Nataraj Vashi

Main Feature - Nataraj Vashi

Nataraj Vashi and Praveena, the husband and wife duo who were contemporaries of Uday Shankar and Ram Gopal, performed till the sixties the classical and folk dances of India, as well as dances of Java, Bali and Sri Lanka in India and abroad. The Venue: The Belasco Theatre, 115 West Fourth Street, New York City. Date: Monday 26 May 1947. Time: 8.45 pm.  When the curtain rose on the Belasco stage, the friendly audience witnessed the gods and the goddesses of the Indian pantheon moving gracefully, enacting stories from the mythological treasuretrove of India. The programme book published on this occasion mentioned a choreographic work titled Trimurti.

Pandit... Who? Ustad... Who?

A few days ago, I discovered that, amongst my musician friends, I can now boast of a pandit and an ustad. They are both B-High grade radio artists, and will happily accept concert engagements for a fee of 4000/5000 rupees or even less. Unfortunately, I also happen to know music lovers who have been drawn to their concerts after they took on their honorifics, only to come out feeling cheated. The plight of both - these musicians and their audiences— deserves sympathy. Here is good talent having no way of claiming musicianship above the ordinary, except through an absurdity.

Prof. E. Nilakanta Singh: Champion Of Manipuri

Professor E. Nilakanta Singh, who passed away on 12 February, was a renowned Manipuri poet and writer. In the field of classical dance, music and other fine arts he worked tirelessly until the very end. He served from 1953 till 1971 as Professor and Head ofthe Department of Philosophy at D.M. College in Imphal. Later he held other important posts: Secretary, Manipur State Kala Akademi (1972-78); Director, Social Welfare and Arts & Culture, Government of Manipur (1978-86); and Chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy,Imphal, which is a constituent body of the central Sangeet Natak Akademi. These were the most active years in his career also.