Bharati Shivaji

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Bharati Shivaji


Occupation
Classical dancer



Bharati Shivaji is an Indian classical dancer of Mohiniyattom,[1] choreographer and author, known for her contributions to the art form by way of performance, research and propagation.[2] She is the founder of Center for Mohiniyattam, a dance academy promoting Mohiniyattom[3] and the co-author of two books, Art of Mohiniyattom[4] and Mohiniyattom.[5] She is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award[6] and Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman.[7] The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2004, for her contributions to Indian classical dance.[8]

Biography

Template:Quote box Bharati Shivaji was born in 1948 in the temple town of Kumbakonam, in Tanjavur district of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu,[9] and had her early training in Bharatnatyam under Lalita Shastri[10] and Odissi under Kelucharan Mohapatra.[11] Later, on advice from Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, renowned social reformer, she took up research on Mohiniyattom, the traditional dance form of Kerala.[7] After obtaining a research fellowship from Sangeet Natak Akademi, she traveled to Kerala and pursued research under Kavalam Narayana Panicker, a scholar of the Temple Arts of Kerala and former vice-chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi.[12] Shifting her focus from Bharatnatyam and Odissi,[10] she started training Mohiniyattom under Radha Marar and, later, under Kalamandalam Satyabhama, and also had a training stint under Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma,[3] considered by many as the Mother of Mohiniyattom.[13]

Legacy

Moving to New Delhi, Shivaji founded the dance academy, Center for Mohiniyattom, a dedicated facility for promoting the dance form. She is known to have contributed to the evolution of the dance tradition,[7] by adding more languor to the already languorous discipline,[10] and by adapting it to other dance forms such as ballet; her Mohiniyattom adaptation of the Swan Lake of Tchaikovsky, choreographed along with her daughter, Vijayalakshmi, is one such effort.[14] Her productions include adaptations of Bhanusinger Padavali of Rabindranath Tagore,[15] Chandrotsavam of the Manipravalam, Somastuthi from the Rig Veda, and the Devagita, from Ashtapadi.[3] She is known to have incorporated postures, movements and music from other Traditional art forms of Kerala such as Ottamthullal, Kaikottikali, Thayambaka and Krishnanattam into Mohiniyattom, a legacy from her tutelage under Kavalam Narayana Panicker.[16]

In 1986, Shivaji published his first book, Art of Mohiniyattam, co-authored by Avinash Pasricha.[4] The book documents her researches under Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowship and a subsequent senior fellowship from the Department of Culture under the Ministry of Human Resource Development and is a reference book on the subject.[7] She published another book, Mohiniyattam, co-written by her daughter, Vijayalakshmi, herself a noted Mohiniyattom performer, in 2003.[5] The book deals with the history and evolution of the art form and comments about the styles and techniques, repertoire, music, costumes and jewellery associated with it.[2] She has performed on several stages in India[17][18] and abroad[19] and has taught many Indian and foreign students.[20] She also continues her research by visiting temples and gives lecture-demonstrations on the dance form at conferences and seminars.[15]

Awards and honours

Shivaji was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1999–2000.[6] Four years later, the Government of India included her in the 2004 Republic Day Honours list for the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri.[8] She is a recipient of the Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman, Lasya Lakshmi title from Kunchan Nambiar Memorial Trust, Kerala and Nritya Choodamani title from the Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai.[21] She won the Nishagandhi Puraskaram of the Government of Kerala in 2017.[22]

Sara and Urs Baur, two American filmmakers, have made a documentary, Beyond Grace, on Mohiniyattom and the art of Shivaji which features her daughter, Vijayalakshmi, too.[23] The 78-minute film, which details the work of the mother-daughter combination,[24] was premiered on 9 July 2011 at the Raleigh Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles.[23]

Bibliography

  • Art of Mohiniyattam{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Lancer, India(1986). ISBN 978-8170620037
  • Mohiniyattam{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Wisdom Tree(2003). ISBN 9788186685365

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Heritage Club IIT Roorkee. Heritage Club IIT Roorkee(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mohiniyattam (Bharati Shivaji and Vijayalakshmi). Exotic India Art(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Classical Dancers of India. Classical dancers(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Art of Mohiniyattam{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Lancer, India(1986). ISBN 978-8170620037
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mohiniyattam{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Wisdom Tree(2003). ISBN 9788186685365
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar. Sangeet Natak Akademi(2015). Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Padmashri Bharati Shivaji. Thiraseela(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Padma Awards. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India(2015). Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  9. ↑ Performers of Indian dances and music. Indian Embassy, Russia(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Bound to Kerala by Mohiniyattam(17 May 2012). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  11. ↑ Time for Samvaad(16 November 2014). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  12. ↑ From law to theatre(31 October 2004). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma. Smith Rajan(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  14. ↑ The power of grace. The Acorn(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 A seeker's odyssey(16 April 2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  16. ↑ Mohiniattam Style. Kuchipudi(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  17. ↑ BVB celebrates Munshi's birthday(7 May 2013). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  18. ↑ Bharati Shivaji to perform today. Tribune(18 October 2002). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  19. ↑ Bollywood meets Holyrood(22 August 2002). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  20. ↑ Russian belle dons role of Radha in Kerala's Mohiniattam. South Asia Mail(30 April 2008). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  21. ↑ Profile of Padmashree Bharti Shiwaji. Spicmacay(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  22. ↑ Nishagandhi Award for Bharati Shivaji(2017-01-20). Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Docu on Mohiniyattam exponents to be screened. Indian Express(7 July 2011). Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  24. ↑ Beyond Grace. Beyond Grace the Movie(2015). Retrieved 26 November 2015.

Further reading

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