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Section Synopsis (AUGUST 2007)
NEWS & NOTES
The Grey Festival in Singapore -ANIRUDDHAN VASUDEVAN
 Singapore’s immigrant communities and their cultural backgrounds are innumerable. “Singaporeans of Indian origin” and “Indians resident in Singapore” are labels largely for administrative convenience and differentiation. The Indian community in Singapore is not a homogeneous entity. It is made up of a million little India-s, just as we in India confront, on a daily basis, some aspect of India that is surprising, refreshingly new, shockingly true, and more. It was of historic significance when Singapore organised its first ever festival for Indian contemporary dance from 9 to 13 May. It was all the more unique as the five-day festival was put together by three young women: Raka Maitra — trained in Odissi and Chhau, now resident in Singapore, Jayanthi Siva — a Singaporean of Indian origin, trained in Bharatanatyam and engaging with new movement vocabularies, and Zarina Ann Muhammad — a pillar of support to Raka and Jayanthi, an excellent behind-the-scenes worker and someone who issues a pre-emptive disclaimer: “I am not a dancer”!
What sets The Grey Festival apart from the many India festivals that happen in many world cities, is that, since Singapore has a considerably large Indian population, with undeniably significant artist representation as well, this festival could become a dialogue between contemporary performers from India and those working from Singapore. Hence there was a very definite context that was devoid, largely, of the naïve and violent rhetoric of exoticism
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A festival of choreographic works -MITRA PHUKAN
 Nritya Sanrachna” was the name given to a festival of Choreographic Dance works organised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, along with the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Assam. The festival took place from the 13th to 19th March at the Pragjyoti Auditorium, Guwahati. No less than fourteen major works were showcased at the festival, with noted choreographers presenting some of their best known work. The interaction sessions with the choreographers that took place in the mornings were highly stimulating affairs with critics and performers questioning and trying to understand the terms of each one of the performances, and the thought processes behind them.
As was emphasised several times over the course of the interactive sessions by various choreographers, the need to tread this path, of choreographing independent dance works, came out from the sense of limitation that sometimes hemmed in these performers, many of whom have been intensively trained in classical styles such as Bharatanatyam, and Kathak. It was the need to connect themes of contemporary life that led most of the choreographers to create their own paths and forge their own styles, depending on their artistic sensibilities, their sense of the body, and their relation to the world around them. Post-modernist in a sense, several of them moved away from their traditional art form, though several also developed both styles parallel to each other, as in the case of Madhavi Mudgal who, with her group’s Kalyan, Pallavan and Sohamasmi showed concepts beyond the pale of the traditional Odissi dance idiom. This, in spite of the fact that she is an established Odissi dancer. Leela Samson’s Spanda Group’s explorations of the diagonal line in the Bharatanatyam style are more examples of exploring other dimensions, though basically very rooted in the tradition. Chetna Jalan’s enquiries, however, have grown out of her feelings of the inadequacy of Kathak when faced with the existential dilemmas such as are portrayed in the contemporary Bangla poems Abani bari accho and Dhongsho koro. Though her choreographic style is still very rooted in Kathak, her attempts to depict the metaphors of one form through the medium of another led her to embrace movements and arrangements much beyond the pale of any one particular genre of dance. This was indeed amazing, given the fact that the visual is often in danger of being bogged down in the literal, while poetry, especially the poetry of contemporary poets, can be highly abstract. Though Navtej Singh Johar’s Fanaa: Ranjha Revisited employed an astonishing variety of movements and styles, one could deduce from the way he himself played his role that his own training was in Bharatanatyam.
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Ajanta comes alive - SUNIL KOTHARI
 Dance aficionados in Bangalore witnessed a rare programme of Kathak and Odissi by Prerana Deshpande, a disciple of Rohini Bhate from Pune and Sujata Mohapatra, a disciple and a daughter-in-law of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra from Bhubaneswar, at Chowdaiah Hall under the title 'Ajanta Comes Alive'. Prerana after visiting Ajanta and Ellora monuments was inspired by the frescoes and sculptures she saw there.
Realising that dance forms like Kathak and Odissi are also art heritage, she chose themes incorporating the abstract concepts in Kathak and narrative in Odissi. Fortunately, while juxtaposing the two classical dance forms, both the dancers had support from their respective husbands who happen to be well versed in percussion. Supreet Deshpande, son of the renowned tabla maestro Kiran Deshpande (from Bhopal) and Ratikant Mohapatra, son of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, had worked out the right emphasis and balance necessary for the two different dance forms.
