Indian Artpreneur

On the 12th episode of ‘Indian Artpreneur' podcast series, Season 3 – Vistāra we speak to Guru Nivedita Bhattacharya an Indian Kathak exponent from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

On this episode you will listen to her speak about:

Childhood days

Journey as a teacher

Social responsibilities of a dancer

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On the 9th episode of Season 2, “The resilient Entrepreneurs” on Indian Artpreneur Podcast, we speak to Dr. Deborah Thiagarajan, the founder and President of DakshinaChitra Museum in Chennai. Dr. Deborah Thiagarajan, set out to found the Madras Craft Foundation (MCF) in 1984. Madras Craft Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization and DakshinaChitra was conceived as its main project.

MCF received a grant for research and education in 1988, a long lease of land from the Government of Tamilnadu came in 1991, followed by grants from the Development Commissioner Handicrafts (Government of India) and by the Ministry of Culture for the building at DakshinaChitra. Matching donations came from industry. The Museum slowly became a reality and opened to the public in December, 1996. Today DakshinaChitra successfully showcases the rich cultural heritage of South India. It reflects the beauty, traditions, innovations and the continuing evolution of South Indian arts and culture.

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On the 39th episode of Indian Artpreneur, we speak to Vikram Sridhar who is a Classical Performance storyteller and theatre practitioner based in Bangalore and Chennai . An Engineering and Management graduate by degree from institutes the IIT, he believes in Oral Storytelling as a strong medium for conservation, which is highly relevant in the modern context.

He combines his 15 years of work and interest in theatre,social work and conservation in his oral storytelling. He is a TEDx Speaker and the co-founder of Tahatto, a Bangalore-based award winning theatre entity. ‘Around The Story Tree‘ is his initiative to connect the modern-day listener to the environment around through the power of stories and arts. He runs one of India's longest running meetups for Oral Storytelling for adults and travels the country sharing his researched stories with children and Adults.

On this episode we speak about:

His journey as a Story-teller

Source of Inspiration

Thoughts on education System

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On the 38th epsiode(S4:E2) of Indian Artpreneur Podcast, we speak to Manasi Prasad who is an acclaimed Carnatic Vocalist and Museum Director of Indian Music Experience, which is India's only interactive music museum. The IME is an initiative of the non-profit Indian Music Experience Trust, supported by the Brigade Group. Manasi is also a trained classical dancer and an engineering and MBA graduate from IIM Bangalore.

Manasi's relentless work in bringing India's music, culture and history under one roof has brought her many laurels. The vision of the IME, museum is to increase the understanding and appreciation of the diversity of Indian music, from the traditional to the contemporary through exhibits, performances and learning activities.

On this episode we speak about:

Indian Music ExperienceCuration ProcessCreative space for artistsCollaboration with Google Art & CultureCost Structure

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On the 37th episode of Indian Artpreneur Podcast we speak to Kavtia Kane, who is an author, motivational speaker and a former journalist. Mrs. Kane is also the author of seven books.

Karna's Wife her debut novel, (2013) was a bestseller. Her second novel – Sita's Sister (2014) also deals with another enigmatic personality – Urmila, probably the most overlooked character in the Ramayan. Menaka's Choice(2015) ,another best-seller, is about the famous apsara and her infamous liaison with Vishwamitra the man she was sent to destroy. Lanka's Princess (2016) is her fourth book based on Ravan's sister, Surpanakha, the Princess of Lanka who was also its destroyer.

Her fifth book Sita's Sister(2017) on why did Sita's siter agree to be left behind in the palace, waiting for her husband for 14 painfully long years? and the sixth book, The Fisher Queen's Dynasty (2017) which will re-align your reading of the Mahabharata. Ahalya's Awakening (2019) draws out the voice of a character that lacked one—even before she was turned to stone.

Her latest and seventh book, Saravasti's Gift (2021)- Mrs. Kane brings to light Sarasvati's story-the goddess of art, music and knowledge-told in the voices of nameless celestials, powerful gods and lesser mortals. The book explores her relationship with her Creator, Brahma, and their unusual marriage-a union of fiercely independent minds and the most non-conforming, unconventional of the Triumvirate couples. As these peripheral figures and silent catalysts take centre stage, we get a glimpse of an extraordinary woman and her remarkable story, obscured and buried under myths and legends.

