1

Vol.19 No. 5. May - 2018

bhavanblrhns50@gmail.com

2

3

Sri. Rajendra Singh Babu

Kannada Film Industry’s

most celebrated Director and

Producer S.V. Rajendra Singh

(Babu) was born on 22 October

1952. His illustrious father

Shankar Singh through his

Mahatma Pictures gave this film

industry a strong Foundation.

His mother Smt. Prathima Devi

was a prominent actress too.

Rajendra Singh (Babu)

imbibed a passion for films right

from his childhood when he

RECIPIENT OF PADMABHUSHANADR. B. SAROJA DEVI

NATIONAL AWARD FOR THE YEAR 2018– SHRI. S.V. RAJENDRA SINGH BABU

acted as a child artist in the film

‘Bhakta Cheta’. He made his

debut as a Director with the film

‘Nagakanye’ in 1975 followed by

Nagarahole and Kiladi Jodi which

received audience acclaim.

‘Antha’ in 1980 paved a new

path for Kannada cinema.

His 1984 film ‘Bandana’ was

judged the Best feature Film in

Kannada at the 32nd National

Film Awards. ‘Mera Faisla’,

‘Sharara’, ‘Ek se bhale do’

were some Hindi films directed

by Babu that received accolades.

Returning to Kannada cinema

after a brief hiatus with ‘Bannada

Gejje’, Babu brought out the

trauma of World War II through

his film ‘Muttina Haara’. ‘Maha

Kshatriya’, ‘Mungaarina Minchu’,

‘Hoovu Hannu’, ‘Hima Paatha’,

‘Kaanchana Ganga’ were a series

of successful films. His films in

the genre of humor ‘kurigalu saar

4

kurigalu, ‘kotigalu saar kotigalu’,kattegalu saar kattegalu’, gavenew direction to Kannadacinema.

Rajendra Singh Babuis an outstanding Directorwho breathed fresh life intoKannada films throughadaptations from novels.He is the recipient of theprestigious Puttanna Kanagallifetime Achievement award.His films, ‘Bandana’, ‘MuttinaHaara’, ‘Mungarina Minchu’have received National awards.Recipient of numerous Stateawards and Filmfare awards forhis films, Rajendra Singh Babuhas been able to implementdevelopmental projects as theChairman of Karnataka

Chalanachitra NirdeshakaraSangha. As the Chairman ofKarnataka Chalana ChitraAcademy he has been able topromote publication of booksrelating to Kannada cinema.

He has created a recordbeing the Director of fourBangalore International Filmfestivals.

His book ‘NenapinaMuttina Haara’ recounts hisclose association with legendaryactor late Vishnuvardhan.This book received a Stateaward too.His monumentalcontribution to Kannada filmindustry for decades alsoincludes the setting up a film city.

Recipients of Padmabhushana Dr. B. Saroja Devi

National Award:

2010 - Smt. Anjali Devi, Smt Jamuna Ramanrao,Smt. Harini N.Rao

2011 - Smt. Vyjayanthimala Bali2012 - Dr. Geetapriya2013 - Shri.S.Shivaram, KSL Swamy2015 - Dr. K.J.Yesudas2016 - Smt. Parvathamma Rajkumar2017 - Abhinaya Sharade Dr. Jayanthi

5

GET-TO GATHER MEETING IN CONNECTION WITH TWO DAYSINTERNATIONAL SEMINAR : BELIEFS & BEYOND ON APRIL 4.

A get together meeting was

held at Bhavan on 4th April.Dr. Veerendra Heggade,Dharmadhikari of SrikshetraDharmasthala graced theoccasion and shared hishappiness with the Bhavan’s teamfor organising the International

conference commendablyand economically. He distributedmementos to each andeveryone who were involvedand contributed in making theInternational Conference onBeliefs & Beyond a totalsuccess.

The team who was responsible for organising the two daysInternational Seminar is flanked along with Dr. Veerendra Heggade.

Launching of the CD International Conference ‘Beliefs & Beyond’ by dignitaries.

6

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan-

Infosys Foundation CulturalOutreach programme since itslaunch in 2015 February hascreated history; 427 programmesfeaturing 3709 artists attracting anaudience of nearly 1,30000audience is historic.

Bringing to the fore ourtradition art forms, revitalisingand propagating them lest theyfade away has been the missionof this Outreach program.An entire array of traditionaldance forms such as RanpaDance, Chadheta-ChadheyaniNata and Sambalpuri Dance,Pala, Kandhei Nata - StringPuppet Show, Dhap Natcha,

Bajania Dance, Bajasal Dance,and Sambalpuri Folk Song wasorganized by our BhubaneshwarKendra (Odisha).