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COVER STORY
The singing star who faded away -N.C. Vasanthakokilam
 During her heyday she was one of the top three lady classical Carnatic musicians, M.S. Subbulakshmi and D.K. Pattammal being the other two. Interestingly, all of them were involved in Tamil Cinema, Pattammal as an off-screen singer lending “play-back”, and the other two as onscreen singing performers. MS had a halo of glamour around her and had hit the headlines even as a teenager. But N.C. Vasanthakokilam did not have that kind of a halo. Though her musical talents and skills were thought to be as good as those of MS, she lacked the glamour, charisma and class of MS. She did not have the movie star looks, nor was she photogenic and she was no actress. But certainly she was a singer of haunting melody and high musical values. She acted in a fistful of films during the 1940’s. Some of them are remembered to this day, like ‘Venuganam’ (1941), ‘Gangavathar’ (1942), ‘Haridas’ (1944), ‘Valmiki’ (1946) and ‘Krishna Vijayam’ (1950).
Kamakshi, for that was her given name, was born in 1921 and hailed from an Iyer family of Irinjalakuda, now in Kerala. The family had however settled down in the port town of Negapatam (now Nagapattinam) on the Bay of Bengal. She was blessed with a melodious voice and her father had her trained in Carnatic music in Negapatam in the music school of Jalra Gopala Iyer (so called because he played the jalra in Harikatha-s). She and her father nursed the ambition that she should be a performing musician and win fame and fortune.
The Indian film pioneer K. Subrahmanyam had strong links with Negapatam through marriage. He had lived off and on in that town. Later, he came into silent films as a writer and learnt the ropes of filmmaking and soon, in the early 1930’s, he blossomed forth as a noted filmmaker (see Sruti 239). Ever a talent scout, he felt that the girl had promise and could be groomed into a singing Tamil film actress. That was the period when onscreen performers had to sing in their own voice and the now common and routine off-screen-voice-lending “play-back” system was not yet in vogue. Prompted by his encouragement and promises, the father and daughter landed in Madras in 1936 where they hardly knew anyone except K. Subrahmanyam! They had not much money either. Unfortunately, they could not meet the filmmaker for he was away in Calcutta making a film. They were all at sea in the metropolis. Luckily, a family friend, a young bachelor, a native of Negapatam who had learnt music along with Kamakshi under the same guru, was then working in the Egmore station of the then privately owned South Indian Railway (SIR). He came to their rescue and gave them refuge in his bachelor quarters in the outskirts of the city. (This retired railway executive who narrated the story-book like events of the 1930’s to me on a rainy evening in Madras in the early 1980’s wished to remain anonymous! The kind man of much old world charm and manners passed away a few years ago.)
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SPECIAL FEATURE
Our Experiences with Mukthamma-RAVI & SRIDHAR
Who are these chinna pasangal? They come to all of our concerts and seem to understand our music.” This was the question at Mukthamma’s residence after every concert of hers. During the 1980s we had become avid fans of the Dhanammal family music. So wherever Brinda or Muktha performed we would be there. But though the ‘chinna pasangal’ were in their 20s, they were the youngest among the audience.
Brinda too used to ask her disciples as to who ‘these two youngsters were’ as it was generally believed that only rasika-s above the age of 50 could understand and appreciate their music. Many Carnatic music rasika-s felt that their music was ‘pazhaya panchangam’, which tottering grandmas and grandpas alone listened to, for whatever reason. But both Brinda and Muktha were actually happy that at least a few youngsters had begun to listen to their type of music. We never dared to speak to them as their reputation for pungent remarks was well-known. Our introduction to Brinda and Muktha’s music came about in a rather strange way. We were avid fans of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer’s music and had tremendous respect for him. In 1976, when Brinda was awarded the Sangeeta Kalanidhi, the Pitamaha of Carnatic music offered felicitations at the sadas on New Year’s day 1977. What he said in the middle of his speech actually shocked us. “Naane inda amma kitta pala uruppadigal kathundirukken” (I myself have learnt compositions from this lady), said Semmangudi. “What, Semmangudi himself has learnt from this lady? Then certainly this was no ordinary musician”, surmised we. We resolved to listen to Brinda thenceforth.
