Nataraja Ramakrishna
Encyclopedia
Nataraja Ramakrishna was a dance guru from Andhra Pradesh
, India
. He was the chairman of Andhra Pradesh Sangeeta Nataka Academy. He was also a scholar and musicologist who promoted classical dance in Andhra Pradesh and worldwide.
, Indonesia
to Indian migrant family, Damayanti Devi, who hailed from Nalgonda
, and Ramamohan Rao, from East Godavari
. His mother was a Veena
exponent. Ramakrishna lost his mother at the age of 3. The family later returned to India.Since his childhood, Ramakrishna was interested in classical dance forms.He left his family and property for the love of art since his father did not approve of it. He Spent his boyhood in Ramakrishna Math
at Madras, currently Chennai
and Mahatma Gandhi's ashram. His elder brother Shyama Sundar was his mentor. During his childhood he came in touch with great gurus like Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, Vedantam Laxminarayana Sastry, Smt Naidupeta Rajamma and Pendyala Satyabhama under whom he learnt various forms of art. His first dance teacher was Sukhdev Kartak in Nagpur
.
city was his turning point. At the age of 18, he was given the title of ‘Nataraja' in Nagpur, by the then ruler of Maratha
. He was the architect of the revival of the Andhra Natyam
dance form, a devotional temple dance tradition performed in Andhra Pradesh for over 400 years until virtually extinct..He is also known for reviving Perini Shivatandavam
, 700 year old dance form and brought international fame to it along with Kuchipudi
-another traditional dance form. On request of the then Chief Minister
of Andhra Pradesh
, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
he established Nritya Niketan - a dance school at Hyderabad.
Other awards bestowed upon him were the Padma Shri
in 1992, "Kala Prapoorna,"- a doctorate from the Andhra University
and a ‘Bharata Kala Prapoorna,'- by Andhra Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi and NTR State Award by Andhra Pradesh State government. He was awarded with Raja-Lakshmi Award in 1991.
Over his long career he trained many dancers and wrote and choreographed highly acclaimed dance dramas.He helped to propagate Chindu Yakshaganam(Telugu: చిందు-యక్షగానం), an ancient folk form of Telangana
and revived other folk arts like Tappetagullu (Telugu: తప్పెటగుళ్లు) of Srikakulam
and Vizianagaram
districts, Veera Natyam and Garagalu of East and West Godavari districts, Devadasi dance and dance tradition of temples performing Adhyatma Ramayana. He also helped and encouraged dance artistes like Dommaras, Guravayyalu, Urumulu and Veedi Bhagavatulu. He also practiced Satvikabhinaya- a dance art. He composed life of Lord Venkateshwara
as a "Nrutya nataka" (ballet
). As a research scholar sponsored by the Government of India, he worked in the then USSR (now Russia
) and France
to propagate Indian dance art, making a comparative study of Indian and western Classical and folk dances.. He was bestowed with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
(Academi Ratna) on 21st January 2011.
He wrote more than 40 books, many of them highly awarded, and his contribution to the art of dance is widely recognized. With his innumerable performances, lecture demonstrations and through his extensive travels he created an awareness not only of Kuchipudi
dance, but also revived the lost and forgotten dance forms of Andhra Pradesh.
and was admitted to Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences
at Hyderabad where he breathed his last. He was a bachelor. His body was buried on 08th June 2011 at a land given to him near the famous monument Taramathi Baradhari at Hyderabad.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was the chairman of Andhra Pradesh Sangeeta Nataka Academy. He was also a scholar and musicologist who promoted classical dance in Andhra Pradesh and worldwide.
Early Life
Ramakrishna was born in BaliBali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
to Indian migrant family, Damayanti Devi, who hailed from Nalgonda
Nalgonda
Nalgonda is a town and a municipality in Nalgonda district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its name is derived from two Telugu words Nalla and Konda . Nalgonda in the past is referred to as Nilagiri. During the period of Bahamani kingdom, it had been renamed as Nallagonda...
, and Ramamohan Rao, from East Godavari
East Godavari
East Godavari District is a district situated on the northeast of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Its district headquarters is Kakinada. It is the second richest district in the whole country...