In a three day festivalorganised by our Pune Kendra(Maharashtra), notableprogramms like Sangitanjali,Chadh Gayo Papi Bichuwa,Ram Ganeshyanamah and DivyaTriology captivated the audience.

Our Jaipur Kendra(Rajasthan) offered an exquisiteprogram of Folk Dances ofRajasthan, Alha-Udal andLanguriya, Khayal Kuchamniof Rajasthan, Rammat of Bikanerand Nagaur Ki Phad.

Kandhei

Nata by

Guru

Chaitanya

Behera &

troupe held

Feb 5 th at

Cuttack

BVB-INFOSYS FOUNDATION CUTURALOUTREACH PROGRAMMES : JAN - FEB 2018.

7

Kerala’s famousKalaripayattu, KakkarissiNadakam, Ottanthullal,Thayambaka andTholpavakoothu wasorganized by theThiruvananthapuramKendra (Kerala).

Burra Katha andGangireddu Vinyaasaalu,Sri Krishnajaneya Yuddham(Natakam), Tholubommalata,Namaala Singadu and Story ofKatama Raju was organizedby Hyderabad Kendra(AP/Telengana)

We bring you a detailedreport on the amazingperformance put togetherby the Kendras in enablinga successful presentation of ourOutreach program.

ODISHA

Ushering in the New Year,on 1st January 2018 –

Ranapa Dance, Chadheta-Chadheyani Nata andSambalpuri Dance, by GanjamFolk Dance Center was presentedby Guru Rupalata Mohanty andtroupe.

Ranapa literary means stilt.This dance on stilts was prevalentamong the cow herd communitiesof South Odisha. Young boysand girls of the community usedto perform this dance during theirfestivals Olo Jatra and GiriGobordhan Puja. There was nopercussion or any otherinstruments except Dhola andMahuri. Songs relating toKrishna’s boyhood life blendswith the rhythm of Bajeni madeof iron weave through the danceThe dance features acrobaticfeats that earn immediateappreciation from the audience.

Sambalpuri dance isprevalent in western Odisha;they are based on group dance

Chadheyani Nataby

Ganjam Folk DanceCenter held on

Jan 1st at

Bhubaneshwar

8

forms with men and women.The Gauntia of the villagepatronizes the dance groups.Some of the popular dances ofthis Western region are Dalakhai,Rasarkeli, Bajasal, Jaiphula,Naehnia and Rangabati etc.

On 15th January SushareeLaxmipriya Das and troupepresented Pala which isintegral to Oriyan culture.For centuries Pala has beenan art form that has kept anuninterrupted relation with the

life of people of Oriya.Pala is considered as themessenger of literature andculture. It is the union ofSwara, Laya, Tala and Bhavathat has made Oriya’s literatureand culture resplendent.Pala has preserved its pristinevalues despite the influence ofmodern lifestyles and acts as aperfect medium to propagatevalues of life. In the past onlymale persons performed thesedances.

Sambalpuri Dance

by Kosala

Folk Akademiheld on

Feb 19that

Bhubaneshwar

Pala by

SushareeLaxmipriya Das

& troupeheld onJan 15th

atBhubaneshwar

9

During the last two decades manywomen performers have provedtheir mettle in this form of folk art.Foremost among them is SushreeLakshmi Priya Dash Balunkeswarvillage in Jagatsinghpur district.

On February 5th KandheiNata, String Puppet Show waspresented by Guru ChaitanyaBehera & troupe.

19th of February sawmesmerizing performances ofDhap Natcha, Bajania Dance,Bajasal Dance, SambalpuriFolk Song by Kosala FolkAkademi. These folk danceswere performed in Sambalpur,Bolargir, Kalahandi, Sundargarhand Boudha region of WesternOdisha and are famously knownas “Sambalpuri Folk Danceand Folk Song’. The style ofperformance of this folk dancein Balangir region is different fromthat of other region of Western

Odisha. The dance, song andcostume of this region are distinctin style and presentation. Like in‘Dhapa and Bajania Dance’, bothboys and girls participate.

MAHARASHTRAStudents of Sri.Guruguha

Gana Vidyalaya, Pune, presentedSangitanjali on 6th of January2018; this marked thecelebration of the PlatinumJubilee Year of the Sri GuruguhaGana Vidyalaya. ‘Sangitanjalicomprises compositions ofthree saint composers, ShyamaShastri, Sadguru Thyagaraja,and Muthuswamy Dikshitar,popularly known as the“Trimurtis” of Carnatic music.Group singing was followed bytwo solo vocal recitals byGayatri Krishnamurthy andBrinda Radhakrishnan. An Audiovisual presentation on the life andpilgrimage of Sri Muthuswamy

Bajania Dance by

Kosala FolkAkademiheld on

Feb 19that

Bhubaneshwar

10

Dikshitar marked a befittingconclusion to the program.

