2023 has begun very well for The Aseema Trust. We are well known for our networking and facilitating connections between organisations and individuals. So it was that we put the Gandhi Peace Foundation and Balamandir for a workshop on Mahatma Gandhi for teachers. Very good response said Balamandir. We are happy of course.
We have been flying fly with the extremely good response the monograph I wrote on Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy. The Tamil translation of this book was released at the Chennai International Book fair by Justice Prabha Sridevan. Here is the cover of the book and a picture from the release function. I was also very happy to have given a talk on Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy at Thiagarajar College in Madurai. Feedback from the college is that the booking for this book in their library is very long. Really happy at this too.
My work with traditional performing arts and education continued with workshops for younger students at Harishree Vidyalaya and for seniors of the same school at Dakshinachitra. Then there was the talk on “Aharya in Koothu” talking about the costuming in traditional total theater of the Tondaimandalam region Therukoothu also called Kattaikuttu. This was for Rasoham. Really enjoyed this and the very good response to it. Here is a picture from the event. After this, there was the opportunity of presenting Tamil Koothu with the Bhand Pather of Kashmir at Kalakshetra and being honoured by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir for that. Also to have given a talk on Music in Koothu for the music department of the University of Madras.
My presentations on Nataraja and the cosmos continues. Now it is Rukminidevi Natyakshetra as the venue. Visitors can witness classes and listen to my presentation. Win win situation here.
I was happy to have been interviewed by a student in Sydney Australia, for her project on dance history in India. And of course on SBC Tamil Australia on my book. Here is the link.
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/tamil/en/podcast-episode/an-answer-to-all-those-who-criticise-this-amazing-woman/mr7nr1jbs
Prayatnam, a group of teachers of Bharathanatyam organised to help each other with better teaching tools, choreography etc is doing a tremendous job. They asked me to give a presentation on Nataraja and the Cosmos for their annual day on 6th November 2022. What was extremely heartening for me was that they presented my book on Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy as a gift to the teachers of Bharathanatyam who participated. So gratifying. I knew I had a good story with the Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy monograph as what the students of dance hear is one sided story from outsiders blaming her for removing dance from the Devadasis. What she banned was the practice of dedicating girls as Devadasis. The dance was allowed to be learnt and performed publicly only by those who were dedicated. Read my book to know the story. That the book is receiving an enormous positive response from readers is so so incredibly unexpected and so very heartwarming
Received a very warm welcome in Pudukkottai
Well you must purchase the book on Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy by Dr.V.R.Devika to know. Here is the link for that.
Endorsements About the Book
1.Narayani Ganesh
2.K.S.Narendran
3.D.V.Sridharan
4.Gagandeep Singh