In this episode we speak to hear about her writing process:

Story Structure

Key components of mythological fiction

Research

Dance and music in mythology

Advise for young writers

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On our ninth episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1, Victory against the odds, we speak to Raphaëlle Brochet, whose never ending journey into the world of global performing arts and music has lead to her becoming a truly powerful and inspiring performer. Her versatility and dedication to learn have all fed into her unique sound. Born to musician parents, Raphaëlle grew up in family surrounded by jazz, and destined to be an artist. She started her career at the age of 17 by recording an album with Floris Nico-Bunink (Mingus, Billy Holliday) under the label Daybreak. Her studies began at the Poitiers Conservatory in France where she studied the piano for three years.

She graduated from the Nantes Conservatory and deepened her knowledge of jazz in Canada, where she received a scholarship from the University of Montreal. She then spent a year in New York City to write music for her project KrsTal, blending jazz and Indian music traditions. In parallel to her jazz studies, Raphaëlle went to South India for more than 17 years to study Carnatic singing with Sarada Thota and konnakol with Ghatam Govindarajan. Then she received a full scholarship from the Wesleyan University, USA, to study with B.Balasubrahmaniyan and D.Nelson, and then got a Masters of Ethnomusicology from one of the highest ranked universities of the world.

She is very involved in cross-disciplinary collaborations, like theater (the Jena Theaterhaus; Théâtre de Satrouville; Bruital Compagnie), dance (Kadek Puspasari; Stephanie Roussel, Compagnie Kalavati) and collaborated on a documentary with film director Amin Moghadam: Le Souffle d'Allégresse (Iran)

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On our eighth episode of Indian Artpreneur, we speak to Shekar Rajendran who created a niche in the art field that manifests our traditional, spiritual, cultural and classical aspect of Indian Heritage. He is an ardent Bharathanatyam dancer trained for over 3 decades now under the able guidances of eminent Gurus Smt. Prabhavathi Shastry, Guru Dr. Suparna Venkatesh and Guru Dr. Sanjay Shantaram and has been acclaimed as a versatile soulful artist.

Shekar has enthralled a wide spectrum of audiences with his innovative, graceful , vibrant eye catching dance with picturesque poses & excellent acting skills and is known popularly in the dance fraternity for his extraordinary character portrayal & as an inspiring masculine dancer who has vigor, grace and agile equally. He is very popular and sought after for his vivid costumes, exceptional make-up, light design, and stage design, be it in the characters he plays in dance ballets or in pure dance.

Shekar is pursuing his knowledge for dance under Guru Dr. Sanjay Shantaram, both in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi for the last 20+ years now. An urge to learn different dance forms inspired him to complete his basics in the western classical ballet, from the foundation of classical ballet in U. K. Besides his intense training in Bharatanatyam & Kuchipudi he has learned the other art forms like Contemporary-Kathak, Folk dances of India and Modern Dance

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On our seventh episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1: Victory against the odds, we speak to Dr. Chethana Radhakrishna.

We all know that almost every dance student undergoes dilemma at some point. For some, this could be to obtain certification from education boards such as KSEB or pursue a full-time masters degree in dance, or sometimes the purpose of the dance itself. We feel that in order to gain victory against the odds, it is not enough to gain knowledge, but absolute necessary to have clarity about our pursuit.

To answer these questions, we approached  Dr. Chethana Radhakrishna, who is a Bharathanatyam dancer, choreographer, and PhD in Performing Arts. She is a faculty for Bharathanatyam at the KSGH University in Mysore. Dr. Chethana learnt the basic lessons of Bharatanatyam from guru Natya Visharade Smt. Sheela Sridhar in Kalakshetra style, Mysore style of Bharatanatyam from Vid. Smt. Shankuntalamma and Tanjore style from great guru Late Smt. Narmada, Bengaluru. In order to advance her knowledge and proficiency, she went to Chennai to learn from advance lessons from Smt. Savitri Jagannath Rao.

In 1995, Dr. Chethana started the Gurudev Academy of fine arts in Mandya, where she continues to teach. In Gurudev Academy, the students not only learn Bharatanatyam, but also learn to teach, sing and Nattuvangam. Dr. Chethana's taught several students, who are now spread across the globe and have their own schools to teach Bharatanatyam.

