Guru Kanaka Sudhakar

Smt Kanaka Sudhakar is a disciple in Bharatanatyam of the Dhananjayans Madras and Late Guru Sadasivan and a disciple of Seetha Nagajyothi in Kuchipudi She has learnt the art form of Bharatanatyam for eight years and higher intensive training from the Dhananjayans. She is also a qualified Pharmacist working in the Delhi Administration Dispensary. As the daughter in law of Dr. Late L. Ramachandran, she is also a keen follower of Nature cure methods. She has also done her M.A. in English Literature from Madurai Kamaraj University and Diploma in French from Delhi University. She established NRITYABHARATI, an institute for Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi in 1985. With a few gaps when her two children were born, she has had as her sole aim the propagation of the classical dance forms of India to the masses where talent abounds. She is also the Founder President of SUNAINA –Society for the Upliftment of National Arts of India, which was established in 1994 and which has now three wings/- NRITYABHARATI (DANCER TRAINING WING), Kala Khoj (research section and BMSCAC (educational wing).

24 students of Nrityabharati have performed their Arangetram under Smt. Kanaka Sudhakar, and are now budding into full-fledged artistes. She has upto now personally trained more than 500 students to perfect and understand the nuances of this art form. She trains students to master the art form from every aspect like performance, teaching, theory and music. Her students have won prizes in many competitions like the MTNL Health Mela, Nehru Bal Samiti, etc and have got CCRT scholarships.

Nrityabharati is affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Maha Vidyalaya Mandal Miraj upto Visharad level and has at present 3 branches – at Krishna Park, Meera Bagh and Dwaraka where about 250 students are under her training. Smt. Kanaka Sudhakar has given a number of performances in Delhi, Madras, Madurai and even abroad. She, being keenly interested in spreading and popularizing the art form to the grass root level, has given more than a hundred performances for the Song and Drama Division I&B Ministry, where she had the opportunity of presenting items of social reform and social problems through Bharatanatyam like Nasha hi Nasha (prohibition), Mein Vivek Mein Disha (AIDS Awareness) programs on anti terrorism, national integration etc.

RESEARCH: Smt. Kanaka Sudhakar has performed the unique research on the Therapeutic and Beneficial Effects of Indian Classical dances on the development of a child. After seven years of research under the guidance of her late father in law, Shri L. Ramachandran, (A nature cure specialist who had presided over technical session of the All India Nature Cure Conference), Dr Raman Kapoor (acupressure specialist, Dr. Pasi (Child Psychiatrist) etc. she came out with her first Book ‘Indian Classical Dances – The Therapeutic Advantages’ which was published by Sterling Publishers in 1994, and released by the Sahitya Kala Parishad at the Triveni Kala Sangam. Her work was lauded by all critics who praised it as outstanding. She gave many lecture demonstrations in cultural and education institutions like IGNCA, IIC, India Habitat Centre, Narada Gana Sabha, Doordarshan, DTS, Hyderabad University, etc in schools like St. Cecilias, Blue Bells, Bal Bharati School, at Mata Jai Kaur Public School, for Spic Macay etc. She found a new system ‘Yogic Aerobics – a system based on classical dance movements to benefit the middle aged. She gave programs for the 1 hour live show on this system.

HRD Dept of Tourism and culture then awarded her Junior Fellowship for further research in 2000. Under the guidance of Dr. Avinash Kulkarni (Child Specialist), Dr. Sandhya Bose (From IGIPESS), Dr. S.K. Das (from DHS) she worked with 18 students each of control group and experimental group and completed her second part of the research taking 21 parameters. Her research work encompasses all the systems of the body the muscular, nervous, brain, foot acupressure, circulatory system, respiratory system, body dynamics, Yogic elements, mental caliber’s etc and their relation to the rigorous classical dance training. She has dealt with both the short and long enduring benefits of the art. She has given demonstrations all over Delhi –S.K.P, ICCR, IGNCA, Doordarshan, IIC, India Habitat Centre etc. Her lecture demonstrations have been widely appreciated and covered by all the leading newspapers and critics. Smt Kanaka Sudhakar is now working on further research in the field of Hormonal changes in a dancer learning Indian Classical dances. She has formulated the Yogic Aerobics based on the Nritta movements of Indian Classical Dance for the benefit of Middle aged ladies.

Kanaka Sudhakar now performs with her senior disciples in group innovative choreographies. Some of her choreographies include, Laghu Varnam on the Dasavataras, Group Pushpanjali in Raga Gowlai and Ragamalika, Ganesha stuti, Shiva Thandavam, Swarsangam (on National Integration in Hindi) Tala Vadhya Nritya Lahari, Nritya Maya, Ashtalakshmi, Navarasa Nayaki, Krishna etc. Kanaka Sudhakar was interviewed recently by jaya TV chennai as a VIP where she explained about her achievements. In the 2007 Akhil Bharatiya Sanskritik Sang Dance Competitions Kanaka Sudhakar’s Students bagged 23 prizes in the different age categories. She has been judge in many dance competitions like in Kendriya Vidhyalaya, St Francis School, Bal Bharati .,CCRT scholarship auditions and screening committee. She was given the excellent teachers’ award by Lions’ Club Delhi. She was honored by the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram along with other art exponents. She was also awarded the Nritya Jyoti award by Asthika Samajam Delhi. Kanaka Sudhakar’s latest initiative is Bharata Muni Spirituo cultural academic Centre (B.M.S.C.A.C), through which she plans to build an ideal education system in which spiritual, cultural and academic training go side by side.