S. Narmada (22 September 1942 – 30 March 2007) popularly known as Guru Narmada was a
Bharatanatyam exponent and teacher from
Karnataka,
India. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy Award, Rajyotsava Prashasti and Shantala Natya Sri Award.
Biography
S. Narmada was born on 22 September 1942 in
Bangalore, Karnataka. She received her basic training in dance from V. S. Kaushik.
As a prominent disciple of
K. P. Kittappa Pillai
K. P. Kittappa Pillai (5 May 1913 – 1999) was the son of Sangita Kalanidhi K. Ponniah Pillai (1888-1945), a scion of the famous Tanjore Quartet, codifiers of the Bharatanatyam format.
Personal life
Kittappa Pillai and his brothers were born ...
, she had practiced Tanjavur style of Bharatanatyam under his tutelage for more than two decades.
An excellent teacher of Bharatanatyam, Narmada started the Shakuntala Dance School in Bangalore in 1978 in memory of her mother, and has trained many nationally recognized dancers.
Her disciples include
Lakshmi Gopalaswamy,
Manju Bhargavi, Sathyanarayan Raju,
Nirupama Rajendra, Malathi Iyengar, Praveen and Anuradha Vikranth.
Narmada died of a heart attack in Bangalore on 30 March 2007 at the age of 64.
Awards and honors
* Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2006
*
Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy
Karnataka Sangeeta Nritya Academy is a performing arts organization in Bengaluru, India that is sponsored by the Department of Kannada and Culture in the Karnataka government. It was previously known as Karnataka Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
The ac ...
Award 1998
*
Rajyotsava Prashasti
The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Awards, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India are conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November celebrated as t ...
1996
* Best Teacher Award of the Madras Music Academy 1992
*
Shantala Natya Sri Award
The Shantala Natya Sri Award is an award given every year by the Government of Karnataka to dancers in recognition of their contributions in the field of classical dance. Santala, the queen of Vishnuvardhana, the Hoysala king, was a dancer who ...
2001 from the Government of Karnataka
* Bestow Award from the Karnataka Cultural Association, California
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Narmada, S.
1942 births
2007 deaths
Performers of Indian classical dance
Indian dance teachers
Bharatanatyam exponents
Artists from Bangalore
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Indian female classical dancers
Dancers from Karnataka
20th-century Indian dancers
Teachers of Indian classical dance