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MAIN FEATURE
T.R. Navaneetham - MANNA SRINIVASAN
 Visitors to the Tyagaraja aradhana at Tiruvaiyaru would have noticed a frail woman sitting quietly most of the time in the amplification enclosure near the dais. She would talk occasionally to a select few; those close by could hear snatches about the past, on ‘patantharam’, and the like. On the ‘panchami’ day, the same lady would join in the flute rendition of the Bhairavi piece Chetulara that precedes the Pancharatna chorus. This octogenarian, who is today the seniormost among women flute artists, is the Top graded Tiruvidaimarudur Rajamanickam Navaneetham. The most recent title she received was ‘Kala Seva Ratna’ conferred by the Rasika Ranjani Sabha in Chennai. She has been honoured earlier by institutions like the Ramani’s Academy of Flute in Chennai, the Tamizh Isai Manram in Tiruvaiyaru, and the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram which conferred on her the title of Kalaimamani.
Navaneetham was born in 1923. Hailing from an Isai Velalar family, she was first initiated into dance. Though she progressed up to the varnam stage, she switched over to the flute out of fancy. She would observe Peruncheri Muthu Pillai playing on the instrument at her house and try to imitate the action with any piece of bamboo she could lay her hands on. Pillai was a versatile artist, in nagaswaram, vocal and flute, who sang for her mother Rajamanickam’s dance performances. He would play on the flute in his spare time. Navaneetham’s mock practice attracted the notice of a visiting vidwan, M.R. Krishnamurthy (younger brother of Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer), who told her mother that the child was perhaps destined to achieve fame in flute playing. Navaneetham started learning to play on the flute from Pillai, at the age of six. She had her formal ‘arangetram’ after two years, to the accompaniment of Terazhundur Balu Pillai on the violin and Kuttalam Sivavadivelu Pillai on the mridanga. With this, she followed the trail of earlier women pioneers in the field like Keeranoor Jayalakshmi (aka ‘Silk Papa’), Valadi Rukmini and Nanna Bai. Muthu Pillai died a year after her debut. The Navaneetham family house in Tiruvidaimarudur has been named ‘Muthukkuzhal’ in his memory.
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OBITUARY
Tanjavur M. Thyagarajan- B.M. SUNDARAM
 Ramu Nattuvanar was a Bharatanatyam teacher in the court of King Vijayaraghava Nayak of Tanjavur. His descendants were all dance teachers and musicians. One among them, Kuppuswami Nattuvanar was sent to Baroda with his disciple Gauri, by the Maratha royal family. He was later joined there by one Kannuswami Nattuvanar. Kuppuswami had a son called Mahalingam Pillai, a vocalist better known as a mridangist. M. Thyagarajan was born on 28th May 1923 to Mahalingam Pillai as his eldest son. Initially trained in the art of Bharatanatyam, he made his debut in the Ramanathan Chettiar Hall, Tanjavur, at the age of six.
Having given a few Bharatanatyam performances, Thyagarajan learnt vocal music from his father and joined Jagannatha Iyer’s drama troupe and then Nawab Rajamanikkam Pillai’s company on a monthly emolument of seven rupees. He bade farewell to drama at the age of 12 and became a full-fledged musician. Though he was proficient in the art, Tanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer felt that the boy should have a ‘brand’ as the disciple of a prominent vidwan. Vaidyanatha Iyer was serving the State Radio of Travancore at that time. He took Thyagarajan with him and entrusted him to the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. After listening to Thyagarajan, Semmangudi simply said, “When I ask this boy to sing one or two avarta-s of kalpana swara, he sings ‘irandu talli’. What is there for me to teach him? Anyway, let him be with me.
It fell to Thyagarajan to train many disciples of Srinivasa Iyer. Also he tuned many Swati Tirunal compositions while in Tiruvanantapuram. On his return to Tanjavur, Thyagarajan started giving vocal concerts, though not frequently. Many used to spend time with him for practice — Tanjavur Lakshminarayana Bhagavatar (Nanu), and mridanga maestro T.K. Murthy were among them. A close rapport developed between Thyagarajan and Murthy and ever since they moved just like brothers.
