Male Dancers and Bharatanatyam – Relation & Significance

Dance, in general, is the medium between our conversation with the God. It helps us emote our souls and be one with Supreme One. If this is the thought that we all agree with, then why are there just a handful of classically trained male dancers, when compared to their female counterparts? The list of reasons is endless, literally, and that needs to stop. 

 Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam

Historically, dance was not exclusively reserved for women. Nataraja was advocated as the ancient patron deity of dance – the cosmic dancer – linking men and dance inextricably. The male gurus of female dancers also indicate that men played a significant role in codifying and formatting classical dance forms in India. Moreover, folk dances in India and indeed all over the world, have involved men and women equally and without prejudice. Also, male dancers in India have played monumental roles in evolving dance throughout the evolution of dance forms in modern history – Ramgopal, Uday Shankar, traditional Kathakali and Chhau dancers, Kelucharan Mohapatra, Birju Maharaj just to name a few.

But the sort of paradigms that alienated male dancers in the west, perhaps through Colonialism, enter the Indian subconscious. Many dancers have advocated for equality in dance in the past few decades. Even if this contributes a little to the cause, I would be grateful that my efforts would not be in vain.

This project was made during my 12th class, and focuses on giving anecdotes about the contributions of male dancers in the evolution of Bhararatanatyam, as we know it today. This is just a glimpse of the real image, and thus the scope of this project is not too wide.

HISTORICAL ERA

LORD BRAHMA :

Lord Brahma, the all-knowing diety, is the creator of the fifth veda called the Natyaveda. This is the origin of all the dance and theatre forms known in the entire world.

Origin of Natyaveda  

At the end of the kritayuga and at the on-set of the tretayuga, people on earth got addicted to base sentiments (gramya dharma) such as excessive desire, greed, jealousy, and anger and found their state of happiness mixed with sorrow. So the devas, with Indra leading them, approached Brahma and requested for audio-visual mode to impart knowledge (kridaniyakmicchamo drishyam shravyam chayadbhavet). [1]

They also requested that this be made accessible to all people from all places. This indeed is the need of all people of all times – respite from the world which is filled with conflicting emotions.

The following five verses speak about the creation of Natyashastra by Brahma: [1]

धर्म्यमर्थ्यं यशस्यं च सोपदेश्यं ससङ्ग्रहम् । भविष्यतश्च लोकस्य सर्वकर्मानुदर्शकम् ॥

Dharmyamarthyam yashasyam cha sopdeshyam sasngraham | Bhavishyatchra lokasya sarvakarmanudarshakam ||    

"It will contain good counsel for people in their pursuits of dharma, material needs, and fame. It will guide the world in the future too in all their endeavors."

सर्वशास्त्रार्थसंपन्नं सर्वशिल्पप्रवर्तकम् । नाट्याख्यं पञ्चमवेदं सेतिहासं करोम्यहम् ॥

Sarvashastrarthsampannam sarvashilpapravartakam | Natyakhyam panchamvedam setihasam karomyaham || 

"It will contain the essence of all the shastras and will be the foundation for all arts. I shall create Natyaveda, the fifth Veda along with the itihas."

एवं सङ्कल्प्य भगवान् सर्ववेदाननुस्मरन् । नाट्यवेदं ततश्चक्रे चतुर्वेदाङ्गसम्भवम् ॥

Evam sangkalpya bhagwan sarvavedananusmara | Natyavedam tatchhrake chaturavedangsambhavam || 

"Having taken a decision thus, the deity recalled all the Vedas and created the Natyaveda, which is born out of the four Vedas." 

जग्राह पाठ्यमृग्वेदात्सामभ्यो गीतमेव च । यजुर्वेदादभिनयान् रसानाथर्वणादपि ॥

Jagrah patthyamrigavedaatsaambhyo geetmeva cha | Yajurvedaadbhinayaan rasanarthavarnaadapi || 

"He took the lyrics (patthya) from the Ṛigveda, the music (geet) from the Samaveda, the language of gestures (abhinaya) from the Yajurveda and the aesthetic experience (rasa) from Atharvaveda." 

