K. N. Dandayudhapani Pillai

Last updated

K. N. Dhandayuthapani pillai
Born(1921-07-14)14 July 1921
Died12 October 1974(1974-10-12) (aged 53)
Occupation(s)Classical dancer
Choreographer
Known for Bharatanatyam
SpouseChandra Dhandayudhapani Pillai
ChildrenDr. Uma Anand
Awards Padma Shri Natyakala Chakravarthy Kalaimamani Natyakalanidhi

Karaikal Natesa Dhandayudhapani Pillai (born 14 July 1921, Karaikal - 1974) was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer, considered by many as one of the leading exponents of the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. He was also a teacher and trained multiple performers.

Contents

Career

Born on 14 July 1921 in Karaikal, in the Indian union territory of Puducherry to A. K. Natesa Pillai, a known musician, he started training initially in music under his father, but later turned to Bharatanatyam and learned under his grandfather, who was a teacher of the dance form. [1] Subsequently, he joined Kalakshetra of Rukmini Devi Arundale as a teacher where he taught for a number of years. He was known to have authored several compositions for Bharatanatyam [2] [3] and trained many students; Sri Vidya, J. Jayalalithaa, Hema Rajagopalan, Suganthi Sadayane, Nayana Shenoy, [4] Adyar K. Lakshman, [5] Uma Muralikrishna, [6] Vijayalakshmi Shetty-Ahuja, [7] Jayalakshmi Alva [8] and Geeta Chandran [9] are some of the notable ones among them. He was the dance choreographer of a number of films in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi such as Raja Guruvu, [10] Man-Mauji, Chhaya, Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke, Sri Kalahastiswara Mahatyam and Bhai-Bhai. [11] He also founded Sri Rama Nataka Niketan, a dance academy in Chennai in 1967. [12] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 1971, for his contributions to Dance. [13]

Personal life

His wife, Chandra Dhandayudhapani Pillai, is a known Bharatanatyam expert and teacher [14] Her younger Sister Suria Santhanam also a noted Bharatanatyam teacher for 35 Years. [15]

Death

He went to an eye operation in America. Following his return on 4 October, he attended his student's graduation ceremony. Later he had chest pain and was admitted to the hospital. On 12 October he died.

See also

Sri Thandauthapanipillai was a famous bharathanatyam dancer as wells as a professional vocalist. He was born into a musical family. His grandfather was called Ramakrishnan, who was a great Bharathanaatyam artist.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rukmini Devi Arundale</span> Indian dancer and choreographer (1904–1986)

Rukmini Devi Arundale was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, and an activist for animal welfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalaimamani</span> Highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India

The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram, a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, to recognise artists in the state for their achievements.

Adyar K. Lakshman was a noted Indian Bharatnatyam dancer, choreographer and guru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhananjayans</span> Indian dancers

Vannadil Pudiyaveettil Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan, together known as the Dhananjayans, are an Indian dancing couple who were awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2009.

Soolamangalam Jayalakshmi and Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi, popularly known as Soolamangalam Sisters were Carnatic music sister-pair vocalists and musicians known for their devotional songs in Tamil. They were early singers in the trend of duo singing in Carnatic music, which started in the 1950s, with performers like Radha Jayalakshmi, and later continued by Bombay Sisters, Ranjani-Gayatri, Mambalam Sisters, Bangalore Sisters and Priya Sisters. The Soolamangalam Sisters are best known for singing the Kanda Shasti Kavasam, a hymn on the Hindu god Muruga.

Rushyendramani was an Indian actress, singer, dancer, and playback singer from Andhra Pradesh. She had more than 150 movies to her credit and acted in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films from 1935 to 1986. Her notable films include Sri Seetarama Jananam (1944), Malliswari (1951), Vipra Narayana (1954), Chintamani (1956). Her last film was Sri Shirdi Saibaba Mahathyam (1986).

Nataraja Ramakrishna was an Indian dance guru. He was the chairman of Andhra Pradesh Sangeeta Nataka Academy. He was also a scholar and musicologist who promoted classical dance in Andhra Pradesh and worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalanidhi Narayanan</span> Indian dancer (1928-2016)

Kalanidhi Narayanan was an Indian dancer and teacher of Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam, who was the early non-devadasi girl to learn the dance form and perform it on stage in the 1930s and 1940s. After a brief career in the 1940s, she returned to dance in 1973 and became a notable teacher of abhinaya.

K. S. Narayanaswamy, was a Carnatic veena exponent of the Thanjavur style, in which nuances and subtleties are given more importance over rhythm based acrobatics. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumari Kamala</span> Indian dancer and actress

Kumari Kamala is an Indian dancer and actress. Initially featured as a child dancer, Kamala appeared in almost 100 Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films throughout her career. In the 1970s, she became a teacher of the Vazhuvoor style of dance in which she specialises.

