A constant innovator, he took Kuchipudi across the world

July 30, 2012 12:20 am | Updated July 05, 2016 03:41 pm IST - HYDERABAD:

Vempati Chinna Satyam

Vempati Chinna Satyam

Renowned Kuchipudi exponent Vempati Chinna Satyam, who passed away in Chennai on Sunday, is credited with not only popularising this intricate dance form across the world but also refining it.

Among the personalities who learnt the nuances of the dance form from him are Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, film actors Hema Malini and Prabha, dancers Shobha Naidu and Manju Bhargavi and Union Minister D. Purandeswari.

Born into a family of dancers at Kuchipudi village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh on October 25, 1929, Chinna Satyam learnt the dance at an early age from Vedantam Lakshminarayana Sastry. Subsequently, Tadepally Perayya Sastry, his cousin Vempati Pedda Satyam and other teachers taught him various nuances and styles.

At the age of 18, Chinna Satyam left his village and reportedly went by foot to Madras. He established the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai in 1963, where he composed and choreographed more than 180 solo items and 15 dance dramas. He also choreographed Telugu superstar N.T. Rama Rao in the film, ‘Narthanasala.’

Chinna Satyam travelled to many countries and staged performances. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1956. He was also made a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademy.

Chinna Satyam ensured that Kuchipudi was not confined only to men and introduced new trends.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma expressed their grief over Chinna Satyam’s demise.

Mr. Reddy said Chinna Satyam was a great dance exponent and was guru to many of the top dancers.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.