वेदोपवेदैः सम्बद्धो नाट्यवेदो महात्मना । एवं भगवता सृष्टो ब्रह्मणा सर्ववेदिना ॥

Vedopavedaih sambadhho natyavedo mahaatmnaa | Evam bhagvataa srishto brahmnna sarvavedina ||

"Naṭyaveda, which is closely linked to the Vedas and the Upavedas was thus created by the all-knowing Brahma, the omniscient.

NATARAJA :

The word 'Nataraja' is a sanskrit term, derived from the root words 'Nata' (meaning act, drama, or dance) and 'Raja' (meaning lord or king), which can be interpreted as 'The Lord of Dance' or 'The King of Dance'. This form of Lord Shiva is also known as Narteshwara or Nrityeshwara in North India, which mean the same.

Symbolism in Nataraja 

The significance of the Nataraja sculpture is said to be that Shiva is shown as the source of all movement within the cosmos, represented by the arch of flames. The purpose of the dance is to release men from illusion of the idea of the "self" and of the physical world. The cosmic dance was performed in Chidambaram in South India, called the center of the universe by some Hindus.

The symbolism of Siva Nataraja is religion, art and science merged as one. In God's endless dance of creation, preservation, destruction and paired graces is hidden a deep understanding of our universe.

Bhashya Nataraja, the King of Dance, has four arms. The upper right hand holds the drum from which creation issues forth. The lower right hand is raised in blessing, betokening preservation. The upper left hand holds a flame, which is destruction, the dissolution of form. The right leg, representing obscuring grace, stands upon Apasmarapurusha, a soul temporarily earth-bound by its own sloth, confusion and forgetfulness. The uplifted left leg is revealing grace, which releases the mature soul from bondage. The lower left hand gestures toward that holy foot in assurance that Siva's grace is the refuge for everyone, the way to liberation. [2]

The circle of fire represents the cosmos and especially consciousness. The all-devouring form looming above is Mahakala, "Great Time." The cobra around Nataraja's waist is kundalini shakti, the soul-impelling cosmic power residing within all. [2]

Nataraja's dance is not just a symbol. It is taking place within each of us, at the atomic level, this very moment.

Karanas 

'Karana' is a sanskrit noun meaning 'doing'. Karanas are the 108 key transitions in ShastriyaDevesh (Classical Indian Dance) described in 4th Chapter named "Tandava Lakshana" in Natyashastra.

Natya Shastra states that Karanas are the framework for the 'margi' productions which are supposed to spiritually enlighten the spectators, as opposed to the 'desi' productions which can only entertain the spectators. "One who performs well this Karana dance created by Maheswara will go free from all sins to the abode of this deity" states Natya Shastra. [3]

Silapdikaram describes four different types of dances; namely Sokkam, Meiy, Abhinayam and Natakam. 'Sokkam' means pure dance, and gives us the description of various karanas. 

Lord Shiva described thousands of karanas, out of which he himself performed 250. Out of those 250 karanas, humans can physically perform only 108 of them. Bharata Senapatiyam (a grammar text) divides those 108 karanas on the basis of with whom Lord Shiva performed them. The classification is as follows -

• 48 - by Himself  
• 3 - with Murugan
• 9 - with Maayan
• 36 - with Uma
• 12 - with other Devas

There used to be devadasis who performed all the 108 karanas, but now in most contemporary Bharatanatyam or Odissi schools only a small number of karanas and their derivatives have been transmitted by parampara up to date. So various dance exponents are still trying to interpret and explain all 108 karanas. Some examples are: 

1.  Dr.Padma Subramanyam - Her study was based on 108 brief movement phrases describing specific leg, hip, body, and arm movements accompanied by hasta mudras described in the Natya shastra and other scriptures, and from depictions of the movements in sculpture in five South Indian temples. She has written a book called 'Karanas-Common dance codes of India and Indonesia', based on her research of karanas from the temples of Prambanan (Indonesia), Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Chidambaram, Thiruvannamalai and Vriddhachalam. In the 20th century she was the first dancer to reconstruct the Karanas as movements, which were considered to be mere poses earlier.
2. Some other Bharatanatyam gurus, such as Adyar Lakshman (Kalakshetra school) as well as the Kuchipudi gurus Vempati Chinna Satyam and C.R.Acharya have also attempted to reconstruct all the 108 karanas, which were often significantly different from Padma Subrahmanyam's interpretations. [3]

