NRI keen on keeping traditional dance, music alive

Rajamahendravaram: Sita Madabhushi of USA, has been seriously working towards keeping traditional dance and music alive, by conducting music and dance festival every year by the name of ‘Tansen-Tyagaraja’ under the aegis of her Global Creative Arts Academy (GCAA).  She hails from Tanuku in West Godavari district.

Speaking to The Hans India, Sita said that she was planning to impart training to the students of municipal corporation schools in classical music as well as dance, by appointing teachers. “Music is a global course and sky is the limit for it and anyone who is interested in that can learn it. The first music and dance fest was organised in Huston during October 2017 and second programme (first in India) was conducted in Rajamahendravaram recently,” she added.  

She learned music from a very young age under the tutelage of her grandmother Sita Mudumbi in Rajamahendravaram and basics in Veena, Bharatnatyam, Carnatic vocal music became a passion in due course. At the age of six years, training was taken in Bharatnatyam under Bhanumathi Nallan Chakravarthula after which many performances were given along with social dramas.

Later, training in Kuchipudi dance was taken under Vedantam Prabhlada Sarma for 15 years until she migrated to Huston with her family.

Later, in the year 2000, she resumed training in Kuchipudi dance under Vedantham Raghavaiah and made Natya Arangratem in July 2012. Training was also taken in Carnatic vocal under Usha Narasimhan and now in Carnatic violin under Siva Krishna Swaroop, followed by a five-year training in Hindustani violin under Indradeep Ghosh.

She further said that the GCAA was aimed to promote Indian classical music and dance at a global-level as well as provide a platform for students to showcase their talents in Indian culture and classical arts. Tansen-Tyagaraja music and dance fest will be conducted in various places across India as well as globe in the future as well.