. His mother was a Veena
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
exponent. Ramakrishna lost his mother at the age of 3. The family later returned to India.Since his childhood, Ramakrishna was interested in classical dance forms.He left his family and property for the love of art since his father did not approve of it. He Spent his boyhood in Ramakrishna Math
Ramakrishna Math
Ramakrishna Math is a religious monastic order, considered part of the Hindu reform movements. It was set up by Swami Vivekananda to follow the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna...
at Madras, currently Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and Mahatma Gandhi's ashram. His elder brother Shyama Sundar was his mentor. During his childhood he came in touch with great gurus like Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai, Vedantam Laxminarayana Sastry, Smt Naidupeta Rajamma and Pendyala Satyabhama under whom he learnt various forms of art. His first dance teacher was Sukhdev Kartak in Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
.
Dance and Awards
His dance performance before the royal assembly consisting of scholars, poets, art critics and the elite of NagpurNagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
city was his turning point. At the age of 18, he was given the title of ‘Nataraja' in Nagpur, by the then ruler of Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
. He was the architect of the revival of the Andhra Natyam
Andhra Natyam
Andhra Natyam is a classical dance form originating from the Southern Indian stat of Andhra Pradesh.This traditional dance form having a history of 2000 years got lost in the Mughal and British era,but it came to be revived in the 20th century...
dance form, a devotional temple dance tradition performed in Andhra Pradesh for over 400 years until virtually extinct..He is also known for reviving Perini Shivatandavam
Perini Shivatandavam
Perini Shivatandavam or Perini Thandavam is an ancient dance form from South India which has been revived in recent times. It originated and prospered in Andhra Pradesh during the Kakatiya dynasty....
, 700 year old dance form and brought international fame to it along with Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi is a Classical Indian dance form Andhra Pradesh, India. It is also popular all over South India. Kuchipudi is the name of a village in the Divi Taluka of Krishna district that borders the Bay of Bengal and with resident Brahmins practicing this traditional dance form, it acquired the...
-another traditional dance form. On request of the then Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the sixth President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982 and was the only person to be elected President of India unopposed....
he established Nritya Niketan - a dance school at Hyderabad.
Other awards bestowed upon him were the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 1992, "Kala Prapoorna,"- a doctorate from the Andhra University
Andhra University
Andhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...
and a ‘Bharata Kala Prapoorna,'- by Andhra Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi and NTR State Award by Andhra Pradesh State government. He was awarded with Raja-Lakshmi Award in 1991.
Over his long career he trained many dancers and wrote and choreographed highly acclaimed dance dramas.He helped to propagate Chindu Yakshaganam(Telugu: చిందు-యక్షగానం), an ancient folk form of Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...
and revived other folk arts like Tappetagullu (Telugu: తప్పెటగుళ్లు) of Srikakulam
Srikakulam
Srikakulam is a town, municipality and headquarters of Srikakulam district in the north-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India. It is part of Srikakulam Assembly constituency and Srikakulam Parliament Constituency. Srikakulam was formerly called as Gulshanabad during Muslim rule and was headquarter of...
and Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
districts, Veera Natyam and Garagalu of East and West Godavari districts, Devadasi dance and dance tradition of temples performing Adhyatma Ramayana. He also helped and encouraged dance artistes like Dommaras, Guravayyalu, Urumulu and Veedi Bhagavatulu. He also practiced Satvikabhinaya- a dance art. He composed life of Lord Venkateshwara
Venkateshwara
Venkateswara also known as Srinivasa, Balaji, Venkata and Venkatachalapati , is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara means the Lord who destroys the sins of the people...
as a "Nrutya nataka" (ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
). As a research scholar sponsored by the Government of India, he worked in the then USSR (now Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
) and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to propagate Indian dance art, making a comparative study of Indian and western Classical and folk dances.. He was bestowed with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
(Academi Ratna) on 21st January 2011.
He wrote more than 40 books, many of them highly awarded, and his contribution to the art of dance is widely recognized. With his innumerable performances, lecture demonstrations and through his extensive travels he created an awareness not only of Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi is a Classical Indian dance form Andhra Pradesh, India. It is also popular all over South India. Kuchipudi is the name of a village in the Divi Taluka of Krishna district that borders the Bay of Bengal and with resident Brahmins practicing this traditional dance form, it acquired the...
dance, but also revived the lost and forgotten dance forms of Andhra Pradesh.
Death
During his final days he suffered from PneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and was admitted to Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences
Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences
The Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences shortly NIMS is a premier institute and autonomous university in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is established under the Act of Andhra Pradesh State Legislature.-Overview:...
at Hyderabad where he breathed his last. He was a bachelor. His body was buried on 08th June 2011 at a land given to him near the famous monument Taramathi Baradhari at Hyderabad.