Kalamandalam Radhika is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, research scholar, teacher, writer and philanthropist. She was the first non-resident Keralite to win the

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultu ...

for Mohiniyattom. She learnt

Kuchipudi ''Kuchipudi'' ( ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit ...

Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...

Kathakali ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...

and other dance forms.

Early years and education

Kalamandalam Radhika was born in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

to K.K Nair, a chartered accountant. She started learning dancing at the age of three under Guru Rajan, and later learnt Kathakali from Muttar Sri. Narayana Panicker and mridhangamvaitharis from Guru Ponniahpillai. In the late 1960s, she moved to

Cheruthuruthy Cheruthuruthy, also known as Vallathol Nagar, is a small town in India near Wadakkanchery Wadakkancherry () is a major town in Thrissur, Kerala. Up until 1860, this area was part of Chelakkara Taluk. It is the headquarters of Talappilly ...

and stayed at the Kalamandalam for four years. Under the wings of Chinnammu Amma, Kalamandalam Sathyabhama and Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair she was moulded into a skilled performer. Her tutelage under the late Kalamandalam Kalyani Kutty Amma and her training under Kalamandalam Padmanabha Ashan in Kathakali honed her skills.

Dancer and choreographer

She has conducted more than two thousand performances in India and abroad at national and international levels. She is a member of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

International Dance Council, and has conducted her performances for WHO delegates, SAARC delegates, diplomats, Soviet representatives, and others. To explore the depths of Mohiniyattom, she has undertaken extensive research, and re-organized the basic steps, jewellery and costumes worn by Mohiniyattom dancers of the early 1940s. She has executed and choreographed biblical themes including the advent of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

in India, and the birth of Christ. Radhika has conducted workshops in US, UK, Europe, Atlanta, and Germany. She has also choreographed and danced for ''Behold Thy Mother'', a biblical film directed by an Italian priest Fr.Gerard. She has composed and choreographed five cholkettus, three varnams and innumerable padams in different languages. She was criticized for performing biblical themes in Mohiniattam, but the poetical works of VeerappaMoily, Kuvempu, Fr. Abel, Amruth Someshwar and St. Chavara as adapted by Radhika were well received.

Author

Radhika has written numerous articles for the dance and music magazine ''Shrutilaya'' and has submitted a paper on Mohiniyattom at a seminar organized by the

NCERT National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) () is an autonomous organisation of Ministry of Education, the Government of India. Established in 1961, it is a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies Re ...

on the subject of ‘Dance Education in Schools'. She has also written an article about the Devadasi system of Kerala for the weekly ''Indu'' , published from

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, USA, and is the author of the books 'Mohiniyattom-The Lyrical Dance of Kerala´ and ‘Mudra’ published by Mathrabhoomi.

Appearances

;Television ;Film ;Endorsement * Oxygen - The Digital Shop Advertisement * Pankajakasturi

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radhika, Kalamandalam Living people 21st-century Indian actresses Indian female classical dancers Indian women choreographers Indian choreographers Indian women philanthropists Indian philanthropists Actresses from Bengaluru Dancers from Karnataka Year of birth missing (living people) Actresses in Malayalam television Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Indian television actresses Indian film actresses Mohiniyattam exponents Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award

Early years and education

Dancer and choreographer

Author

Appearances

See also

References