RRC and Hamsadhwani
- V. RAMNARAYAN
 It is difficult to think of Hamsadhwani, the south Chennai sabha, without its founder secretary R. Ramachandran, who passed away on the 24th May this year, though he has left behind an able band of volunteers to continue the good work. Like the raga, which north Indian musicians specialise in rendering when they visit this part of the world, the sabha has stood out among Chennai sabha-s as an institution more accessible to people outside the privileged circle of those born within shouting distance of Kapali Koil, if not the river Kaveri. It is perhaps the only sabha in the city which, instead of concerts of top artists during the December season, spreads the entertainment through the year, offering a programme every month. In December, Hamsadhwani runs its NRI music and dance festival, through which it promotes talent from the Indian diaspora.
There are two schools of thought on whether Hamsadhwani should build, or acquire its own premises and build a state-of-the-art auditorium or continue to function in the open air at the Youth Hostel at Indira Nagar, Chennai, as it has so far done. As Ramachandran once said to a journalist, the open-to-the-sky ambience of the sabha seems to have invested it with a cosmopolitan, friendly outlook, with a largely suburban membership not restricted by elitist constraints. It would perhaps be unwise to tinker with the present arrangement, unless the hostel authorities present the sabha with a fait accompli. Hamsadhwani’s programming over the years too has contributed in large measure to its relatively eclectic appeal.
Besides interesting theme-based concert series, it has also featured programmes other than Carnatic music kutcheri-s — plays, post budget analyses, even a farewell to Tamil Nadu cricketers selected to represent India in the 1999 World Cup in England. Some of the special programmes have been memorable and unique; examples are the T.N. Rajarathnam Centenary in 1998 and the Papa Venkataramaiah Centenary in 2002. Expectedly, these events offered a feast of nagaswaram and violin music.
The monthly M.S. Subbulakshmi commemoration concerts after the legend’s death also came in for considerable appreciation. Hindustani music, dance, dance-drama and musical homage to the Trinity and other vaggeyakara-s in the great Carnatic tradition have all been featured in the many well conceived, well packaged events which have served to differentiate Hamsadhwani from the run of the mill. The sabha also runs a Carnatic music school with a well-designed syllabus approved by chitraveena vidwan N. Ravikiran.
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Record Rack
 KARPAGAME. By Nandaamani K.G. Vijayakrishna. Veena. Audio CD. [Kalavardhani’s – REC 371. Revathi Enterprises, 4 Damodaran St, Sri Venkatesa Perumal Nagar, Arumbakkam, Chennai 600 106. Rs. 175].
Amritavarshini - Sarasiruha – Adi
Bhairavi – Amba Kamakshi - Triputa
Hindolam – Saraswati – Roopakam
Kalyani – Kamalambam – Adi
Madhyamavati – Karpagame - Adi
Accompanists:
Tanjavur Kumar – mridanga; Pudukottai N. Ramachandran – ghata.
K.G. Vijayakrishnan has been in the performing arena for over three decades and is an accomplished player of the veena. His style is basically a vocalist’s approach, though at times the overuse of the ‘viral adi’ technique in his fingering style dilutes the classical values he apparently strives to adhere to. Less usage of the tala strings during raga essays will enhance listening pleasure.
KAVI KOKILA MANJARI. Vols. I and II (Original Sanskrit Compositions of “Kavikokila” Dr. V. Raghavan). By V. Sumithra. Vocal. Audio CDs. [Dr. V. Raghavan Centre for Performing Arts, No. 1, 3rd Street, Bhaktavatsalam Nagar, Adyar, Chennai 600 020. Ph: 24430344. Rs. 100 each].
Accompanists:
R. Ramani - veena; Amritha Murali - violin; Trivandrum K. Balaji – mridanga.
‘Kavikokila’ Dr. V. Raghavan’s verses and kriti-s compiled by Nandini Ramani (daughter of V. Raghavan) as audio CDs in two volumes, sung by V. Sumithra, was released recently on the occasion of Dr. V. Raghavan’s 28th anniversary celebrations organised by the Dr.V. Raghavan Centre for Performing Arts, Chennai. The title “Kavikokila” was given to the erudite scholar of Sanskrit, music, dance and drama by the Kanchi Paramacharya. He was an internationally-known and respected scholar who had contributed music compositions, poems and nataka-s to the world of Sanskrit and the performing arts.
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REAR WINDOW
Dance in Baroda – SAPNA RANGASWAMY
The dance history of Baroda reads like a fairytale.