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On our sixth episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1: Victory against odds, we speak to Kuchipudi dancer Sarvani Yadavalli and a disciple of Padmasree Dr. Sobha Naidu, who's among the India's top most exponents of Kuchipudi dance . For many of us who live in a city, it is probably easier to find a dance teacher next door. Now let's imagine, we are in the 90s, living in a village, with no access to dance teachers, but wanting to learn dance. Would one be willing to travel 500 kms to reach the place where the art form got originated and learn. Not all are blessed with opportunities next door. But pursuit their passion leaving no stone unturned.

This is the Story of a dancer who makes the best out of every situation and every time paves path for herself in dance and engineering. She has toured 17 countries in Europe & Asia, performing and conducting workshops and propagating the rich Indian cultural heritage. She has won several accolades across the world. She was selected as the Indian ambassador for 19th World Festival of Youth & Students, Russia.

Sarvani is blessed to learn Kuchipudi under various gurus Smt Seetha Nagajothy, Sri Vedantam  Radheyshyam, and Sri. Raja Ram at a very early age.

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On our fifth episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1: Victory against odds, we speak to Aishwarya Nityananda, who is a Bharatanatyam dancer, Carnatic vocalist and a Chartered Accountant from Bengaluru, Karnataka. On this episode, Aishwarya shares her journey into Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, her daily routine and the way she manages her time balancing between dance, work and family.

Aishwarya has undergone 28 years of rigorous training and practice, in the traditional Pandanallur style of Bharathanatyam ,under the able guidance and tutelage of Karnataka Kalatilaka and Rajyotsava awardee Guru Radha Sridhar of Venkatesha Natya Mandir, Bengaluru. has also undergone advanced training in Carnatic music under the guidance of Guru Smt Vasantha Madhavi. She has also rendered vocal support for several dance performances. Recognizing her innate talent, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations[ICCR] empanelled Aishwarya in its list of performing artistes of classical dance for the Indian cultural missions and festivals abroad. She is also an A grade artiste of Bengaluru Doordarshan Kendra.

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On our fourth episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1: Victory against the odds, we speak to Emmanuelle Martin, who is a Carnatic musician living in Paris, France. Listen to this interesting episode where she shares interesting stories and the challenges she faced in learning Carnatic music. Emmanuelle learnt Carnatic music under Shri T.M. Krishna residing in Chennai for 10 years. Since her return to France in 2014, she travels between India, Europe and the United States where she gives concerts, transmits this art and continues her own practice.

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On our third episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1: Victory against the odds, we speak to Nidhaga Karunad, who is a versatile classical dancer. He is a resident of Bengaluru, Karnataka. At the age of seven, he started his journey in performing arts with traditional Indian theater form Yakshagana and eventually learnt two entirely different classical dance forms Kathak and Bharatanatyam. He has performed in India and several countries abroad.

Nidhaga holds a Bachelors degree in Electronics & Computer Science and Masters degree in Bharatanatyam from Bangalore University. Nidhaga speaks about various topics including challenges of being a male dancer, difficulties faced to learn Bharatanatyam and Kathak being trained in Yakshagana for 15 years. He also shares his visions for future. Nidhaga is a disciple of Karnataka Kalashree awardee Dr. Suparna Venkatesh.

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On our second episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1: Victory against the odds, we speak to Divya Ravi, who is a Bharatanatyam performing artiste and choreographer.  Divya is currently based together with her husband Dr. Sharan Subramanian in the United Kingdom. On this episode Divya speaks about her daily routine, working process behind her first solo work Manjari, her love for food and also shares her recipe to crack social media.

This is a story of the quest for excellence.

In 23 years of a passionate relationship with Bharatanatyam, Divya has navigated a career in Marketing while evolving as a sensitive artiste and a respected soloist. A graded artiste of Doordarshan and empaneled with the Ministry of Culture for Festivals of India Abroad and SPICMACAY, Divya has extensively performed at coveted dance festivals in India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Hong Kong, UK and China. Her solo works MANJARI, SARVASYA, POEMS OF LOVE, SAARINI and NARMADA have been lauded for their thought-provoking premise and creative choreography. Divya's sound technique stems from rigorous formative training under the guidance of Sri. Kiran Subramanyam & Smt. Sandhya Kiran, Dr. Soundarya Srivathsa, and mentoring in Abhinaya under Smt. Bragha Bessel. She is also intensively trained in the Navarasa Sadhana actor training module under Sri G Venu, and she continues to explore her artistic pursuits in the UK, training with Sri. Mavin Khoo.

