Arts & Festivals in India

Culture, Art and Religion are symbiotic terms. Inextricable yet exclusive, Indian festivals are a celebration of this relationship.

India is an ancient spiritual country. This spirituality constitutes the very fabric of our society. It determines our customs, rituals and behaviour. It is the underlying essence of all our festivals. Irrespective of which faith we choose to follow, it is our spiritual nature which prompts us to respect and celebrate all festivals. It is this very same thread of spirituality that connects the arts to the festivals we celebrate. Indian festivals are representative of India’s vitality today.

The arts are a primordial expression of humans’ inner desires and a constitutive factor in the evolution of religion. It is the vehicle which carries forth the culture of a nation. It is in the art aesthetics that we find the reflection of society and its history, from Harappan craft to poetry of Kalidāsa, there are many faces of Indian art. They are the milestones of Indian culture, the reflections of its deep-rooted philosophy of ‘union with the universal’. No matter which path we choose to follow in India we are ultimately united by this singular. We are like the many tributaries which ultimately merge into the main river.

STRUCTURING OF THE KUCHIPUDI DANCE FORM : THE TRAILBLAZING TRIO
by T Parvati Vardhini

(Research Scholar, Department of Dance, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication, University of Hyderabad, Telangana, India)

This paper explores the recognition of Kuchipudi as an art form in the country and its evolution into the twentieth century. Read Here

Kuchipudi Through the Lens

Throwback to the Parampara Festivals from the year of 2001 to the most recent presented in November 2021 in Delhi, India which also marked the 25th year of this festival!

Open Call: Writing on Dance Laboratory

Attakkalari, one of India’s leading contemporary arts organizations, presents a 10-day workshop which will focus on the craft of writing, documenting and archiving dance.

Application Deadline: 21st December 2021. For further information, Click Here

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Legendary Kuchipudi Dancing couple, Raja and Radha Reddy, is responsible for bringing Kuchipudi dance, the pride of Andhra Pradesh, onto the cultural map of the world.

Legendary Kuchipudi Dancing couple, Raja and Radha Reddy, is responsible for bringing Kuchipudi dance, the pride of Andhra Pradesh, onto the cultural map of the world.
For their contribution to the art form they have been decorated with many awards nationally and internationally. They have had the honor of performing for presidents and prime ministers of many countries such as President Ford, Bill Clinton, Fidel Castro etc. They have conducted charity shows for Red Cross Society, Blind Relief Association, and the home for the aged people in Bombay and CRY. They had the honor of being invited as the first Indian dancers to participate in the International Dance festival of Avignon in France and Salzburg in Austria.

The couple’s contribution to the festival of India in the USA and the UK was considered outstanding. They were the star attraction of the All Star Ballet Gala festival in Japan. The Reddys inaugurated the India Festival in Bangladesh. Raja and Radha Reddy have created history by becoming the first couple to receive Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan award individually and simultaneously for the same cause by the President of India, the Sangeet Natak Academy award, International Meridian award etc.