Meaning of Tandava

Shiva is believed to assume two states – the samadhi (Superconscious) state and the tandav or lasya dance state. The samadhi state is His nirgun (Non-materialised) and tandav or lasya dance state is His sagun (Materialised) state. [4]

Body movements performed to depict a particular event or issue is known as natan or natya. The one who performs this natan is a nat (Actor). Traditionally, it is believed that Nataraj is the promoter of dance. Since Shiva is the pioneer amongst actors, the title of Nataraj is accorded to Him. [4]

The universe is His dance school. Just as He is the dancer, He is its observer too. Nataraj plays the role of bringing about activity in the universe through the commencement of His dance and merging the visible and invisible Creation into Himself when He stops it. Thereafter, He remains alone, engrossed in Anand. In short, Nataraj is the manifested form of all activities of God, the Pancha Krityams.

Origin of Tandava 

प्रयोगमुद्धतं स्मृत्वा स्वप्रयुक्तं ततो हरः । तण्डुना स्वगणाग्रण्या भरताय न्यदीदिशत् ।। 

लास्यमस्याग्रतः प्रीत्या पार्वत्या समदीदिशत् । बुद्ध्वाऽथ ताण्डवं तण्डोः मत्र्येभ्यो मुनयोऽवदन् ।। 

Prayogamuddhatam smritva svaprayuktam tato harah | Tanduna svaganagrandya bharataya nyadiidishat ||5||

Lasyamasyagratah priitya parvatya samadiidishat | Buddhvayath tandavam tandoh mattryebhyo munayoayvadan ||6||

Sangitaratnakar, Adhyaya 5: Then Shiva remembered and showed the uddhat dance (that He had performed earlier) to Sage Bharat through the chief of His attendants (known as Tandu). He also made Parvati perform the lasya dance with great enthusiasm in front of Sage Bharat. Lasya is a dance performed by women, wherein the hands remain free.

Realising that the dance performed by Tandu was tandav, Sage Bharat and others later taught these dances to mankind. The dance form in which the sound emitted by every cell in the body is Shivatattva-predominant, is known as the tandav dance.

It is a dance performed by males and consists of mudras; for instance, the dhyanmudra is performed by touching the tip of the thumb to the index finger. As a result, the mounds of Jupiter and Venus get joined, meaning, the male and female unite. [4]

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam 

BHARATA MUNI: 

Bharata Muni was an ancient Indian theatrologist and musicologist who wrote the NatyaShastra, a theoretical treatise on ancient Indian dramaturgy and histrionics, especially Sanskrit theatre. Bharata is considered the father of Indian theatrical art forms. 

Journey of Natyashastra from Heavens to Humans 

Brahma entrusted the task of giving visual effects to Natyaveda to Bharta Muni. He took up the task and taught his sons. The arangetram was done in front of Brahma. He was happy with the direction of Bharat Muni and the performance of his sons. Brahma created 24 apsaras and asked them to join Bharta Muni’s class. Bharata selected the story of first deva-asura battle, where the devas won.

Brahma asked Bharat Muni to perform it in front of Shiva. Shiva was impressed very much by the presentation of Tripura Dahanam. As a token of appreciation (and, of course, because of the plea from Brahma), Shiva asked his consort Parvati to teach lasya form of dance to Bharat Muni. He also asked Thandu to teach tandava form of dance to him. Thus equipped with the all the three forms of dance, Bharata Muni became the fountain head of dance.

In short, Bharata Muni compiled the teaching of Brahma (Natyaveda), Shiva and Thandu (Tandava) and Parvati (Lasya) into a compendium of knowledge called Natyashastra. He the taught the Natyashastra to his 100 sons and the apsaras created from Lord Brahma's mind.

Later, he taught his sons who in turn taught devas. Once, Rishis saw them teaching some vulgar forms and as a result of the curse of those Rishis, the sons of Bharat Muni came down to Earth. However, they continued to teach the dance to the inhabitants of the Earth. Thus, this is how the celestial Natyaveda was interpreted into Natyashastra, which was then passed on to humans.

A Deeper Meaning of Natyashastra 

After the formation of Natyaveda, Brahma asks Indra to instruct the devas to bring the Natyaveda into practice. Indra finds the devas incapable of comprehending, assimilating, and practicing the art and feels that the sages who are well-versed in the Vedas are the ones who would be capable to do so.