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On our first episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1: Victory against the odds we speak to versatile dancer Kinga Malec from Poland. She is currently based in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Kinga started dancing when she was young and her passion to learn Kathak dance made her visit India three consecutive years. She learnt dance from legendary gurus such as Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Arjun Mishra and Vidushi Nirupama Rajendra.

This is a journey of exploration especially when one truly believes in following the heart and no matter what the odds are only your resilience can get us there.

Listen to this episode where she tells wonderful stories about her childhood, and her experiences in India.

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Indian Artpreneur Trailer

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On the 11th episode of ‘Indian Artpreneur' podcast series, Season 3 – Vistāra we speak to Taalyogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar an Indian musician who plays the percussion instrument tabla.

Talwalkar was awarded the All India Radio Award in 1966, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2004 and Padma Shri in 2013.

On this episode you will listen to him speak about:

Advantage of learning both styles – Hindustani and Carnatic for musicians

Guru shishya parampara

Teaching students from western background

How to measure success?

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On the 10th episode of ‘Indian Artpreneur' podcast series, Season 3 – Vistāra, we speak to Smt. Shantala Subramanyam, who plays the Venu, a Carnatic bamboo flute. She is also a trained vocalist and one of the most sought after teachers.

Shantala displayed keen interests in music when she was only an year old and like many Carnatic musicians, Shantala started playing in early childhood under the guidance of her father M N Subramanyam and her brother Shashank, an eminent flute artist. She was also trained by eminent performers – vocalist late Sri. Vairamangalam Lakshminarayanan, and is currently pursuing vocal music training under Sri O.S.Thyagarajan and Sri T V Gopalakrishanan.

In this episode we speak about

Her early days

How to be a Performer?

Role of a teacher

Message to students

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On the 9th episode of ‘Indian Artpreneur’ podcast series, Season 3 – Vistāra we speak to one of India's foremost classical dancers, who hail from a family of educationists, artists and Harikatha Vidwans (traditional story tellers). – Smt Nirupama Rajendra and Sri T D Rajendra

As founders of ‘Abhinava Dance Company’- one of India’s most popular and cutting-edge production houses recognized worldwide, the duo have been instrumental in introducing a great deal of innovation, creativity, enthusiasm and imagination to the realm of Classical Art over 25 years.

On this episode you will listen to her speak about:

Early days

Importance of music

Male dancers and masculinity

Productions that make impact

Message to parents and teachers

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On the 8th episode of ‘Indian Artpreneur' podcast series, Season 3 – Vistāra we speak to Guru Smt. Jayanthi Kumaresh, who is India's torch bearer worldwide for Saraswathi Veena, the National Instrument of India. She is an artiste, collaborator, composer, researcher, creator, pioneer, an educator and one of the legendary Veena masters that India has ever produced.

As a researcher, she holds a Doctorate for her works on “Styles and playing techniques of the Saraswathi Veena”. She is the founder of the Indian National Orchestra, featuring 21 star musicians from all over India – the first of its kind orchestra for Indian Classical Music. Her web series, Cup O' Carnatic, which popularizes Carnatic music in general and Veena in particular has more than 2 million views on social media.

On this episode you will listen to her speak about:

Early days

Philosophy of music

How to practice?

Teacher to Guru

Message to parents and teachers

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On the 7th episode of season 3, ‘Vistāra we speak to much sought after mridangam artist, a fine performer, composer, an inspiring guru and innovator – Guru Patri Satish Kumar

Having enthralled audiences across several countries including India, The Persian Gulf, South-East Asia, Australia, Europe, USA, he also has students who are active performers all over the world. He was conferred an honorary doctorate from the Berkley University, California in 2018. He is the curator of the PATRI DRUM FESTIVAL featuring legendary drummers.

On this episode you will listen to him speak about:

Early days

Tips for playing in the concert

Practice routines

Duties of a teacher

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On the 6th episode of season 3, ‘Vistāra’, we speak to Acharya Indira Kadambi, who is a brilliant performer, a sensitive and innovative choreographer. Kadambi has carved a niche for herself as one of the excellent exponents of Bharathanatyam with nearly three decades of performing experience.

Blending the form and content in an aesthetic manner, her works are traditional yet contemporary keeping in focus the contemporary awareness. She is the Director of Performing Arts at Ambalam, Center for Performing Arts. She is also the co-founder of e-Ambalam – the world's first online college of Indian Classical Dance and Music with Yoga.

