Padma Subramaniyam, a dancer of international repute

Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

The most prestigious "Kamban Award" will be conferred on Padma Bhushan, Dr Padma Subrahmanyam, an international reputed dancer, composer, choreographer and author and teacher at the "Kamban Vizha" to be held from April 21 to April 24, 2011 at Wellawatte, Ramkrishna Mission hall, Colombo 6.

On this glorious occasion T Eeswaran, President of the "Kamban Kalagam" will preside and the former Judge of the Supreme Court C V Vigneswaran will deliver the keynote address. E Jeyaraj, the Founder of the "Kamban Kalagam" has made elaborate arrangement for the success of this vizha.

Dr Padma Subramaniyam

Dr Padma Subramaniyam was born in 1943 in South India and received her education at Rosary Matriculation school at Kumbakonam. Her father late Subramaniyam was a well known film maker and a lawyer by profession. He wanted Padma to learn Bharatha Natyam and used to take her to various performances to internationally acclaimed dancer-choreographer Martha Graham and renowned Ballerina Maya Plisetshaya when they visited Madras in 1950.

Her father late Subramaniyam, who was a lawyer turned Director was a man of multi faceted interests. In 1942, he started Nrithyodaya on Kennedy Street in Mylapore to make the classical arts accessible to all. The school offered free training in various dance forms. Teachers for Kathak, Kathakali and Manipuri were invited from outside Madrass - a pioneering effort then.

She also learnt important lessons in music from the music college at the bridge house in Adyar. Besides, she did her pre-university education in Madrass offering Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, World History and Geography.

Her father was a veteran "Natheswaram" music player and he established an association for the Natheswara Vidwans. When India achieved independence he produced and directed several Tamil films pertaining to Independence. In 1942, she started "Nrithyodaya" a dancing school where famous dancers like Lalitha, Padmini, Ragini, E V Saroja, Sulochana, Chandrababu and Janagi learnt music and dance. Besides, her mother Meenachi Subramaniyam was a music director and also she learnt music, veena and violin.

Her father late Subramaniyam was the first dance teacher for Padma and later she learnt Bharatha Natyam from Valunor Ramaiya Pillai and she did her Bharatha Natya Arangetram at the age of eleven where the Internationally reputed dancer late Padmini's mother also participated.

In fact, she wanted to become a doctor, but her father encouraged her to become a great dancer of international repute. Though she has performed several dances, her interest was in "Kamba Ramayanam" and she performed dances "Thadakai Vatham", "Mithilai Kadchi", "Karmaga Padalam", "Suyam Varam", "Sundara Kandam", "Yutha Kandam" not only in India, but in various other countries. Indeed, she is an eminent Bharatha Natyam dancer and a recipient of several awards including the Padma Sri, Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Fukuoka Asian Cultural prize. She was conferred with Honorary D. Litt by Sastra university.

Further, Padma did her doctorate on "Karanas" in Indian dance and sculpture as seen in the Temples of Chidambaram, Thanjavur and Kumbakonam. She also designed the sculptures of the 108 Karanas of Siva and Parvathi for the Nataraja Temple in Maharastra.