrow boat, while the rest of the team works the oars and one person sitting in the front will beat a drum to egg them on and a coxswain steers the boat. There will be three more persons on reserve.

The 10th national dragon boat championship was held in Bhopal last year.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ARTS & CULTURE / MUSEUM: Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) Opens Physical Museum in Bengaluru

The museum includes virtual exhibits, artists lectures, virtual reality encounters and a number of keynote discussions that foucs on the collections.

The Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), the first major private museum in Bengaluru, opened its doors at Kasturba Road with the inaugural series, ‘Art is Life: New Beginnings’. In view of the launch, the museum is holding week-long events from February 18-24.

Supported by cutting-edge technology, the museum has been constructed on the pillars of an innovative digital format that was introduced in 2020. This entails virtual exhibits, artist lectures, virtual reality encounters and a number of keynote discussions with leading museum directors from across the world that focus on the collections.

igital interventions, such as the Sasken Multimedia Gallery, enhance the museum experience for MAP’s visitors and make the whole collection accessible even when individual pieces aren’t on show.

Four exhibitions

The brand-new series feature four exhibitions and a series of new commissions. Curated by the director of MAP, Kamini Sawhney, ‘Visible/Invisible’ includes works by leading Indian artists such as Jamini Roy, Bhupen Khakhar, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Ravinder Reddy, Arpita Singh, M.F. Hussain and examines the role of women in art.

With more than 160 images, renowned Indian artist Jyoti Bhatt’s collection “Time and Time Again” traces his path as a photographer in the second half of the 20th century. The installation highlights his experimentation with multiple exposures and fragmented mirror imagery, as well as his depiction of rural villages, portraits of other artists, and self-portraits.

The MAP also feature LN Tallur’s series of sculptures and movies called “Chirag-e-Al,” which explore the link between artificial intelligence and ritualistic belief systems while forcing viewers to consider humanity’s increasing reliance on technology. The themes of darkness, conversations between celestial entities, and white spaces are established via the use of imagined chatbots, neural networks, composite figures, and white spaces.

Three years of research-backed work

Speaking about what makes MAP so distinct, Ms. Sawhney said, “MAPs collections are spread over six categories — premodern, modern and contemporary, textiles, photography, indigenous art, and popular culture such as Bollywood posters and film scripts. It tells the stories of all communities that make up India. We tell much wider stories as compared to other museums. Visible/Invisible showcases the permanent collection of MAP but we also commissioned various artists to create work which became part of the works. We worked for three years on this exhibition and it is accompanied by a catalogue.”

MAPs collections are spread over six categories — premodern, modern and contemporary, textiles, photography, indigenous art, and popular culture such as Bollywood posters and film scripts. 

The MAP started first as a digital museum. “We developed the concept of MAP Labs which looks at the intersection of the science and the arts and how we can use technology to find art solutions. In our first collaboration with Accenture, we came up with the idea of creating a 3D persona or a hologram of M.F. Hussain, an iconic artist with whom a lot of young people have not interacted. It enabled them to have a chat with M.F. Hussain and understand his work,” Ms. Sawhney said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA : World Konkani Centre announces 2 New Awards from this year

The World Konkani Centre, Shakthi Nagar, in Mangaluru has instituted two new awards from this year in the name of its chief patron. Each award carries ₹1 lakh in purse and a plaque.

It has chosen Ajit Ganapat Shenvi Kerkar for the P. Dayananda Pai Vishwa Konkani Ranga Shreshta Puraskar 2022 considering his lifetime contribution to the field of theatre and their contribution to the cause of Konkani.

Vidya Pai has been chosen for the P. Dayananda Pai Vishwa Konkani Anuvada Puraskar 2022 considering the enormity and impact of her translation work of Konkani literature in to English resulting in worldwide exposure for the Konkani literature, according to Nandagopal Shenoy, president, Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti Prathistan, World Konkani Centre.

The awards will be presented during the Vishwa Konkani Awards Ceremony to be held on February 9, 2023, in the presence of chief patron P. Dayananda Pai and other dignitaries, he said in a release.

The selection is based on the nominations submitted by the public and evaluation by two jury committees comprising of eminent personalities.

The jury for Ranga Shreshta Puraskar comprised of G.G. Lakshman Prabhu as the Chairman, and Muralidhar Shenoy from Kochi, John Permannur from Mangaluru and Sanjiv Verenkar from Goa as members.

The jury of Vishwa Konkani Anuvada Puraskar had Payyanur Ramesh Pai as Chairman and Gokuldas Prabhu, Kiran Budkuley and Melvyn Rodrigues as members.

Mr. Kerkar, 72, has served the Konkani theatre for the past 54 years in Goa. He still continues to be in the field of Konkani theatre by acting, directing and designing the sets for Konkani dramas. So far, he has acted in 89 productions and directed 43 production of dramas with innumerable shows across Goa and Maharashtra. He was instrumental in the success of 143 theatrical productions.

He is the only actor in Goa to have won the State-level best actor award for seven times including 4 times in a row.

Ms. Pai lives in Kolkota. She has translated 68 Konkani short stories and seven novels in to English and published them in reputed publications all across the world. A PhD thesis has been written based on her work and Konkani literature has received much needed attention in the literary world due to her work, the release said.

source/contents: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL / KARNATAKA: ARTS & CULTURE: Confluence of Cultures Witnessed at ’13th Nirantharam National Music and Dance Festival’ Jan 01st-05, 2023

This ongoing festival will feature a variety of classical music concerts and dance performances.

It was a musical beginning to the year as the 13th Nirantharam National Music and Dance Festival kick-started on January 1 and will continue till January 5.

This five-day festival, happening at Seva Sadan, Malleswaram, will feature a variety of classical music concerts and dance performances.

The inaugural performance saw a colourful dance ballet, depicting the life and times of Nagarathnamma, a Carnatic singer, scholar, and courtesan. The show was conceptualised and directed by veteran director TS Nagabharana followed by Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi performances throughout the day.

P Ramaa, trustee of Sangeetha Sambhrama, which organised the festival says on January 2 there is a lineup of NRI artists. “It’s an internationally-known music drama and dance festival. Artists from the US and UK  are participating. There is a strong lineup of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi performances,” says Ramaa. The festival has many performers who have been looking forward to being part of live shows. “Performers are eagerly waiting to perform live, as before it was largely online. Even regular attendees of the festival, are awaiting this,” says Ramaa.

Ramaa adds on January 4 there is a dance ballet of Sri Ramanuja Vaibhavam, and suggests not missing it. It will be presented in the presence of  Yadugiri Yathiraja Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Swamy and Karnataka Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan. Apart from that, there will be a presentation of Sambhrama Puraskar Awards 2023 to eminent artists like R A Ramamani,  Sujatha Sreenivasan,  Sai Venkatesh,  Prasanna Kasthuri,  Praveen D Rao,  Padmaja Srinivas and V Murali Nadaswara.

“We are felicitating all the artists who were bestowed with the Sangeet Nataka Academy Award from the President of India in Delhi. Around 50 people are coming for the award function and some are being awarded posthumously,” concludes Ramaa.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)