Brahma then instructs Bharata in the Natyaveda and gives the responsibility to him and his hundred sons to propagate and practice the same. Brahma created apsaras, the celestial damsels from his mind, who were skillful in embellishing drama and he told them to assist Bharata.

Brahma suggested to Bharata that the Indra-dhvajotsava, the festival in the honor of Indra’s killing of demons, would be a suitable occasion to put together a performance employing the principles of the Natyashastra.

This performance presented the story of the defeat of the demons by gods. The occasion was the festival in honor of Lord Indra. The demons disliked it and created trouble. The nature of the ‘Natyaveda’ or ‘Natyashastra’ was explained by Brahma to pacify the demons.

The Natyashastra treats both the good and the evil. Showing that the good is rewarded and the evil is punished. The Natya represents the life of gods, demons, kings, great sages and everyone alike.

Moreover, through this episode, Bharata subtly cautions connoisseurs about their responsibility of having a detached attitude while witnessing a play or any work of art in general. Emotional over-involvement and extrapolation of the incidents to everyday life will cause harm to both the art and the connoisseurs. More philosophically, when the bhavas do not get elevated to the level of rasa in a connoisseur’s mind due to his lack of maturity, art cannot be enjoyed.

TANJAVUR QUARTET:

Bharatanatyam that existed in the ancient times merely as a folk art form was formally codified into a structured performance in the eighteenth century by the four brothers from Tanjavur, well-known as the Tanjore Quartet─Ponniah, Chinniah, Sivanandam, and Vadivelu. They hailed from the dance lineage of the Brihadisvara temple of Tanjavur and were associated with the royal courts of Tanjavur, Tiruvananthapuram and Mysore.

Training 

The four brothers formally trained in Carnatic music from the renowned MuttuswamiDikshitar of the Musical Trinity for seven years. They debuted in the royal court of Tanjavur. After becoming well-versed in music, they trained in Bharatanatyam under their grandfather, Gangaimuthu and father, Subbarayan. They learnt the nuances of the theory and practice of the art, and thereafter formatted the performing pattern of the dance. [5]

After their debut, the brothers were praised and blessed by their guru, Muttusvami Dikshitar and were given the title of “Bharata Sreshtar”. The king honoured them with several gifts including a palanquin and appointed them as the musicians of the court.

Contributions 

The brothers codified the basic Bharatanatyam adavus (dance units), designed the margam, (the configuration of the contemporary Bharatanatyam performance from Alarippu to Tillana) appropriate for the concert stage.

The Tanjore Quartet infused the spirit of their devotional dance into the repertoire. Nevertheless, superb compositions like Pancha Murthi Kavituams and Navasandhi Kavituams, saturated with sanctity, fully radiate the splendour of the temple ritual.

Chinnaiah (born 1802) took Bharata Natyam (or Bharatham) to Wodeyar court at Mysore/Karnataka, Ponnaiah (born 1804) and Sivanandam (born 1808) stayed on in Tanjore under Maratha patronage and Vadivelu (born 1810) modified the violin for use in Karnatic music (which accompanies the dance). Vadivelu created the dance form of Mohiniattam at the request of the Maharaja of Travancore: Swati Tirunal. [6]

Among the brothers, Ponniah composed several tanavarams, kirtanams, melaprapti, alarippu, jatiswaram, sabdam, swarajati, chauka varnam, ragamalika, padams, javali, tillana, daru, swarapadam, etc., some of which are dedicated to various deities and others were dedicated to Maratha rulers of Tanjavur like Serfoji Raja II Bhonsle, Pratapasimha Bhonsleand Amarasimha Bhonsle. [5]

Chinniah composed several similar pieces in praise of his patron, Krishna Raja Wodeyar, the King of Mysore.

Sivanandam composed on Sivaji Raja and was well-known as a skillful teacher to many aspiring dancers.

Vadivelu, the youngest brother of the Quartet, served in the royal court of Travancore, under the patronage of Maharaja Swati Tirunal. His contribution was foremost in the field of instrumental music. Swati Tirunal honoured him with an ivory violin which still decorates the ancestral house of the Quartet in West Main Road, Tanjavur.

