Board members
Board
Guru Karaikudi Mani (Founder)
Mridangam Maestro ‘Guru’ Karaikudi R.Mani is one of the cultural ambassadors of India, as a mridangam player and an innovator in the field of Rhythm in South Indian Classical music.
Mani was born on 11/09/1945 at Karaikudi to Sri.T. Ramanatha Iyer and Smt. Pattammal. Shri Mani had his initial training in mridangam under Karaikudi Sri.Rangu Iyengar and later under Sri. T.R.Harihara Sharma and Sri.K.M.Vaidyanathan.
Shri Mani received his first award when he was 18, in 1963, at national level from Dr. Radhakrishnan, the President of India. In 1998 he won the “Sangeet Natak Academy” National Award.
By his total dedication and involvement in the art, a new dimension emerged in mridangam playing through Mani which later came to be known as Karaikudi R. Mani style (Bani). It has become so acclaimed and attractive that even artists and students belonging to other school have started adopting this style. Mani has under him directly, around 1200 disciples all over the world.
Sruthilaya, a novel percussion ensemble founded by Mani, has been giving performances all over the globe. This is a troupe consisting of top ranking artists in percussion instruments of India, with mridangam in the forefront, collaborating with similar artists of the Australian Art Orchestra in the Jazz form, headed by Paul Grobowsky, Australia and with Eerohameenniemi of Nada, Finland.
Sruthi Laya Seva Trust and Sruthi Laya Kendra founded by Mani, a premier institution dedicated exclusively for the cause of music and musicians, first of its kind to be run by a percussionist, now has sub-centers all over the globe i.e in 4 cities in India (Chennai, Mysore, Chalakudi and Hyderabad), Australia, U.K and Germany.
Layamani Layam, a bi-monthly magazine on music and dance of which Mani is the chief editor, has international circulation. Mani was the pioneer in projecting mridangam as capable of recognition as a main instrument on the dais, by successfully staging solo concerts. Mani has played in concerts to all the leading musicians of South India. Mani has innovated a new dimension of presenting rhythm in a visual form on the dais through Bharathanatyam.
He has founded an institution named “Sruthi Laya Kendra Natarajaalaya” with Smt Rajeswari Sainath, a niece of Karaikudi R. Mani, a leading Bharathanatyam exponent, as its Director which produces ensembles bringing melody, rhythm and dance together.
Mani has still on the mission with multiplied determination and enthusiasm, of propagating the value of rhythm in music and the role of mridangam in rhythm.
Guru Karaikudi Mani (Founder)
Mridangam Maestro ‘Guru’ Karaikudi R.Mani is one of the cultural ambassadors of India, as a mridangam player and an innovator in the field of Rhythm in South Indian Classical music.
By his total dedication and involvement in the art, a new dimension emerged in mridangam playing through Mani which later came to be known as Karaikudi R. Mani style (Bani). It has become so acclaimed and attractive that even artists and students belonging to other school have started adopting this style. Mani has under him directly, around 1200 disciples all over the world.
Sruthilaya, a novel percussion ensemble founded by Mani, has been giving performances all over the globe. This is a troupe consisting of top ranking artists in percussion instruments of India, with mridangam in the forefront, collaborating with similar artists of the Australian Art Orchestra in the Jazz form, headed by Paul Grobowsky, Australia and with Eerohameenniemi of Nada, Finland.
Sruthi Laya Seva Trust and Sruthi Laya Kendra founded by Mani, a premier institution dedicated exclusively for the cause of music and musicians, first of its kind to be run by a percussionist, now has sub-centers all over the globe i.e in 4 cities in India (Chennai, Mysore, Chalakudi and Hyderabad), Australia, U.K and Germany.
Mani has still on the mission with multiplied determination and enthusiasm, of propagating the value of rhythm in music and the role of mridangam in rhythm.
Dr. Rajeswari Sainath (Co-founder)
Gifted with a natural flair for dance, Vyshnavie, disciple of the renowned Bharathanatyam artiste Rajeswari Sainath, is one of the finest exponents of dance. Her performances are an amalgam of traditional rigour and elegance.
Her quest for other modes of artistic expression led her to learn and perform:-
- Odissi – Guru Shri Durga Charan Ranbir – Bhubaneswar
- Simhanandini- Guru Smt Voleti Rangamani
- Kalaripayattu-Student of Vallabhatta School of Kalari in Chavakkad –Kerala.
- Contemporary Dance Forms- Student of Attakalari in Bangalore and Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York.
As a Performer:
- Performed solo presentations for prestigious organisations in India such as
- Madras Music Academy, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Narada Gana Sabha,Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Mylapore Fine Arts, Karthik Fine Arts etc in Chennai,
- India Habitat Centre in Delhi and other centres in Orissa, Mumbai etc.
- Performed Internationally in venues such as Mummoorthigal festival in Australia, Avarthana festival in London, Re-orient festival in Sweden, Rudgers University in USA and concerts in Germany, Canada etc.