On this episode you will listen to her speak about:

Early days

Story of e-Ambalam

How to find a good teacher

Message to art pactitioners

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On the 5th episode of season 3, ‘Vistāra’, we speak to Kathak Exponent – Guru Shama Bhate

Kathak Exponent, who has experimented with both traditional as well as contemporary format of Kathak, Director of a unique institute – Nadroop – based in Pune who has brought out many out-of-the-box projects since 40 years – GURU SHAMA BHATE .

On this episode you will listen to her speak about:

Early days

Presenting Contemporary within Traditional grammar

Guru Shishya Paramapara

Advice to classical dancers

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On the 4th episode of season 3, ‘Vistāra', we speak to Kuchipudi Exponent, Theatre artist, Presidential Awardee from Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi – Guru Vyjayanthi Kashi

She is the granddaughter of the Rangabhumi legend – Sri Gubbi Veeranna, and her career spans over an impressive spectrum of performance, choreography, teaching, acting, research & organizing. She is the Director of Shambhavi School of Dance – which is the only Kuchipudi Gurukula in Bangalore. She is also the organizer of Dance Jathre – India's First ever International Dance fair.

On this episode you will listen to her speak about:

Early days

Learning Kuchipudi

Guru Shishya Paramapara

Advice to teachers and students

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On the 3rd episode of season 3, ‘Vistāra', we speak to an Indian Classical Musician, Vainika, Musicologist, Teacher, Orator, Writer, Organizer, a direct descendant of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal and Raja Ravi Varma, a member of the Royal Family of Travancore, Sri Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma, popularly known as Prince Rama Varma.

Prince Rama Varma was a disciple of Prof. Vechoor Hariharasubramania Iyer and Sangeethakalanidhi Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, and has also studied the Saraswathi Veena under Trivandrum R.Venkataraman and Sangeetha Kalanidhi Prof K. S. Narayanaswamy. As a visionary, he is known for spearheading the move to allow women inside the Navarathri Mandapam, both as performers and listeners, breaking more than three centuries of that tradition.

On this episode you will listen to him speak about:

Childhood and Royal Lineage

Musical Journey

Role of a Teacher

Advice to Students

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On the 2nd episode of Season 3, “Vistāra” we speak to Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, who is acclaimed as a rare combination of a dancer, research scholar, choreographer, singer, music composer, teacher, author and indologist. She had a Bachelors Degree in Music, a Masters Degree in Ethno Musicology and Ph.D Thesis on the topic of Karanas in Indian Dance & Sculpture

Nrttasya Karanam Bhavet
Unison of spirit and body in dance makes Karanas.
Only she can can dare to redefine Karanas.

On this episode you will listen to her speak about:

Early days

Dance and research

Who is an ideal guru?

Importance of tradition

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On the 1st episode of Season 3, “Vistāra” we speak to one of the four Jhaveri sisters who’s name has been associated with the performing arts of Manipur, she has dedicated 7 decades of her life in preservation of classical dance of Manipur. She has been awarded Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Academy award and several honors.

On this episode you will listen to her speak about:

Childhood

Days with guru Bipin Singh

Dance and research

Ford foundation projects

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On the 12th episode of Season 2, “The resilient Entrepreneurs” we speak to Mahesh Venkateswaran, the founder of MadRasana, a platform to present Carnatic music and other Indian classical art in an an intimate setting, to bring the artistes, the art form and the listeners closer to each other, to have a better connect. MadRasana is built with the principle of being the catalyst between musicians and rasikas.

After a very successful stint at a major IT firm, Mahesh embarked on this new venture in an uncharted territory bolstering his experiences from IT & digital spaces . He founded MadRasana in 2016 which started off with Garden Concerts and then moved on to MadRasana Unplugged, which uploads Carnatic music videos on its YouTube channel.

On this episode we discuss genesis, revenue streams, digital &business strategy, and future projects of MadRasana.

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On the 11th episode of Season 2, “The resilient Entrepreneurs”, we speak to Arundhati Nag of Ranga Shankara. Born to a middle class family in New Delhi, Arundhati Nag navigates her interests in Theatre after moving to Mumbai. Arundhati Nag, a multilingual actor, built the theatre to realise the long-cherished dream of her husband, the late Shankar Nag, who is well known for his popular TV series ‘Malgudi days'.

Arundhati Nag is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2008), the Padma Shri (2010) and the National Film Awards (57th) in 2010. Listen to this episode where she revals her journey in building Ranga Shankara, which bolstered the ecosystem for Theater Artists.