Maharaja Swati Tirunal and Vadivelu together created pieces for dance and music, and also composed dance pieces with parallel renditions in Tamil, Telugu, and Sanskrit. [5]

PRE-INDEPENDENCE ERA

E. KRISHNA IYER:

E. Krishna Iyer was born on August 9, 1879, in a village near Tirunelveli district. He was born to Kailasa Iyer and Ananthalakshmi but the E comes from Eswara, his foster father’s name, because he was given for adoption as 8th of 14 children and 4th of 5 that survived.

Education 

He went to school in Ambasamudram and went on to do his BA from the reputed MCC (Madras Christian College) in 1918 and then to Trivandrum to do Law in 1921.

Inclination Towards Bharatanatyam 

As a child, he was exposed to dance and music at various events and functions. He was first inspired to take to stage by Rangavadivelu of the Suguna Vilasa Sabha, who was among the first men to don female roles. He thus undertook the part of Malavika in Kalidasa's ‘Malavikagnimitra.’ [7]

Natesa Iyer, who was sitting in the audience, was impressed by his performance Under Natesa Iyer's tutelage and persuasion, he trained and for over five years performed regular shows.

Contribution in Bharatanatyam's Revival 

In 1932-33, he helped stop a government regulation banning the art of the devadasis. His constant articles, rejoinders, speeches, presentations – all contributed towards the dance form’s survival until 1947 when India became independent and many others had joined his efforts and thus saved Bharatanatyam for posterity.

Without him, the art of Sadir (Bharatanatyam) as we know it today, would be poorer. Though no one individual can make or mar an art form, he played the role of a lighthouse Madras so badly needed.

He was the Editor of New Age founded in 1934 by HD Rajah and Associate Editor of Free Press. He was the Magazine Editor of Indian Republic and also columnist for Kalki, Dinamani and the Indian Express.[7] Iyer was also the Founder Secretary of the now Madras Sangeet Natak Academy (Tamil Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram). His voice and activism were so important that twice he was elected councillor for Mylapore division unopposed — in 1938 and 1948. [8]

In his active years, he was instrumental in bringing to fore the talent of many Bharatanatyam greats such as Varalakshmi-Bhanumati, Mylapore Gowri Ammal, Balasaraswati, MK Saroja, Kamala, Kausalya among many others. [8]

His contribution is immense in revival and survival of Bharatanatyam as a form, in the context of his time and clime. Bharatanatyam as a dance form had been languishing with little patronage and direct support, in cities. By raising issues, being pro-active and taking up its cause, he gave it a renewed mission and vision. By his vociferous pen and motor-mouth abilities, he saw to it that this form did not fade away. Many benefited by his actions, though they may not give him direct credit.

C. V. CHANDRASHEKHAR:

Early Years and Training

Born in 1935 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar was trained in Bharatanatyam at Kalakshetra, Madras, by Shrimati Sarada Hoffman, S. Sarda, Rukmini Devi Arundale, Karaikkal Saradamba, K.N. Dandayudha Pillai and Mylapore Gowri Amma; and obtained his postgraduate diploma from there. He also learnt Carnatic music under T. K. Ramaswamy lyengar, Budallur Krishnamurthy Sastri, M.D. Ramanathan, Mudikandan Venkataraha lyer, and Mysore Vasudevachar.

Contributions to the Art Form 

Shri Chandrasekhar has made a significant contribution to Bharatanatyam as a performer, teacher, composer and scholar. He has groomed a number of dancers at the two universities where he has worked. Some of his students are - [9]

• Banaras - Dr Madhurima Chowdhary (Professor and Head of the dance dept. of Khairagarh University), Dr.Layaleena Bhat (Dance at BHU)
• Baroda - Rema Srikant (substantial contribution to dance in Gujarat), and many other students became dance teachers across Gujarat
• Chennai - Krishna Chidambaram, Renjith Babu, P Praveen Kumar, Sajilal • Japan - Maki Fukuda, Yoko Matsushita, the couple Sachie & Satoshi Tatsumi
• Paris - Win Thang

His major choreographic productions include RituSamharam, Meghadutam, Bhoomlja, Aparajiz‘a, Pancha Maha-bhootam, Holi, Kreeda and Aarohanam. As a soloist, and with his group, Prof. Chandrasekhar has performed in major dance festivals in lndia and abroad. [10]

Moreover, he still is a source of inspiration for dancers. As stated by many, "When he takes to the stage and does a tillana or a varnam, he can put a thirty year old to shame when dancing. His art springs from discipline and dedication."

