Kalakshetra Foundation’s 70th annual art festival got under way here on Wednesday.
Mridangam maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, who inaugurated the event, paid tributes to it’s founder Rukmini Devi Arundale. “She single-handedly built this citadel of fine arts from scratch. What she left behind is a great legacy that we should enshrine in our hearts and improve upon. Kalakshetra is a trend-setter and pray that it serves the cause of music for many more years,” he said.
He recalled how Rukmini had invited him to the Foundation when he was in his youth and he had performed there. Foundation Chairman S. Ramadorai said that the Kalakshetra Foundation had played a significant role in creating a global footprint of Indian classical dance and music. Rukmini Devi Arundale was a great thinker, educationist and a social reformer, and an artist par excellence. Her vision to rejuvenate Indian art through the foundation was ahead of its time.
He said that students, artistes and teachers must leverage technology thoughtfully so that the impact of classical art forms can be amplified and reach new audiences. The Foundation can play a key role in shaping the next generation of artistes, who are not only adept in traditional art forms but also in leveraging technology, he said.
Foundation Director in-charge Aneish Rajan said Kalakshetra’s annual arts festival was one of the most important fest in the annals of the Chennai Music festival.
Besides the main festival that includes three dance-dramas choreographed by Rukmini Devi Arundale, it will feature a Sangeetha Vaibhava — a music festival for young and upcoming artists — every evening at the Rukmini Arangam from 4 p.m. to 5.30 pm.
The festival will be on till January 1, 2024.