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On the 10th episode of Indian Artpreneur Season 2, “The resilient Entrepreneurs” we speak to Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, the Artistic Director and Chairman of Sutra Foundation. Described by international dance connoisseurs as one of the finest artistes of his generation, Ramli Ibrahim is a cultural icon who has performed internationally for more than four decades. His rigorous training in ballet, modern, and Indian  classical  dance  reflects  not  only  his  diverse  technical  accomplishment,  but  also  his multifaceted approach to the performing arts.

As artistic director of Sutra Dance Theatre, Ramli has choreographed stunning works and nurtured some of the brightest dance talents from Malaysia, many of whom have won international acclaim in both traditional and contemporary scenes.

Ramli has been instrumental in transforming the dance scenario in Malaysia to greater heights. Today, he is known for single‐handedly establishing Odissi as a recognisable and  widely  appreciated  dance  form  in  the  country,  while  creating  a  distinctively  Malaysian interpretation of this ancient tradition. As a pioneer, Ramli is recognised internationally within the arts scene, evident in the numerous accolades conferred upon him. He is acknowledged as a ‘Living Heritage' by the Government of Malaysia as the United Nations declared him to be a UNESCO Living Treasure in 2012.

The President of India awarded Ramli the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2011, the first ever for a Malaysian. The award is recognised as the highest national honour conferred on performing artists, gurus and scholars of the performing arts. He was most recently conferred the Padma Shri Award from the Government of India in April 2018.

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On the 8th episode of Season 2, “The resilient Entrepreneurs” on Indian Artpreneur Podcast, we speak to Rukmini Vijayakumar, who is the artistic director of Raadha Kalpa Dance Company, and the director of Lshva, a creative space for artists in the heart of Bangalore. She is the founder of The Raadha Kalpa method an educational system for Bharatanatyam that is based on the idea of neutrality. 

Rukmini's approach to Bharatanatyam is dedicated, rigorous and layered. She has presented her work as a soloist all over the world, including venues such as the Jacobs Pillow festival, Drive East NYC, and the Korzo Theater. Recently she played ‘the goddess of love' in ‘Sukanya', produced by The Royal Opera house in London. 

She has studied Bharatanatyam under Guru Padmini Rao, Guru Sundari Santhanam and Guru Narmada. Her style is greatly influenced by the ancient movement practice of Karanas. A Graduate of the Boston Conservatory, Rukmini's process of creation is both traditional and contemporary. She was a recipient of the Jiri Kylian grant for choreography and a resident choreographer at Korzo theater, Netherlands in 2018.

Her productions, Nayani, Prabhavati, AbhimatA, Talattu and The Dark Lord have toured india and the world extensively. Her more recent work, Turiya, MALA, The Muse and Unrequited were created within the contemporary idiom and have been appreciated for their creative approach to the bharatanatyam vocabulary. She was bestowed the title of Arsha Kala Bhushanam by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Also an actor, Rukmini has been recognised for the roles that she has played in a number of Indian Films and Theater performances

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On the 7th episode of Season 2, “The resilient Entrepreneurs” on Indian Artpreneur Podcast, we speak to Sandeep Virdee OBE, the founder and artistic director of Darbar Festival, UK. Abandoning a successful career in accountancy, Sandeep curated his first Indian classical musical festival in honour of his late father, Gurmit Singh Virdee, in 2006 and has never looked back since. He is currently Artistic Director for Darbar.

The Darbar has re-shaped the landscape of Indian classical music in Britain, by promoting excellence, risk taking and innovation. In this interesting conversation, Sandeep Virdee talks about the History, Values, Philosophy, Sources of funding of Darbar Festival.

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On the 6th episode of Season 2, “The Resilient Enterpreneurs” on Indian Artpreneur Podcast, we speak to Shreya Nagarajan Singh, the founder of SNS Arts Development Cosultancy based in Chennai. Shreya studied arts management at the DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum and completed the Asia Pacific Leadership Program at the East West Centre in Hawaii, before spending a number of years at Apparao Galleries. At Apparao, she ran over 200 of their events, developing strong relationships with Sharan Apparao and others.

Born into a family of patrons and performers of the South Indian performance arts of Bharatanatyam & Carnatic music, she has been exposed to the forms throughout her life. From an early age she began training, teaching and performing in Bharatanatyam. She is a student of Bharatanatyam legend Rhadha Ramanathan.