- Performed through the medium of classical dance, in the French documentary film by French director Bernard bloch. Also, portrayed the role of goddess padmavathi in the telefilm ‘Amukthamalya’ produced by Tirumala-Tirupath Devasthanam(TTD) channel.
- Only artiste from Andhra Pradesh to perform five styles, more so reviving the dying art form of Andhra Pradesh namely Simhanandini, drawing the picture of lion- the vahana of godess durga devi as worshipped in ancient temples(Kuchipudi).
Dance ballets – Lead Performer and Support Choreographer:
- Krishna Darshan -as Krishna(Hindi)
- Shakuntala Prema Kavya- as Shakuntala(Sanskrit)
- Lalitha Sahasranamam-as godess Lalitha(Sanskrit)
- Panduranga Abhangs-as lord Panduranga(Marati)
- Swadhesheeyam about Weavers Community(Telugu)
- Navarasas –solo thematic presentation (Tamil)
- Women Empowernment, Ahalya, Menaka(English)
- Prakrithi-Environment Awareness
- Organ donation-Creating an Awareness
- Neuro Biology of Dance-Medical Ballet connecting mind and body with regard to neural circuits modulating through dance along with the ex-NIMS director Dr.I. Dinakar.
Vyshnavie always believes in giving back to the society her experience in learning the different styles and is now greatly working on spreading awareness on ‘Women Empowerment through fitness’ and therefore is associated with the leading paper Times Of India as an activity partner in their initiative, ‘Happy Streets’.
She conducts lectures for women about the importance of their role in the society as a strong women through kalaripayyattu combined with yoga as she herself is a yoga practitioner.
As a Teacher:
She runs her own institution Vyshnavie Natya Centre in Banjara/Jubilee hills in Hyderabad wherein, students ranging from age 5-65 undergo training in Bharathanatyam and Kalaripayattu.
She gives training to the senior learners from different professional fronts such as doctors, bureaucrats, corporate executives whose purpose of dance acts as stress buster.
Vyshnavie is a Post Graduate(D) in Human Resource and Diploma Holder in Theatre Arts. Masters in Bharathanatyam from Madras University. She has passed in Distinction in Dance Diploma from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University – Hyderabad. She has done a course in Movement Arts and Mixed Media from India’s Premier Institute – Attakalari, Bangalore. Vyshnavie was the only Indian dancer in the recently concluded intensive camp for classical contemporary dance by Martha Graham School in New York.
Awards:
Vyshnavie has received a number of awards and appreciations from different organisations.
‘Best Artiste’by the Leading news paper The Times of India(Chennai)
‘Youth icon of Andhra Pradesh’ awarded by leading publications India Today(Telugu)
Women’s Award by Zee Telugu channel for the most outstanding women contributors to society.
Rukminidevi Arundale Endowment Prize, from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha – Chennai.
Natya Chuddar from Karthik Fine Arts, Chennai.
National Junior Merit Scholarship Awardee from CCRT, New Delhi.
Young Achiever’s Award by the Public Relations Council Of India.
She is an ‘ A ‘ Grade A artiste from the Doordarshan Chennai Kendra.
Empanelled artiste from the ICCR.
Vyshnavie’s journey has been a seamless flow from her roots in Bharathanatyam to other expressions of dance where choreography is her forte, and in the process she has intellectually transcended the borders that label an artiste-just a dancer.
Dr. Rajeswari Sainath (Co-founder)
Dr.Rajeswari Sainath has been enthralling the audiences, the world over from USA, Canada, South America, Europe, Australia, Far East, middle east etc for the last 48 years. She is a ‘A-top’ grade artiste by the Doordarshan Kendra. She has been empanelled by ICCR in 1994.
She is the recipient various awards such as the Kalaimamani award from the tamil nadu govt, Pratibha Puraskar from the govt of Andhra Pradesh, Nrithya Choodamani, Natya Illavarasi, recognised as the “Top 30 Women Achievers of India” by the India Today to name a few.
She has been training students for the last 40 years and has transformed them into role models in the current society, diversly spread across the globe . She has been conducting various lecture demonstrations, paper presentations and workshops for upcoming dancers at various Indian and international universities such as Griffitth University, Monash University-Australia, Brown University-USA, Michigan university -USA, Madras University etc.
Unique Contributions:
- She was the only Indian Artiste to have performed Solo Bharathanatyam in the Sydney Opera House Main concert hall in the Tedx Sydney 2013.
- Touring with aboriginal musicians in Australia to remote places of Western Australia she has combined Indian dance with indigenous Australian music.
- Research productions presented highlighting the confluence of mathematics and dance, study of neural mechanisms forms the basis of dance
- She is an exclusive artist in Bharatanatyam who has performed to a 30 member live jazz orchestra, collaborating with the Australian Art Orchestra to perform“Into the Fire” at the Melbourne Festival, blending our Indian traditional dance to western music.
- Performed in the gracious presence of Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu ji and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji along with other cabinet ministers in New Delhi and was credited for her performance combining two of Indian treasures- Yoga and classical dance.
- Has collaborated with various artistes such as legendary artiste Brij Maharaj, Guru Karaikkudi Mani etc