K. P. Kittappa Pillai was the son of Sangita Kalanidhi K. Ponniah Pillai (1888-1945), a scion of the famous Tanjore Quartet, codifiers of the Bharatanatyam format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalamandalam Kshemavathy</span> Mohiniyattam dancer

Kalamandalam Kshemavathy is a Mohiniyattam dancer from Thrissur, Kerala. She is an alumna of the Kerala Kalamandalam. She joined the institute when she was ten. After completion of the course, she undertook advanced training in Bharata Natyam under Muthuswamy Pillai and Chitra Visweswaran, and in Kuchipudi under Vempati Chinna Satyam, but chose to remain within the Mohiniyattam tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saroja Vaidyanathan</span> Indian dancer and choreographer (1937–2023)

Saroja Vaidyanathan was an Indian choreographer, guru, and notable proponent of Bharatanatyam. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2013 by the Government of India.

Madras Kadiravelu Saroja, known as Puliyur Saroja, was an Indian classical dancer, known for her expertise, as an exponent and as a teacher, in the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. The Government of India honored her, in 2011, with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to the field of art and culture.

Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai (1910–1991) was an Indian Bharatanatyam dance teacher and choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geeta Chandran</span> Bharatnatyam dancer from Delhi, India

Geeta Chandran is an Indian Bharatanatyam dancer and vocalist. Trained in Carnatic music, she is a visionary and celebrated artist in Indian classical Bharatanatyam, recognized for her work in theatre, dance, education, videos and films.

Meenakshi Chitharanjan, an Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer, is known as an exponent of the Pandanallur style of the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. She is the founder of Kaladiksha, an institution promoting Bharatanatyam and striving to preserve the Pandanallur tradition. A disciple of the father-son duo of Chokkalingam Pillai and Subbaraya Pillai, she is a recipient of several honours including Kalaimamani Award of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Natya Kala Sarathi of Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2008, for her contributions to classical dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neena Prasad</span> Indian dancer

Neena Prasad is an Indian dancer. She is an exponent in the field of Mohiniyattam. She is the founder and principal of Bharthanjali Academy of Indian Dances in Thiruvananthapuram and Sougandika Centre for Mohinyattam in Chennai.

Hema Rajagopalan is a Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher and choreographer from New Delhi, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rama Natakam</span>

The Rama Natakam is a Tamil Opera that was written by the Tamil poet Arunachala Kavi also known as Arunachala Kavirayar during the 18th century. Based on Kambar's and Valmiki's Ramayana, the opera describes the legend of King Rama of Ayodhya. The Rama Natakam is even more similar to the Tamil version than the Sanskrit version in many aspects – both in spiritual concepts and in the specifics of the storyline. Several songs of this opera are well known and sung all over Tamil Nadu. Arunachala Kavirayar studied Sanskrit and Tamil in the Dharmapuram Adheenam and excelled in his studies. After his marriage he set up a pawn-broker shop, This not only provided him with a good living, but also with a fair amount of Leisure to pursue his literary studies. Just as he was good at “estimating the fineness of the precious metal, he was equally proficient at estimating the worth of the literary works.” Two books were most liked by Kavirayar — The Tirukkural of Tiruvalluvar and the Ramavataram of Kambar, While the former was only a book of ethics, the latter gave the same in the form of a story which would be more appealing to the common man.

References

  1. Hema Rajagopalan (26 March 2016). "K. N. Dandayudhapani Pillai Baani". Remembrance. Narthaki. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  2. "Compositions of K.N.Dandayudapani Pillai". Indian Heritage. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  3. "Dance rich in rhythm". The Hindu . 3 September 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2016.[ dead link ]
  4. "Nayana Shenoy". Shivam School of Dance. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  5. "Adyar K. Lakshman speaks to S. Janaki" (PDF). Sruti. May 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  6. Sunil Kothari; Avinash Pasricha (January 2001). Kuchipudi. Abhinav Publications. pp. 221–. ISBN   978-81-7017-359-5.
  7. "About Guru". Natraj Dance. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  8. "Noted Bharatanatyam dancer Jayalakshmi Alva passes away". The Hindu. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  9. "Short Bio" (PDF). Geeta Chandran. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  10. "Raja Guruvu". The Southern Nightingale. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  11. "Dandayudapani Pillai on IMDb". Internet Movie Database. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  12. "Sri Rama Nataka Niketan". Sri Rama Nataka Niketan. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  13. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  14. "Birth anniversary celebrated". Carnatica.net. 17 December 2001. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  15. His grandson, Karthik Balaji is currently pursuing Engineering from Bharati Vidyapeeths college of Engineering. "Delhi based dance guru Dakshinamoorthy Pillai passes away". Kutcherri Buzz. 27 April 2005. Retrieved 21 August 2016.