RAM GOPAL:

Beessano Ram Gopal was born on November 20, 1917, in Bangalore to a Rajput lawyer father and a Burmese mother. Despite parental opposition, he took up dance as a profession after he saw the palace dancers at the famous Mysore Dussehra celebrations as a child. Seeing his enthusiasm for dance, he was greatly patronised by the prince of Mysore. By the end of his teens, Ram was already the most sought-after dancer in the Mysore State. [11]

Contributions 

Shri Ram Gopal has played a pioneering role as a performer. He was among a few exponents who played a pivotal role in globalising the art and culture of India. From the ’30s, for over two decades, he regaled audiences in India and the West as a dancer of unparalleled excellence and beauty. The grandeur and elegance of the Pandanallur style found a true representative in Shri Ram Gopal, who was also among the earliest artistes to present Bharatanatyam abroad. Apart from performing Bharatanatyam, Shri Ram Gopal also created several works of contemporary nature based on classical-dance technique — solo, duet, ensemble — which won him wide popularity and a large following in the West.

Through his choreographic work Shri Ram Gopal introduced to audiences talented artistes who were later to become important dance personalities of India, among them Shrimati Mrinalini Sarabhai, Shrimati Kumudini Lakhia, Shrimati Chandrabhaga and Shri U.S. Krishna Rao. [11]

Ram Gopal idolised the great Vaslav Nijinsky as his hero, and finally managed to meet him in 1948. Nijinsky had come to attend Ram’s performance and the two met in the greenroom.As a matter of fact the Polish friend Janta used to call him Indian Nijinsky. [11]

Moreover, he extensively toured the Unites States of America and parts of Europe to showcase the beauty of India.

VAZHUVOOR B. RAMAIYAH PILLAI:

Vazhuvoor Bagyathammal Ramaiah Pillai was born in 1910 to Parthiban and Bagyathammal in Vazhuvoor. He learned the arts of Nattuvangam and Bharatanatyam from his maternal uncle Maanikka Nattuvanar.

Contributions 

The Vazhuvoor style that Ramaiah Pillai popularized emphasized beauty in movements, curves, glides and fluid grace rather than the technically correct but aesthetically less pleasing stiffness. Without compromising on tradition, he introduced a lot of newer, refreshing trends in Bharatanatyam like resurrecting the karanas that stemmed from his study of temple sculptures, re-introducing teermanams that were lost in vogue and expanding the scope of the dance form.

Vazhuvoor B. Ramaiah Pillai is acknowledged as a pioneer who helped broaden the scope of the Bharatanatyam repertoire by composing dance to Carnatic music pieces popularly sung in vocal concerts. He was a pioneer in choreographing dances to the patriotic songs by Subramanya Bharati, a poet and freedom fighter and boldly made his students perform them on stage during the pre-independence period. [12]

He was well versed in Tamil and Telugu and frequently included dances to tamil kritis and tamil poetry by Andal, Kamban and Kuttrala Kuravanji in the repertoire. He has himself composed a few tamil sabdams, varnams, jathiswarams and thillanas.

U. S. KRISHNA RAO:

Born on 31 December 1912, in Mallapura, Karnataka, Krishna Rao commenced his dance training in the Mysore school of Bharatanatyam under Kolar Puttappa in 1939. He also learnt Kathakali from Guru Kunju Kurup in 1941-42. In 1943 Krishna Rao and Chandrabhaga Devi came under the tutelage of Pandanallur Meenakshisundaram Pillai in Thanjavur. [13]

Prof. Krishna Rao and his wife, the late Chandrabhaga Devi were a leading dance couple, who propagated the art of Bharatanatyam in Karnataka. The dance duo performed widely and choreographed dance-dramas like The Temptation of Buddha, Rani Shantala, Geeta Govinda and Kama Dahana. [13]

They established 'Maha Maya' in Bangalore in 1942, to train students in Bharatanatyam. Well versed in playing the flute, tabla and harmonium, Krishna Rao has trained several musicians for dance as well.[13]

POST-INDEPENDENCE ERA

PARSWANATH UPADHYAY:

Parshwanath Shanthinath Upadhyay, born on 26th March 1982, has studied for 15 years in the traditional Mysore style of Bharathanatyam under the guidance of Guru Shri Ravindra Sharma of Belgaum. [14]

He completed his Arangetram in the year 1996. He continued his sadhana with the Guru at Ravind Natya Niketa, Belgaum till the year 2002.

