Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904 - 1986): A Visionary Architect of Indian Culture and the Performing Arts

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Item Code: IDE353
Publisher: MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PVT. LTD.
Author: Ed. By. Dr. Avanthi Meduri
Language: English
Edition: 2005
ISBN: 9788120827400
Pages: 290 (B & W Illustrations (8)
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 9.0 inch X 6.0 inch
Weight 510 gm
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Book Description

From the Jacket:

The essays in this book endeavour to capture the multifaceted cultural and aesthetic legacy of Rukmini Devi preserved both in India and abroad. They are authored by a wide range of Indian and international scholars, including dance critics, dance administrators, dancers, dance teachers, bureaucrats, and alumni of the world-renowned alumni of the world-renowned Kalakshetra arts institution that Rukmini Devi founded in 1936. The authors delineate specific aspects of her public life as a Bharatnatyam dancer, Theosophist, arts educator, institution builder, teacher, producer of dance dramas, and Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board. The essays also discuss Rukmini Devi's aesthetic vision in relation to history, to tradition, to classicism, her engagement with canonical Sanskrit texts, her creation of ensemble dance-drama productions, and contemporary dance in the United Kingdom.

Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904 - 1986) was a multifaceted personality who worked for many causes, including the revival of theatre arts, crafts, literatures, animal welfare, Theosophy, and art education. She served as an Indian Parliamentarian, moved a bill for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board and received the Prani Mitra award in 1968. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, London, awarded her with the Queen Victoria Silver Medal and The World Federation for the Protection of Animals, the Hague, added her name to their Roll of Honor. Wayne State University, USA, conferred an honorary Doctorate on Rukmini Devi and the Country and City of Los Angeles presented her with Scrolls of Honor. She was also proposed as a candidate to the office of the President of India. But Rukmini Devi declined to contest the elections by reaffirming her commitment to work on behalf of Indian culture and the arts. For her multifaceted contribution to the fields of culture, education and the arts, Rukmini Devi was honoured with numerous national awards, including the Padma Bhushan (1956), Sangeet Natak Akademi (1957), Desikothama (1972), and Kalidasa Samman (1984).

About the Author:

Dr. Avanthi Meduri is a Dance and Performance Studies scholar, Trained since childhood in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, Dr. Meduri works in the field of dance education, women's theatre and performance. She holds a Ph.D. in Performance studies from New York University, and is the Academic and Artistic Director of the Centre for Contemporary Culture, New Delhi. As part of her Ford Foundation post doctoral fellowship in India, Meduri curated Rukmini Devi's photoarchive, creating a traveling exhibition, which she presented in New Delhi, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Singapore, Colombo, Kandy, London, Tokyo, and Melbourne. Meduri's book on Rukmini Devi, including a play dealing with her life as a global Indian, is forthcoming. Entitled Birds of the Banyan Tree, the play was presented in New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, as part of the Birth Centenary celebrations of Rukmini Devi Arundale.

 

 

CONTENTS

 

List of Figures vii
Preface and Acknowledgements ix
List of Contributors xvii
PART I
CHAPTERS  
1. Introduction: A Critical Overview
- Avanthi Meduri
3
2. A Dream Run: The Story of the Rukmini Devi Travelling Exhibition
- S. Sathyamoorthy
31
PART II
3. Rukmini Devi as a Teacher, Guide and Mother
- Kapila Vatsyayan
55
4. Rukmini Devi as a Theosophist
- Radha Burnier
61
5. Rukmini Devi and Animal Welfare
- Chinny Krishna and Maneka Gandhi
67
6. Rukmini Devi: The Divine Dancer
- R. Nagaswamy
71
7. Rukmini Devi and the Vegetarian Village
- Dr. N. Mahalingam
81
8. Rukmini Devi: The Educator
- Sarada Hoffman
85
9. Rukmini Devi: A Builder of Institutions
- C.V. Chandrasekhar
91
10. Rukmini Devi: An Aesthetic Visionary
- Mrinalini Sarabhai
97
11. Athai: My Guru
- Krishnaveni Lakshmanan
101
12. Remembering Amma: A Beacon Light
- V.P. Dhananjayan
107
13. The Older Side of Athai: Reminiscences
- Shanta Dhananjayan
111
14. Remembering a Legend
- V.R. Devika
115
PART III
15. Made History and Made by History: Rukmini Devi's Integrated Approach to Bharatanatyam
- Leela Venkataraman
123
16. Rukmini Devi's Approach to Tradition and Beyond
- Lakshmi Viswanathan
139
17. Reviving and Reforming Tradition in Contemporary Contexts
- Gowri Ramnarayan
145
18. Rukmini Devi Arundale: Her New Visions in Her Dance Dramas
- C.V. Chandrasekhar
155
19. Kuravanji: Dance-Drama
- Sunil Kothari
161
20. The Birth of Bharatanatyam and the Sanskritized Body
- Uttara Asha Coorlawala
173
21. Rukmini Devi and 'Sanskritization: A New Performance Perspective
- Avanthi Meduri
195
22. Rukmini Devi: Rethinking the Classical
- Janet O'Shea
225
23. Re-invoking Rukmini Devi: Questions from a Dance Maker in Britain
- Vena Ramphal
247

 

Book's Contents and Sample Pages






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