“Patronage from the government and cultural organisations is the need of the hour for the ancient dance form ‘Andhra Natyam’ to flourish.
Though a good number of youngsters are learning this dance form, they are not sure whether they can eke out a livelihood from this art,” says Kala Krishna, renowned Andhra Natyam guru and visiting faculty in Hyderabad Central University.
‘Navajanardhana Parijatam’
Sixty-two-year-old Kala Krishna has performed ‘Navajanardhana Parijatam’ temple dance, which had its roots here, during the recent Kakinada Beach Festival. “Devadasis from the entire Andhra Pradesh performed Andhra Natyam, whereas this ‘Navajanardhana Parijatam’ is exclusively from East Godavari district,” says the dancer, whose is known for the portrayal of ‘Satyabhama,’ in an interview with The Hindu .
“Following the promulgation of Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act by the government in 1947, women from Devadasi families had started switching over to Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi dance forms. Though Bharata Natyam is also from the Devadasi culture, art lovers from Tamil Nadu succeeded in protecting the dance form from the clutches of the Act,” he says, admitting that there was no strong support for Andhra Natyam from people here at that point of time.
It was because of the continuous effort of Guru Nataraja Ramakrishna, the Andhra Natyam was revived and the legacy was being forwarded to the next generations. “There is no support for Andhra Natyam students from the government in the form of scholarships. They are not even getting a good number of stage opportunities. As a result, some of them are switching over to Kuchipudi and Bharata Natyam,” Mr. Kala Krishna admits.
“We have made recommendations to the government that classical music and dance must be a part of the curricula from the primary-level. It will help students develop a penchant for the arts and the artistes to eke out a livelihood as music and dance teachers. We hope the government will look into the issue soon,” he says in an optimistic tone.
There is no support for Andhra Natyam students from the government in the form of scholarships. They are not even getting a good number of stage opportunities. As a result, some of them are switching over to Kuchipudi and Bharata Natyam
Kala Krishna
Andhra Natyam guru
