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Srimati RUKMINI DEVI ARUNDALE

Srimati RUKMINI DEVI, was born in a Brahmin family of Madurai on this day Feb 29th in the year 1904, and today her 112th Birth anniversary is being celebrated all over.

A woman of great beauty of thought and of mind. A woman of elegance, and a woman of great vision. A dancer par excellence, she was responsible for not just elevating the status of Bharatanatyam to its present level, but also in establishing the KALAKSHETRA FOUNDATION, an institution that teaches not just dance but all forms of art to this day.

She married Dr GS ARUNDALE, a British theologian, in 1920 when she was just 16 years old. Her first public performance was in 1935, which was attended, amongst others, by Srinivasa Sastry, CP Ramaswami Iyer, and P Sivaswamy Iyer.

KALAKSHETRA FOUNDATION was started by her in 1936. A huge and sprawling complex amid a thicket of trees in Thiruvanmiyur. It is a gem of an organisation, imparting the pure Indian ethos and culture. There is a road nearby the Foundation named after ARUNDALE.

I am thrilled, excited, and greatly proud of this woman Smt RUKMINI DEVI ARUNDALE, and the Kalakshetra Foundation itself.

She passed away on 24th February 1986.

A Ramayana dance-drama program is presently going on at Kalakshetra foundation, in RUKMINI Auditorium to a packed audience from 22nd of Feb. Yesterday (28th Feb) was the fifth part Chudamani Prathanam (கணையாழி அளித்தல்). And today, on the 112th birthday of the great woman, is the final part – Sri Ramar Pattabhishekam.

What a dance, what a choreography! Amazing and most beautiful. [The choreography is by the Madam herself!!]

Believe me, the huge auditorium gets packed by 5-30PM itself, a full 60 minutes ahead. I suggest and invite all our family members in Chennai to come and attend this Pattabhishekam this evening and be Blessed.

Be there by 5 PM, positively. Enjoy the blissful and great experience.

Rajappa
29-2-2016

*** Vijaya and I were there by 5 PM and enjoyed thoroughly. What a performance !



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