Since 2002 Parshwanath Upadhye learnt from dancer duo, Shri Kiran Subramanyam and Smt. Sandhya Kiran at ‘Rasika Academy of performing Arts,’ Bangalore. Now he continues to learn and explore the art form under Padmashri Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy.

Since 1996 Parshwanath Upadhye has danced and participated in numerous festivals and stages in India and abroad. From 2012 on, he has been choreographing, directing, producing and presenting under Punyah Dance Company Bangalore. Among the works presented at national and international venues are Hara, Sat-gati, Paartha, Punyah Krishna and Abha. [14]

A number of critics applaud him for his uniform energy throughout his performances.

"There are many perfect performers; but very few who can create magic and still less who dance like the gods. Parshwanath Upadhye belongs to the latter class. He has an electrifying persona and stage presence and there is a vein of spirituality that runs through his dance whatever be the content." 

-Ranee Kumar, The Hindu [15]

"Parshwanath Upadhye was remarkable both for his striking combination of tandava energy with gentle lasya grace. His dancing demonstrated high technical virtuosity in movement along with a fluidity, precision, and beautiful expression."

-Dr. Ketu H Katrak, Professor of Drama, University of California, Irvine [16]

REVANTA SARABHAI:

Revanta Sarabhai (born 2 September 1984) is an Indian film and theatre actor, dancer, and choreographer from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. He is known for being one of the few male Bharatanatyam soloists of his generation. He is the grand son of the late legendary dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and son of Mallika Sarabhai.

Revanta’s work has been showcased at prestigious festivals and venues across India, Europe, UK and USA. Revanta also made his film debut in 2017 and has played the lead in four Gujarati feature films and hosted a popular dance reality show on TV.

He is also an experienced workshop trainer specialising in using aspects of movement and theatre for training corporate employees and people from fields other than the performing arts to develop right-brain capacity and creativity.

He also supports males portraying feminine characters like Radha and Sita in their performances. This is his reply to the question "How dificult is it for a male to portray feminine characters while dancing?" in the Hindu,

"You can be your masculine self even when you are dancing. But, when you are depicting Sita or Radha, it has to be done naturally. I learnt to surrender to the form while portraying feminine characters. If I hold myself back, then I am not giving myself completely to the dance or the depiction of characters and it shows on stage. I am thankful that I also saw some of the most masculine men dancing in my grandmother and mother’s troupe, which has taught me to be my masculine self even when I am dancing." [17] 

That is, just like his grandmother, Mrinalini Sarabhai, who was one of India’s greatest classical dancers and the first woman to perform Kathakali, Revanta Sarabhai believes that dance knows no gender. [18]

Instead, he feels that the art form is the perfect amalgamation of masculinity and femininity – combining strength, beauty and grace.

VIJAY MADHAVAN:

Born on 17 August 1976 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Shri Vijay Madhavan R has studied Bharatanatyam under Shrimati Chitra Visweswaran for 25 years and Bhagvat Mela for 25 years. He has also received training in Carnatic Vocal Music. He has obtained an M.Sc in Molecular Biology and is currently doing a Ph D in Sanskrit and Dance. [19]

He is a noted soloist, versatile choreographer and reputed teacher in the art form of Bharathnatyam. He is an A-graded artist of Doordarshan, India.

