A revival of dance tradition over the centuries

Padma Subrahmanyam’s documentary Karana Ujjivanam launched in Thanjavur’s Big Temple

It was a homecoming of sorts for the work of award-winning Bharatnatyam exponent and researcher Padma Subrahmanyam as a documentary featuring her path-breaking research on the karana (dance movement) sculptures of Lord Siva, the god of dance, was launched at the Chola-era Sri Brihadeeswara Temple, more widely known as the Big Temple, in Thanjavur, where she began her decades-long journey into the subject.

“I felt very gratified because my research started 60 years ago, in the Big Temple, when I started studying the 81 karanas. It only felt right to hand over my findings to the nation here,” Ms. Subrahmanyam told The Hindu in a telephonic interview.

The documentary, titled Karana Ujjivanam, was released as part of the three-day Thanjavur Utsavam, a celebration of literature, music, dance and drama of the State organised from February 11-13 by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) for the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.