Bharatanatyam guru K. Kalyana Sundaram, director, Sri Rajarajeswari Bharathi Natya Kala Mandir, Mumbai, was on Wednesday conferred the title of Nadhabrahmam at the inauguration of Narada Gana Sabha’s Isai Natya Nataka Vizha. The sabha also presented Senior Musician award to renowned vocalist Suguna Varadachari and Tirunelveli P. Subramania Iyer Award to Thavil vidwan Thirupungur T.G. Muthukumarasamy.
Speaking at the inauguration, V. Shankar, president, Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, Mumbai, said he was impressed by the way the city has been able to get up quickly after calamities. He said the annual December music festival, which offers a veritable feast to the ears and eyes, was also a time when artists — both senior and up and coming — were recognised.
Bharatanatyam exponent Padma Subrahmanyam said the Narada Gana Sabha hall was a special auditorium for many artists, especially since great persons including Sri Haridosgiri had performed there. She said though residents now shuddered at the thought of December, after last year’s floods and this year’s cyclone, they were a resilient lot and enjoyed the music season with great gusto.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Kalyana Sundaram thanked the organisers for recognising a dance guru like himself. “Usually it is the students, the performers, who get the accolades. We are always in the background,” he said. Sabha president R. Krishnamoorthy and secretary Mohan Sreenivas also spoke at the function during which prizes were distributed to endowment awardees and winners in music competitions.
