Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art that originated in Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India during the 11th–12th century CE.
Silambam is an Indian martial art originating in Tamil Nadu, South India in the Indian subcontinent. This style is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature. The World Silambam Association is the official international body of Silambam.
Gatka is a form of martial art associated primarily with the Sikhs of the Punjab and other related ethnic groups, such as Hindkowans. It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate swords. The Punjabi name, gatka, refers to the wooden stick used and this term might have originated as a diminutive of a Sanskrit word, gada, meaning "mace".
Padmini Chettur is an Indian contemporary dancer, trained by dancer-choreographer Chandralekha. She runs her own dance company based in Chennai, India, "Padmini Chettur Dance Company".
Sharon Lowen is an American Odissi dancer, trained since 1975 by Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. She has performed and choreographed for film and television and presented hundreds of concerts throughout India, North America, Asia, Africa, the United Kingdom. and the Middle East. Sharon came to India in 1973 after earning degrees in Humanities, Fine Arts, Asian Studies and Dance from the University of Michigan as a Fulbright Scholar to study Manipuri and later Chhau and Odissi.
Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent. A variety of terms are used for the English phrases "Indian martial arts", deriving from ancient sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines, by Classical times they were used generically for all fighting systems.
Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She was the founder and director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama, music and puppetry, in the city of Ahmedabad. She received Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Shri in 1965. She also received many other citations in recognition of her contribution to art.
Simhalan Madhava Panicker was an Indian martial artist and actor of film and theater. Born into a family of plantation farmers in Kerala in 1930, he left home at the young age of eight and traveled to all corners of India. He found his passion in martial arts and acting. He became an expert and authority in varma kalai, the art of hitting pressure points in Kalaripayattu.
Kurinjimala Sanctuary protects the approximately 32 hectare core habitat of the endangered Neelakurinji plant in the Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in Devikulam Taluk, in the Idukki district of Kerala, a state in southern India.
Motiroti was a London-based organisation which used the arts to achieve intercultural innovation. Since the mid-1990s the company made internationally acclaimed and award-winning art that transformed relationships between people, communities and spaces. motiroti worked at the forefront of ever-changing global social realities, challenging and teasing perceptions of artists, institutions and audiences alike.
Vannadil Pudiyaveettil Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan, together known as the Dhananjayans, are an Indian dancing couple who were awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2009.
Varma Kalai is a Tamil traditional art of vital points. It combines massage, alternative medicine, traditional yoga and martial arts in which the body's pressure points (varmam) are manipulated to heal or cause harm. The healing application called Vaidhiya Murai is part of Siddha medicine.
Chandralekha Prabhudas Patel, commonly known as Chandralekha, was a dancer and choreographer from India. The niece of Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first deputy Prime Minister, she was an exponent of performances fusing Bharatanatyam with Yoga and martial arts like Kalarippayattu.
Anita Ratnam is an Indian classical and contemporary dancer and choreographer. Classically trained in Bharat Natyam, she has also received formal training in Kathakali, Mohiniattam, and tai chi and Kalarippayattu, thus creating a dance style which she has coined "Neo Bharatam".
Revanta Sarabhai is an Indian film and theatre actor, dancer, and choreographer from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. He is known for being one of the few male Bharatanatyam soloists of his generation.
Sunara Begum is an English visual and performance artist, filmmaker, photographer and writer of Bangladeshi descent. She uses installation, film, photography, live performance, sonics and text. Begum is the founder and director of Chand Aftara, a creation centre. Begum is also the co-founder of Living Legacies, a traditional music archive in Gambia and New Horizons Africa, a music and arts festival in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Silambam Asia (SILA) is the official international body of Silambam for the Continent of Asia and a Non-Governmental Organization recognized by the World Silambam Association (WSA). On November 22, 1999, the primary name of Silambam, which originated from the ancient Tamil Nadu State of India, was documented by Guruji Murugan Chillayah to become the official organization name to provide Indian traditional arts and sports for education, health, fitness, culture, nature, climate change, recreation, and dissemination work. The primary name Silambam was legally registered and recognized as a formalized organization after receiving security clearance approval from the Regulatory Authority. It was followed by the formation of Silambam Asia, registered with members from twelve countries on the Asia continent and officially recognized by the United Nations, which has expanded and grown further throughout the Asia continent and worldwide. Silambam Asia (SILA) is in partnership with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to preserve and safeguard the Indian traditional arts, sports, cultural and educational content within Silambam at the regional or continental by the establishment of Silambam Asia with the Ministry of Home Affairs (JPPM) in Malaysia.
Adimurai is an Indian martial art originating in modern-day Kanyakumari, the southernmost region in India. It was traditionally practiced in the Kanyakumari district of modern-day Tamil Nadu as well as nearby areas in southeastern Kerala. Its preliminary empty-hand techniques are called Adithada and application of vital points are called Varma Adi, although these terms are sometimes interchangeably used to refer to the martial art itself. Adimurai is a portmanteau in the Tamil language where adi means "to hit or strike" and murai means method or procedure. In modern period it is used alongside other Tamil martial arts.
Tara Rajkumar is an Indian classical dancer and dance teacher. She is an exponent in Indian classical dances like Kathakali and Mohiniyattam. In 2009, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. She also received many other awards including Victorian Honour Roll of Women and Victorian Volunteer Award.