On January 12th PanditAmarendra Dhanehwar and histroupe narrated the closeconnection between folk musicand songs from Hindi Films inthe program titled Chadh GayoPapi Bichuwa. In thispresentation Panditji unfoldedtheir roots in classical ragas withlive examples. He wasaccompanied by Mr. ArvindParanjape on Table and Mrs.Uma Jathar on Violin.

Ram Ganeshyanamahwas presented by Shri.VijayKulkarni on the 23rd of January.This programme was based onthe life story of well knownplaywright late Ram Ganesh

Gadakari alias Kavi Govindagrajand humorist Balakram. The playwas written by Shri ShriramRanade and presented by ShriVijay Kulkarni. This programmewas conducted in associationwith the Akhil Bharatiya MarathiNatya Parishad, Kothrud Branch,Pune.

“Divya Triology” –3 day festival

Divya Triology, a uniquedance festival featuring DivyaAastra, Divya Vahana,Divya Pushpam conceptualizedby Dr.Usha.R.K was very wellreceived by the audience.This three day festival from23rd February to 25th Februarywas a first of its kindperformance.

Chadh Gayo Papi Bichuwa byPandit Amarendra Dhanehwar &troupe held on Jan 12th at Pune

Divya Aastra conceptualized & curatedby Dr.Usha.R.K held on

Feb 23rd at Pune

11

Kum.Rasika, Kum.Swarada,Kum.Tanya and Kum. Navia.They were accompanied byVidwan D.S. Srivathsa (vocal),Ramya Janakiraman(Nattuvangam), Vidwan R.Keshavan (Mridangam)and Vidwan Rajat Prasanna(Flute).

KERALA

The legendray martial artKalaripayattu was presentedby Sri. Jawahar Gurukkal &party on 19th January 2018.Kalaripayattu is perhaps themost ancient martial art in theworld. The origin of Kalaripayattuis still in the midst of obscurity.Traditional Kalari masters

Divya Aastra wasperformed by four male dancers.Showcasing their talentsbeautifully were Pavitra Bhat,Mumbai (Bramha Astra),Mithun Shyam, Bangalore(Sudarshana Aastra), ParimalPhadke (Pushpa Astra)and Parshwanath Upadhye(Pinaka Aastra)

Divya Vahanapresented the proficiency ofUma Sathyanarayana ( HamsaVahana), Shivranjani Harish( Garuda Vahana), ArundatiPatwardhan ( Gaja Vahana)and Soundarya Srivathsa(Nandi Vahana)

Divya Pushpam waspresented by Kum Matangi,

Divya Pushpam by Kum Matangi,Kum.Rasika, Kum.Swarada,

Kum.Tanya & Kum. Navia held onFeb 25th at Pune

Divya Vahana byconceptualized & curated

by Dr.Usha.R.K heldon Feb 24th at Pune.

12

attribute mythological stories andlegends to the origin of this art.Legend traces the 3000 year oldart form at sage Parasurama – themaster of all martial art forms andcredited to be the re-claimerKerala from the Arabian Sea.

This art is trained in anenclosure called “ Kalari”which is 21 feet by 42 feet.The entrance faces the east. In

the south-west corner is a seven-tiered platform called the“poothara”, which houses theguardian deity of the Kalari.Kalaripayattu reached its pinnacleof glory during the 100-years warbetween the Cholas, Cheras andPandyas in the early part of thefirst millennium. The warring statesrefined the fighting skills andtechniques prevalent in the areain to a martial art form. The art

Kalaripayattu by Sri. Jawahar Gurukkal & party held on

Jan 19th at Wadakanchery

flourished between the13th and 16th centuries,becoming a part of theeducation of youngsters.

KakkarissiNadakam a folk artform popular in CentralTravancore waspresented by Sri.Thamarakudy Harikumar& party on 12th February.

Kakkarissi Nadakam by Sri. ThamarakudyHarikumar & party held on Feb 12th at Kollam

13

Kakkarissi Natakam in most ofits incarnations spread acrossTamil Nadu and Kerala.The protagonist in most of theplays is known as SundaraKakaan. Besides there areother characters like Kakkathis,Vedan etc. With dance steps andsongs, they perform scenes withdialogues, music and songs as inthe erstwhile musical plays. Theinstruments used are Harmonium,Mrudangam, Ganchira andKaimani.