He has established an institution Rechita Nrutyalaya in 1996, and has been nurturing budding artists and professionals in the field of Bharatanatyam since then. [19]

He has conducted a seminar-cum-workshop at Kalanidhi Fine Arts Festival, in Toronto, in 2003 and at the Festival of Birmingham, in Birmingham, UK in 2000. He has also conducted a fund raiser for Mentally and Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS), Trained and formulated pedagogy for Hearing Impaired Children at Dr MGR School for hearing and speech Impaired, Ramapuram, Chennai and Trained students at Sivananda Home (Orphanage) at Katangalathur, Chennai. [19]

He imparted training for the physically challenged kids of MGR School for hearing and speech impaired, and made them perform during several occasions. Vijay continues to train the students at Sivananda Gurukulam for the Orphans at Katangkulathur.

REFERENCES

[1] Bharadwaj, Arjun. (27 June 2016) The Story of the Origin of Natyashastra - 1. Preksa - A Journal of Culture and Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.prekshaa.in/story-origin-natyashastra-1

[2] Shiva As Nataraja - The Lord of Dance. Retrieved from https://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/mgfosque/ENG219/Siva.html

[3] Natya Shastra translated by Manomohan Ghosh 2002 Chowkhamba Press, Varanasi ISBN 81-7080-079-X - Page 75.

[4] What is the origin of Shiv tandav dance? Hindu Janajagruti Samiti - For Estabishment of the Hindu Rashtra. Retrieved from https://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/knowledge/article/what-is-the-origin-of-tandav-dance.html

[5] Ramani, Nandini. (07 June 2016) Tanjavur Quartet- A brief introduction. Overview - Sahapedia. Retrieved from https://www.sahapedia.org/tanjavur-quartet-brief-introduction

[6] Natyakari. (01 January 2007) Tanjore Quartet. LiveJournal. Retrieved from https://natyakari.livejournal.com/1974.html

[7] Khokar, Ashish Mohan . (09 August 2018) This Thing Called Culture Dance - E. Krishna Iyer: Bharatanatyam’s guardian angel. The Hindu. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/e-krishna￾iyer-bharatanatyams-guardian-angel/article24642760.ece

[8] Khokar, Ashish Mohan . ( 29 July 2009) The Dance History Column - E Krishna Iyer: Saviour and servitor of Bharatanatyam. Narthaki : Gateway to the World of Dance. Retrieved from https://narthaki.com/info/ tdhc/tdhc11.html

[9] Khokar, Ashish Mohan. (29 April 2010) The Dance History Column - Guru C.V. Chandrashekhar. Narthaki : Gateway to the World of Dance. Retrieved from https://narthaki.com/info/tdhc/tdhc18.html

[10] 81 years old Padmabhushan Prof. C V Chandrashekhar performance in Vadodara. (14 February 2017) Gujarat Connect. Retrieved from https://connectgujarat.com/81-years-old-padmabhushan-prof-c-v￾chandrashekhar-performance-in-vadodara/

[11] Kothari, Sunil. (08 December, 2017) Footloose and Fancy Free - Remembering Ram Gopal. Narthaki : Gateway to the World of Dance. Retrieved from https://narthaki.com/info/gtsk/gtsk164.html

[12] The GUrus - Vazhuvoor B. Ramaiyah Pillai. Natyanjali Academy of Dance. Retrieved from http:// natyanjaliacademy.com/gurus.php

[13] Bharatanatyam guru U.S. Krishna Rao passes away. (07 March 2005) Kutcheribuzz. Retrieved from http:// www.kutcheribuzz.com/news/general/1687-u-s-krishna-rao-passes-away

[14] Parswanath Upadhyay. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parshwanath_Upadhye

[15] Kumar, Ranee (28 April 2017). "Fine footwork to the fore". The Hindu.

[16] "Review - The primacy of male and female energies in the Dancing Male - Dr. Ketu H. Katrak". narthaki.com.

[17] R., Shilpa Sebastian. (20 February 2019) More Than Just A Legacy. The Hindu. Retrieved from www.the hindu.com/entertainment/dance/revanta-sarabhai-on-dance-and-modernity/article26319616.ece

[18] ‘Historically, in India, classical dance has been perceived as a woman’s domain’. (07 March 2019) The Times of India. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/historically-in-india￾classical-dance-has-been-perceived-as-a-womans-domain/articleshow/69213365.cms#:~:text=Just %20like%20his%20grandmother%2C%20Mrinalini,that%20dance%20knows%20no%20gender.

[19] Vijaya Madhavan. Sangeet Natak. Retreived from https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/citation_popup.php? id=1672&at=5