Way back in the year 1883, when Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad, the adopted son of Maharani Jamnabai of Baroda got married to the Tanjore princess Chimanabai, along with her precious jewels the bride brought a troupe of dancers and musicians as part of her dowry. In this troupe were two dancers — Gauri, whose mother Kamumma was a Tanjore court dancer, and Bhanumati, a devadasi from Kumbakonam. Two nattuvanar-s, Vadivelu and Sabhapati, father and son accompanied the dancers. Gauri stayed back but Bhanumati returned to Kumbakonam and another dancer, Kantimati, the cousin of Gauri replaced Bhanumati.
Gauri was a fine dancer and composer. She came to Baroda when still very young, and lived in a three-storeyed mansion with other palace entertainers and artists.
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SANGEETA STHALAM
The Chenna Patnam Temples - SRIRAM.V
 Madras aka Chenna Patnam was founded on 22nd August 1639. Among the ‘locals’ involved in that event were Beri Thimmannan (or Thimmappa), agent to Francis Day and Naga Battan, who was a gunpowder maker for the East India Company.
IWithin nine years of this event, Thimmannan executed an endowment to a temple of the city in favour of one Narayanappa Ayyar. The document is dated the “28th of Chitri month in Sarvathari year of Salivahana Era, 1569” and reads as follows:
"Whereas at Chenna Puttanem I have built the Chenna Casava Perumaul Covil, and have endowed it with Manyam, a piece of ground, and other privileges, which all I do (hereby) transfer now to you, and which you are to hold and enjoy from son to grandson, as long as the duration of (both) the sun and moon performing the divine service to their utmost extent. Should any one act prejudicially towards the charity, he would incur the guilt of having massacred a black cow on the bank of the Ganges. It is the gift to Narrainappyer by Bari Thimmanen through his consent."
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POINT OF VIEW
On violin accompaniment - LAKSHMI SREERAM
Some years ago, Hamsadhwani R. Ramachandran used to host vocal concerts sans accompaniment at his home around Navaratri time. The practice seems to have been discontinued, but it was an interesting experiment. That a concert is as good as the accompanists is an adage in Carnatic music. One can hardly think of a Carnatic concert without the minimal accompaniment of the violin and mridanga. Of course, the tanpura / tambura is there, but its role is too crucial to be spoken of as accompaniment.
Researchers have suggested that the tambura, as providing the tonal backdrop, became a feature of chamber music concerts around the end of the 17th century (B. Chaitanya Deva — Emergence of the Drone in Indian music); and percussive accompaniment in some form has always been there. What about melodic accompaniment? The veena was for long a melodic accompaniment to the voice and the violin as melodic accompaniment is traced to Baluswami Dikshitar who pioneered it. Today the violin is well entrenched in Carnatic music as the peerless melodic accompaniment.
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Generation Next
Amritha Murali
For Carnatic music aficionados thirsting for chaste rendering of the great compositions of its maestros and a musical imagination rooted in good aesthetics and orthodox vocalisation uncluttered by gimmickry, 22-year-old Amritha Murali is a godsend. This promising young vocalist is an accomplished violinist as well, known to be the ideal accompanist — supportive and unobtrusive despite her virtuosity — and an appealing soloist, not to mention her excellent showing as an accompanist in the violin kutcheri-s of her guru T. Rukmini
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News you can Use
Died
L. Vaidyanathan (65), eldest of the violin trio comprising him, L. Shankar and L. Subramaniam; C-violinist, famous music director of films and teleserials (‘Malgudi Days’); recipient of the Kalaimamani award of the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram; 19 May in Chennai.
R. Visweswaran (62), Carnatic vocalist and vocal accompanist for dance; fondly known as ‘Pandit’ Viswes for his skill in playing H-santoor; adept at playing the veena, and Flamenco guitar; music composer for classical dance and for films; nephew of GNB; an integral part of Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts established by his wife Chitra Visweswaran; 28 June in Chennai.
A. Sundaresan (74), Carnatic musician and well-known music teacher; an uncompromising traditionalist; helped to revive many rare kriti-s; has tuned many songs including the Mukundamala; taught at the College of Music of the Madras Music Academy for more than a decade; author of books on music; 7 July in Chennai
S.K. Kameswaran (78), Bharatanatyam natyacharya, founder of Mahalakshmi Natyalaya in Chennai; dance vocalist; recipient of the Kalaimamani award of the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram; 20 July in Chennai.