The play opens with awelcome song. Then enters theKakkalan with a fire-torch raiseddancing to rhythmic beats.The question-answer sessionbetween ‘Thampuran’ andKakkalan moves the playforward. The KakkarissiNatakam depicts social criticism,satire etc. The story is premised

around Lord Sivan with hisconsort Parvathi Devi who arrivedon earth in the form of Kakkalanand Kakkathi, a nomadic tribeof fortune tellers.

Ottanthullal was alsopresented on 12th Februaryby Sri. KalamandalamMohanakrishnan and party. InOttanthullal includes a performer,a singer and a Mridangist. Duringthe performance all three of themsing with great Bhava and changetone and sound to create therequired effect in the story. This isthe beauty of this Art. GarudaGarva Bhanga and KalyanaSougandhikam from two famousOttanthullal stories wereperformed by the Artists. In thefirst the characters were SreeKrishna, Hanuman and Garuda.All the characters were enactedby the same artist.

Ottanthullal bySri. Kalamandalam Mohanakrishnan & party held onFeb 12th at Thrissur

14

Thayambaka waspresented by Sri. AnanthaKrishnan & party on 14th

february. It is a type of solochenda performance that inKerala. The main player at thecenter improvises rhythmicallyon the beats of half-a-dozen ora few more chenda and ilathalamplayers around. A thayambakaperformance on the chenda hasthus its focus on the stick-and-palm rolls produced on theitantala (treble) of the chenda,while the rhythm is laid by hisfellow instrumentalists on the

valanthala (bass) chendas andilatalam (cymbals). Thayambaka,is believed to have flourishedduring the feudal era; it spans anaverage of 90 minutes. It begins ata slow pace before scaling on toa medium tempo and eventuallyculminating in high frenzied speed.Thayambaka, like panchavadyamor most chenda melams isprimarily a temple art, but it isalso performed outside shrines.

Tholpavakoothuwas presented by Sri.Ramachandra Pulavar andparty on 14th February.

Thayambaka

by

Sri. AnanthaKrishnan & party

held on

Feb 14th

atThiruvanthapuram

Tholpavakoothu by Sri. Ramachandra Pulavar & partyheld on Feb 14th at Thrissur

15

The puppets are held by a thinstick in one hand while the limbsare manipulated by a thinner stickheld in another hand of thepuppeteer.

ANDHRA PRADESH /TELENGANA

Sri.Babuji Burra KathaKalaa Brundam & MekalaGopal Gangireddu KalaBrundam presented BurraKatha & GangiredduVinyaasaalu on 4th January.Burra Katha and GangiredduVinyaasaalu is a dying art ofAndhra Pradesh and Telengana.Burrakatha is an oral story tellingtechnique in the katha tradition;‘Burra’ is referred to tambura, amusical instrument with a hollowshell, ‘Katha’ means story.This narrative entertainmentconsists of prayers, solo drama,dance, songs, poems and jokes.

It is a unique shadow puppettheatre from Kerala; an ancientritualistic art form dedicated toDevi Bhagavati. As a ritualsticart form, Toplava Koothu isperformed in more than 100temples all over Palakkad,Trichur and Mallapuram districtduring the months of January toMay at the specially constructedtheatre called Koothu Madam.

Depending on the templetradition, the performancelasts 7,14,21,41,71 or 91 days.The performance starts atabout 10 p.m and goes on tillday-break. It is enjoyed bygeneral public as a popularentertainment while it is receivedas a religious offering by thedevotees. While formerly thepuppets were made out of deerskin, the use of buffalo and oxskin are commonly used now.

Burra Kathaby

Sri.BabujiBurra Katha

KalaaBrundam

held on

Jan 4th

at

Hyderabad

16

It is the story of Arjuna andAbhimanyu from theMahabharata. The performersconnected the story with thefestival of “Sankranthi”.The traditional costumes,musical instruments and the flowof the narration made it theperfect example of ‘Burrakatha’that enthralled the audience.

Gangireddu Vinyaasaalu;This art is also a traditional formthat enthralls people ahead of‘Sankranthi’. The return ofGangireddu to the villages isconsidered a good sign for newlymarried couples. The troupe ofsix performers with a welldecorated Ox had come toshowcase this ancient art form

GangiredduVinyaasaaluby Mekala

GopalGangireddu

Kala Brundamheld onJan 4th

atHyderabad

which transported theaudience to the feel thepresence of Lord Shiva.This art form is avigorous combinationof bovine and humancoordination skill.The well trained andwell decoratedOx performed manyacrobatics and left theaudience in awe.

