Bharata Natya Kalalaya, one of the first few institutions to train students in Bharatanatyam in Kolkata, celebrated its 60th anniversary on October 4.
At the helm of the dance school is Guru Rajalakshmi Venkateshwar, a senior disciple of Guru K.N. Dandayuthapani Pillai. Inspired by her guru and motivated by her mother Saradambal, Rajalakshmi set up Kalalaya in 1949 in order to spread the art form among the citizens of Kolkata.
Bharata Natya Kalalaya has been instrumental in shaping young artists into fine dancers and many of its students have made a mark in the country and worldwide.
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Kalalaya also conducts special classes for spastic and poor children and has organised programmes for social service outfits such as CRY.
The 60th anniversary function was put together and attended by many senior students such as Padmini Radhakrishnan, (founder-director, Soundarya Natya Kalalaya, Mumbai), Raji Vishwanathan, Prema Nagasundaram and Geeta Venkateshwar. The function was held at the CLT Hall, near Dhakuria, Kolkata.