Methil Devika is an Indian classical dancer and research supervisor. She was a Senior Research Associate at

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...

Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is a government-aided institute and deemed university for the study and research of space science in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. IIST was set up in 2007 by the Indian Space Resear ...

, in 2023 working on an arts-integrated-advance-science project ideated by her. She is currently doing Kerala Chief minister's Nava Kerala Post Doctoral Fellowship, conducting research on ''Temple Terrain as a New Performance Space for the Woman Dancer: A Study on How the Modern Woman Reinvents her Art in Esoteric Spaces''. She has made her feature film debut with the Malayalam film Kadha Innuvare directed by Vishnu Mohan, a national film award winning director.

Early life

Devika has two elder sisters Radhika Pillai (Educator and Art Critic), and Methil Renuka who works as Editor, Forbes. Renowned writer Methil Radhakrishnan is her mother's brother. Writer V. K. N.'s wife Vedavathi is her mother's sister. Devika attended

The Indian High School, Dubai The Indian High School is a CBSE-affiliated Indian school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was established in 1961 to provide education to the children of Indian expatriates and was the first expatriate educational institution in the UAE. The ...

, St. Thomas Convent School, Palakkad, and Mercy College, Palakkad before obtaining a degree in Commerce from

Government Victoria College, Palakkad The Government Victoria College in Palakkad is an institution of higher learning in the Malabar region of Kerala. It is affiliated to the Calicut University and provides undergraduate and postgraduate education in science, arts and commerce su ...

. She has an M.A. in Performing Arts from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata and an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from the

University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

. She completed a Ph.D. in

Mohiniyattam ''Mohiniyattam'' is an Indian classical dance form originating from the state of Kerala. The dance gets its name from Mohini – the female enchantress avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who helps the devas prevail over the asuras using h ...

from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli.

Performances

Devika has given solo performances in dance festivals in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, including Khajuraho International Festival. She has performed at the

Madras Music Academy Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more ...

, Mudra Festival and Nishagandhi Dance Festival. She has performed in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Documentary

In 2018, Devika created the short film documentary ''Sarpatatwam or The Serpent Wisdom''. She set the lyrics to music, choreographed and performed the dance, also serving as co-director and co-producer. The film was voted into the contention list of the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

in 2018. It premiered at the Prestige Theatres, LA and was also screened at various international theatres. It was also the opening film at the National Film Archive of India, Pune. Her work ''Ahalya'' which was commissioned by Sampradaya Dance Company also opened to world premiere in May 2021. It was based on reflections in solitude done during Covid lockdown and the music and dance being composed by herself. Her dance based short film ‘The Crossover’, that amalgamates Indian Sign Language with hastha mudras of Indian classical dance was screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival, 2024. A research article authored by her based on the above performance creation has also been published by Taylor and Francis.

Awards

Devika's archival film was voted into the

Contention List 2018. She won two national awards (Ustad Bismillah Yuva Puraskar for Mohiniyattam 2007 and the Devadasi Award from the Minister of Orissa in 2010). She received the state honours Kshetrakala Akademy Award 2020 and 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 ...

2011. She received the Best Dancer Award of the Mid‐Year Fest from Madras Music Akademy in 2016. She is empanelled into SPIC‐MACAY (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth) in 2010. She is empanelled artiste for Mohiniyattam at the

Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 April ...

. Her recent award was the Dakshinamurthy Puraskar which she received in 2022 along with Pandit

Hariprasad Chaurasia Hariprasad Chaurasia (born 1 July 1938) is an Indian music director and classical flautist, who plays the bansuri, in the Hindustani classical tradition. Early life Chaurasia was born in Allahabad (1938) (present day Prayagraj) in the Indian ...

and Sivamani. Devika is also the recipient of 'the Avanavan Kadamba award, 2023' by Kavalam Samskriti for her contribution to dance and theatre. She has received the award from Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the legendary film maker from Kerala.

References

External links

Article on Mohiniyattam by Methil Devika
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devika, Methil Indian female classical dancers Mohiniyattam exponents University of Madras alumni Rabindra Bharati University alumni 1977 births Living people People from Dubai Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates Government Victoria College, Palakkad alumni Artists from Palakkad Dancers from Kerala Women artists from Kerala 20th-century Indian dancers 20th-century Indian women artists Koodiyattam exponents Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award