Sri KrishnajaneyaYuddham (Natakam)

Srikrishnanjaneya Yuddham by Janathasamithi held on Jan 5th at Hyderabad

17

was presented by JanathaSeva Samithi on 5th January.This play depicted the episodeof war between Lord Krishnaand Sri Hanuman from theMahabharata. The combinationof live music, make up andcostumes gave the perfectsetting to the play. The flawlessenactment by the artists hadleft the audience spell bound.‘Telugu Rangasthalam’, Indiantheatre in Telugu language islosing its sheen as it is notperformed widely.But the progressive steps

of Infosys Foundation and BVBhas given a new lease to revivethis fading art form.

Tholubommalata waspresented by Smt.G.Madhavilathaand Group on 16th February.It is the shadow puppet theatretradition of Telengana.Its performers are a groupof wandering entertainers andpeddlers who pass throughvillages singing ballads, tellfortunes, sell amulets, charmsnakes, weave fishnets, tattoolocal people and mend pots.

Tholubommalata by Smt.G.Madhavilatha & Group held on Feb 16th at Hyderabad

On 17th

FebruarySri. C.KrishnaReddy andGroup presentedNamaalaSingadu inNritya Kadawhere a story orkada is depictedin dance form.

Namaala Singadu by Sri. C.Krishna Reddy & Groupheld on Feb 17th at Hyderabad

18

The name Naamal Singaduoriginated from the village ofNaamala; Singadu is the maincharacter dressed with neemleaves as head gear with daggersin his hands.

The artists dance to therhythm of the drum beats.Hence the name NaamalaSingadu. Shri.Ganesh Reddy,Member, School managingcommittee appreciated the schoolfor its efforts in identifying theseart forms and providing the artiststhe much needed platform toshowcase their talent in the urbanbackground. Speaking on theoccasion Dr.C.Krishna Reddygave a brief account on variousfolk art forms that evolved in theremote villages. The dance formdepicted the characters of NamalSingadu the famous dacoit of thevillage Namal. The performanceshow cased the joy of celebrationof the people on his capture.

Story of Katama Rajuwas presented by Sri. UraIllumallu and group on 23rd

February. The story of KatamaRaju is a traditional folk art.The stage is decorated withbeautiful toys to narrate the story.The performance depicts thebirth of Katama Raju who wasa valiant warrior was born toPedda Raju, the ruler of Kadiriand Peddamma Devi.

The couple had prayed toGod Veera Someswara Swamiat Kalyanapatnam for children.They were asked to bathe in3 pits filled with water, milkand the blood of Gandabherundabird. Peddaraju went in searchof bird, killed it and brought theblood to fulfill the desire to havea son. After performing the pooja,they were blessed with thepowerful warrior Katama Rajuand a daughter Prapamma.

Story ofKatamaRaju bySri.Ura

Illumallu &Group

held on

Feb 23rd atHyderabad

19

Fri 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall04. Bharatanatya recital :Smt. Abhinaya Rohan

Tue 6.00 p.m. - KRG Hall08. Sri. G..V. Bhave andSmt. Lakshmi G. BhaveHindustani Vocal concertVocal : Vid. Nayana YavagalTabla : Vid. Kiran YavagalHarmonium : Vid. Madhusudan Bhat

Fri 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall11. Kathak recital :Ms. Supriya Reddy

Fri 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall18. Bharatanatya recital :Ms. Navyashree K.N.

Fri 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall25. Bharatanatya Duet :Ms. Keerthana M. andMs. Sanjana M.

Sat 5.00 p.m.26 BVB -Infosys FoundationOutreach programme :Carnatic music concert :Ms. Dhanya DineshBharatanatya recital :Ms. Sneha NarayanVenue : Indiranagar SangeethaSabha, 8th Main, H.A.L. 1st Stage,Indiranagar - Bengaluru - 560 008.

Sun 6.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall27. Retro Hindi songs bySri. Ram NagarajSupported bySri. Sanjay Kejriwal

PROGRAMME :MARCH - 2018PROGRAMME :MAY - 2018

OBITUARY : JOURNALIST R. SESHADRI

Veteran Journalist R Seshadripassed away on Tuesday, April 17.

He worked for Deccan Heraldbetween 1948 and 1982 in variouspositions, including news editor.After retirement, he took up teachingassignments at the Bharatiya Vidya

Bhavan as Principal of Bhavan’s H.B. College of Communicationand Management, Bengaluru. He is survived by a son, three daughters.

Bhavan extends its heart felt condolences to the members of thebereaved family.

20

May - 2018

BOOK POST

SMT. CHOODI E SHIVARAM