V. Balakrishnan (78), President of Nrithyodaya — the dance institution run by his sister Padma Subrahmanyam; eldest son of Director K. Subrahmanyam; Managing Trustee of Director K. Subrahmanyam Memorial Trust; versatile cinematographer and documentary film producer — has produced and directed many short films on the performing arts and Indian heritage including ‘Bharatiya Natya Sastra’ and ‘Sage of Kanchi’; associated with documenting the lives of Carnatic music greats for Doordarshan; fine photographer; 20 July in Chennai. (See Sruti 239).
S.V. Parthasarathy (90), veteran Carnatic musician, musicologist and teacher of vocal music and veena; a Sangeeta Bhushanam of Annamalai University (1938); learnt from stalwart musicians; worked in Annamalai University, as lecturer, then Professor of Music, and subsequently as Head of the Dept. of Music and Dean of Fine Arts; served AIR-Tiruchi; recipient of many awards including the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award (2005); 25 July in Chennai. (See Sruti 105/106).
Kuzhikkarai Viswalingam, Carnatic musician; taught music at the Annamalai University, and was examiner at the Madras University; recipient of the Sangeeta Kalasagaram award at Cleveland in 2006; 29 July..
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Formal Debut
Bhagyashree, daughter of Mrs. Swati & Mr. Mahesh Kulkarni; Nikisha d/o Mrs. Nilima & Mr. Rajendra Mehta; Sneha, d/o Mrs. Puja & Mr. Prashant Kulkarni; Aparna, d/o Mrs. Rema & Mr. P. Jaikumar; Shwetashree, d/o Mrs. Vaijayanti & Mr. Narayan Bankar; Tanmayee, d/o Mrs. Reshama & Mr. Hemant Joshi; Prajakta, d/o Mrs. Sunita & Mr. Uttam Gilbile; Neha, d/o Mrs. Priya & Mr. Prabhakar Khadde; Sanjivani, d/o Mrs. Vandana & Mr. Vitthalrao Mohite; all Bharatanatyam disciples of Uma Tilak (Kalaniketan); 1 January in Pune.
J. Revathi (Bharatanatyam), d/o Mrs. & Mr. Jothichokkalingam, and disciple of Ambika Kameshwar (RASA); 16 January in Chennai.
B. Renganayaki, d/o Mrs. B. Jayashri & Mr. K.S. Balajee; P. Shanmathi, d/o Mrs. S. Revathi & Mr. T. Pandian; R. Pushpa Vineesha d/o Mrs. M. Madhavi Devi & Dr. M.V. Rao; Ashwitha, d/o Mrs. P. Vijayarani & Mr. K.S. Pushparaj; K. Dhivya d/o Mrs. K. Rathi & Mr. N. Kunarajah; all Bharatanatyam disciples of Vijaya and Mukundan (Salangai); 20 January in Tiruchi.
Priyadharshini (Bharatanatyam), d/o Mrs. Geetha & Mr. S. Govindarajan, and disciple of J. Suryanarayana Murthy (Bharatakshetra); 20 January in Chennai.
Chinnari Swetha (Bharatanatyam), d/o Mrs. Meena & Mr. Syam Sunder Vedantam, and disciple of Madabhushanam Badrinath; 23 January in Hyderabad.
R. Charanya (Bharatanatyam), d/o Mrs. Latha Ramaswamy & Mr. G. Ramaswamy, and disciple of Samyuktha Varadarajan (Srivarnisa Kalalaya); 28 January in Chennai.
K. Praveen Kumar (C-mridanga), son of Mrs. & Mr. G. Kishen Kumar, and disciple of Guruvayur Dorai; 1 February in Chennai.
Erina Kasai (Bharatanatyam), disciple of the Dhananjayans (Bharata Kalanjali) and Machiko Lakshmi; 3 February in Chennai.
Deepthi (Bharatanatyam), daughter of Mrs. Suchitra & Mr. S. Ravichandran; and disciple of Sudharani Raghupathy (Shree Bharatalaya); 22 February in Chennai.
P.M. Anupama (Bharatanatyam), daughter of Mrs.Prasanna & Mr. R. Muraleedharan, and disciple of Nalini Prakash (Silambam); 22 April in Coonoor.
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