Maya Rao
Maya Rao | |
---|---|
Malleswaram , Bangalore | |
Died | 1 September 2014 Bangalore | (aged 86)
Occupation(s) | Kathak guru, dancer, choreographer Founder Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC, 1987) |
Years active | 1945– 2014 |
Career | |
Current group | Natya and Stem Dance Kampani |
Dances | Kathak |
Maya Rao (2 May 1928 – 1 September 2014) was an Indian
She was awarded the
Early life
She was born in
Her guru Pandit Ramarao Naik, was a disciple of Ustad Faiyaz Khan, and vocalist of the Agra gharana.[10] He ran music and dance school at Benson Town, Bangalore, where various dance and music styles were taught. Here Sohan Lal from Jaipur Gharana was in charge of the Kathak section.[11] Soon, her younger sisters, Uma and Chitra, six years and four years old respectively, started learning Kathak from under Guru Sohanlal, while she at age twelve was considered too old for Kathak. Finally, her father allowed her to start her Kathak training in 1942, with a promise to never dance professionally or on stage, which she was soon break. She learnt from him for next two years. However, when she gave a first performance in 1944, at the Town Hall for a Saraswat Samaj community programme, her father didn't object.[8][9][11]
After completing her schooling she joined B.A. (hon.) in English literature at
Career
She moved to Jaipur in 1951, in search of Kathak. She also started teaching English at the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School for next two years. She then moved to Sri Lanka and studied Kandyan dance with legendary dancer, Chitrasena. Subsequently, in 1955, she received the prestigious Government of India scholarship and trained under noted Guru, Shambhu Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana at the Bharatiya Kala Kendra, New Delhi. She was the first student of the Kendra and Pt Shambhu Maharaj was the first Guru. She was the only student he ever danced with in all his life. In 1960, she was selected for the USSR Cultural Scholarship in Choreography to study for her Master's in Choreography. Upon her return from Russia in 1964, with the help of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, then Vice Chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi, she started the Natya Institute of Choreography in Delhi under the aegis of the Bharatiya Natya Sangh.[8][9][13][14]
Thereafter, she was based in Delhi for several years before she moved NIKC to Bangalore on invitation from the then Chief Minister
She became the chairperson of Karnataka Sangeet Nritya Academy, state academy for music and dance, and during her tenure from 1987 to 1990, she started National Performing Arts Festivals at heritage monuments of the state, like
Her daughter Madhu Nataraj is an acclaimed dancer and choreographer, and started STEM Kampni, a branch of NIKC.She continued as s a consultant choreographer at her institute till her last days. Maya Rao's autobiography, Maya Rao – A Lifetime in Choreography was completed by her in 2013 and released by playwright and
She died of massive cardiac arrest shortly after midnight on 1 September 2014, at M S Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, Bangalore, where she was admitted around 11.30 pm due complains of breathlessness and chest pain. She was survived by her sisters Chitra Venugopal and Uma Rao, and daughter Madhu Nataraj, Kathak and contemporary dancer.[16][18]
Awards and honors
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1989
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna2011
- Shantala Natya Sri Award 1999[22]
References
- ^ a b Govind, Ranjani (September 2014). "Renowned Kathak dancer Maya Rao dead". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ a b c Shoba Narayan (26 July 2014). "How Kathak breached the north-south divide". Mint. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ Nataraj, Madhu (27 January 2012). "Taking it a step higher, again". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "About Kampni". stemdancekampni.in. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Where contemporary keeps step with classical". The Hindu. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna and Akademi Puraskar". Sangeet Natak Akademi. 2011. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
.. a one-time honour of Tagore Samman to be awarded to 100 persons of the age of 75 years and above who have made significant contribution in the field of performing arts.
- ^ "List of recipients of Tagore Akademi Puraskar" (PDF). Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Profiles: Kathak Guru Dr. Maya Rao turns 86 today!". narthaki. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
- ^ a b c d e GS Kumar (25 August 2014). "Maya Rao took forbidden dance to a new level". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ S R Ramakrishna. "Namaskara to the Agra master". The Music Magazine. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ a b c "Maya Rao's Whirlwind World". The New Indian Express. 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Pioneering dancer and a much-loved mentor". The Times of India. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ISBN 978-81-7017-223-9.
- ISBN 978-0-19-938492-1.
- ISBN 81-7017-374-4.
- ^ a b "Kathak danseuse Maya Rao no more". 1 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "SNA: List of Akademi Awardees". Sangeet Natak Akademi Official website. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Maya Rao Brought Kathak to City". The New Indian Express. 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "State's honour of Allahrakha: Maya Rao bags Shantala Award". The Hindu. 5 January 2000. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ Sai, Veejay (2 January 2013). "The dance continues..." The Hindu. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Ananth Nag and Girish Karnad attend a book launch at ITC Windsor, Bangalore". The Times of India. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Profile of recipients of 'Shantala Natya Sri Awards'". www.karnataka.gov.in. Karnataka Government.
External links
- Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, website
- Personal Obituary by Culture Critic Veejay Sai in www.narthaki.com, http://www.narthaki.com/info/profiles/profl170.html
- S2CID 192583044.