In 2015, Shreya was awarded the coveted Fulbright Nehru Fellowship to pursue a Masters in Arts Management at Columbia College Chicago. While completing her masters in Chicago, she also worked as the project manager on the Eye On India festival.

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On the 5th episode of Season 2, “The Resilient Enterpreneurs” on Indian Artpreneur Podcast, we speak to Balakrishnan Venkataraman, The Founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Nisha(Chennai) that has staged over 120 plays in the past 20 years under its banner in over 15 international, national and regional theatre festivals. Balakrishnan V is an alumnus of Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts (New Delhi) and the National School of Drama (New Delhi).

He was awarded the Charles Wallace Scholarship to attend an International Residency for Young Directors with the Royal Court Theatre, London. In his career as a theatre artist, he has directed over 200 plays, acted in over 150 plays and written over 10 scripts. He has worked with several international dancers and theatre professionals on collaborative projects, including Performance Group Tuida, from South Korea.

He has to his credit several workshops on different aspects of theatre, which have benefitted artists, teachers, dancers, students, and members of marginalised communities.

In 2015, he was invited to be a TEDx speaker at the Bangalore convention, where he spoke on ‘How to Build a Character?' In 2017, he was awarded the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching (FDAT) and returned having completed a 4-month inquiry-based project from Indiana University. In 2018, the Rotary Club of Madras East conferred the Dronacharya Award on him for his contributions to theatre education. In 2019, he won the Hindu Playwright Award for his play Sordid which premiered at Natarani Amphitheatre in March 2020. 

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On the fourth episode of “The resilient Entrepreneurs” we speak to Dr. Anita Ratnam, the founder of Narthaki. Dr. Ratnam is highly respected as a performer, writer, speaker and arts entrepreneur and culture mentor.  She has been described as an “Intersectionist”, whose work weaves the many disciplines of dance, theater, spoken word, ritual, archaeology, dramaturgy and women's issues.

For over 40 years, her distinguished career has witnessed over 1300 performances in 37 countries. Dr Ratnam's background as a television producer in New York City (1980 to 1990) as well as her educational qualifications in Dance, History, Theatre and Women's Studies (MA and Phd) have made her a popular speaker for diverse audiences.

Her formal training in Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam and Kathakali has given Dr. Ratnam a distinctive movement vocabulary that she has named NEO BHARATAM – a contemporary Indian kinetic situated on a mature body.

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On the third episode of “The resilient Entrepreneurs” we speak to Skanda Anantha Murthy, the founder of Shaale. Skanda launched Shaale as an online platform to make Indian arts and culture more accessible to people all over the world. Encouraged by his mother, musician and Sanskrit professor, Dr. T S Satyavathi, Skanda launched Shaale in 2012, in Bengaluru.

Shaale is known for its online courses in classical music. It also provides video recording, live-streaming (webcast), video on demand, and 4k video audio documentation for artistes, researchers, organisers, and students for free or at subsidized rates. Shaale has streamed events for over 1500 organizations, pan-India.

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On the second episode of Season 2, “The resilient Entrepreneurs”, we have Sruti Harihara Subramanian, who has conceived and directed the Amazon Exclusive musical docu-series “Harmony with A. R. Rahman.” Sruti is a National award winning film maker and a theater actor with a deep love for animals and the environment.

Her debut feature documentary ‘A Far Afternoon ‘ on eminent painter Krishen Khanna bagged the Rajat Kamal for the best art/cultural film at the 63rd Indian National Film Awards and also the best music for non- feature film. It has been screened across various film festivals and cities including London, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Hyderabad, Stockholm and in the USA. It has been nominated for the best documentary in the New York Indian International Film Festival 2016 and at The Indian Film Festival at Stuttgart.

Sruti's company Happy Wanderer Films has several national and international corporate and ad films to its credit for companies and NGOs like Piramal Enterprises, Vasan Eye Care, Brittania, Amec Foster Wheeler , Craft Council of India, Villgro, Cuomo Foundation an Ngo based in Monaco etc.

Sruti is the founder trustee of The Cinema Resource Centre (TCRC) which is a not-for-profit public archive of Indian cinema designed to enable research on the audio-visual cultural artifacts produced by Indian films, especially those made in the regional languages of South India.

Sruti also runs golisodastore.com a platform to bring environment-friendly products to the mainstream market. Sruti has been working on a couple of feature film scripts and in her spare time she pursues her love for acting by performing with the Chennai based theatre group Theatre Nisha.

