Krishna Gana Sabha conferred the ‘Nrithya Choodamani’ award on Vilasini Natyam exponent Swapna Sundari, and the ‘Aacharya Choodamani’ award on Kathakali exponent A. Janardhanan on Friday.
R. Seetharaman, CEO, Doha Bank Group, Qatar who inaugurated the 58 Art and Dance Festival of the Sabha said, “Indian culture will become global culture in the years to come.”
Elements including dance, music and temples that primarily define Indian culture have transcended borders and are resonating across the globe. Thirty million Indians abroad, by sheer hard work, sincerity and commitment now constitute the global community, he said.
“Sometime back, when I visited Russia, I saw that Divali was celebrated with almost every dance form. That’s what India holds today; this century belongs to India,” Mr. Seetharaman said.
Bharatanatyam exponent V.P. Dhananjayan praised Swapna Sundari for her exceptional skill in singing ‘Padams’, ‘Javalis’ and ‘Annamacharya Kritis’ with Dr. Balamuralikrishna.
“Her abhinayam surpasses that of many legends in the past and present,” he said.
Bharatnatyam exponent Priyadarshini Govind, while speaking of A. Janardhanan, said, “Only he can play the contradicting roles of Rama and Ravana, so convincingly. For him, art is not just a way of life, it is life itself.”
On accepting the award, A. Janardhanan said it was an absolute delight to receive recognition for Kathakali in Chennai.
The inauguration was followed by a Bharatanatyam performance by Gayatri Sriram. The Sabha’s festival will be held from December 13 to January 16.