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On our first episode of season 2, “The resilient Entrepreneurs” we speak to Akhila Krishnamurthy, the founder of Aalaap. Akhila is a freelance journalist and the founder of Aalaap, a boutique arts management company based in Chennai. Akhila founded Aalaap after a 15-year career in journalism where she worked across leading publications in India, including The Times of India where she was the Editor of all the supplements. As a freelance writer, Akhila has contributed essays and features across The Hindu, the India Today Group, Outlook, Tehelka, Open, and Sruti. 

Aalaap is Akhila's brainchild and is an ideas and innovations company that works with classical artistes from across the world across aspects of ideation, curation, production, publicity and strategy. Personally, she is passionate about artistes and the world they inhabit, and is constantly investigating the many shifts that make it so dynamic and exciting. She is a mother of a six-year-old and has spoken at TEDxNapierBridge on her two babies – Aryan and Aalaap – and how the principles of parenting and that of entrepreneurship, in a sense, mirror each other.

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On our final episode of Season 1 ‘Victory against the odds‘ on Indian Artpreneur Podcast, we speak to Music Maestro Smt. Sudeshna Bhattacharya, residing in Oslo, Norway. Smt. Sudeshna began to learn at the age of four from her father Pandit Shri Krishnamohan Bhattacharya and later at the age of eight she began to learn sarod from one of the greatest sarod maestroes of the world, the legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Smt. Sudeshna became Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Gandabandh disiple.

In 2003 the Ministry of Culture in France invited her to the Strictly Mondial international festival, and offered her a ten year contract. She lived in Marseilles where she gave concerts, recordings and participated in French cultural happenings with the support of the French Ministry of Culture. In 2015, she moved to Norway, and is a university lecturer for master students at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and continues touring the world for her concerts, recording albums, and making musical projects.

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On our 11th episode of Indian Artpreneur, Season 1, Victory against the odds, we speak to Kuchipudi dancer Avijit Das.

Born in a small village in West Bengal, Avijit moves to Chennai and eventually to Bengaluru for his passion towards dance. Despite many challenges Avijit navigates his way in mastering the art form from various gurus. He is the founder of KimAham School of Dance

Avijit was initiated into Bharatanatyam at the age of five under the guidance of Smt. Sanaka Biswas of Shanti Niketan,West Bengal, India. He obtained his Diploma in Bharatanatyam from Kalakshetra (Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts), Chennai, India on a meritorious scholarship in 2011. He also developed keen interest in the Kuchipudi style of dance. After initial training in Kuchipudi Art Academy under legendary Guru Sri Vempati Chinna Satyam and renowned Kuchipudi exponent Smt. Manju Bharggavee, he is currently training under the guidance of Sri Jaikishore Mosalikanti .Avi also has a Diploma in Carnatic music.

As an artist he has over 10 years of experience and has been invited to perform as a soloist at prestigious dance festivals across the globe including USA, Mexico, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Bhutan. Nationally he had more than 100 performances to his accolade across India.

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On the 10th episode of Indian Artpreneur, season 1 Victory against the odds, we speak to Surabhi Bharadwaj, a protean Bharatanatyam dancer, who is also adept in Yoga, Kalaripayattu and light design. Surabhi is currently based in San Francsico, USA.

On this episode Surabhi shares her journey as a dancer. Surabhi is a Founder and Artistic Director of Siddhi Dance Academy, CA, is a seasoned Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher who is presently training over 70 students at her institute. She has won accolades through her performances across India, USA, Europe, and the Middle East.

Surabhi started her training in the Pandanallur tradition under the tutelage of Guru Natyashree K M Raman. She later continued her training under Karnataka Kalathilika Smt. Radha Sridhar and Karnataka Kalashree B Bhanumati. She studied Karanas (a movement style from the ancient treatise Natya Sastra) under Nirupama Rajendra and Dr. PadmaSubrahmanyam.

She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biotechnology and an Advanced Diploma in Genetic Engineering from Jain University, India. She has completed Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A) in Bharatanatyam from Sastra University, India, and MFA in Dance: Design & Production from Saint Mary's College of California. Her education and her experience working as the Principal Dancer in two leading Bharatanatyam companies in India (Punyah Dance Company and in Raadha Kalpa Dance Company) have given her an edge in both the artistic and technical aspects of bringing dance productions to life.

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