Kalakendra is a small but significant
effort to expose the hitherto un-projected facets of India's vibrant tradition
and enable the world to appreciate the civilizational greatness of the country.
As a portal, it will showcase all that is India is synonymous with - Yoga,
Vedas, Bharathanatyam and other forms of Indian dance, Carnatic Music or
the South Indian classical music, Ayurveda, the ancient Indian school of
medicine, Hindustani or the musical traditions of northern India- or simply
any Indian art.
Kalakendra is presented by Swathi Soft Solutions, a Chennai based IT company
that has distinguished itself for its slick interpretations of the arts
and sciences of ancient India using innovative technologies.
If there's something as
rich, deep and also as old as the Indian civilization, it is the
science of Yoga. The term 'Yoga' has its origin in the Sanskrit
word 'Yoktra' meaning a yoke. Yoga reins in human beings from
temptations by providing a regimen for a disciplined life. The frontiers
of Yoga extend much beyond grotesque body contortions and regulated
breathing as widely perceived.
Almost all forms of Indian art have an inextricable and intimate bond with
the land's mythology and spiritualism. Bharathanatyam, one of the classical dance forms of India is no
exception. In fact, the very word Bharata Natyam brings images of another form of Lord Siva- Nataraja,
the dancing deity or the 'king of dancers'. The strong theological undertones in Bharatha Natyam are
further demonstrated by a divine ensemble that includes Lord Ganesha and Sri Krishna.
The Tamil theatre is almost
defunct. But that does not detract anything from the brilliant creativity
of those colorful personalities who made signal contributions to
the Tamil stage. If the 40s & 50s belonged to Swami Shankaradas,
Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar, Nawab Raja Manickam Pillai who gave a
judicious variety of socials and mythologies, the 60s and 70s belonged
to the comedy kings.
No study of India is complete without
understanding the Vedas, the bedrock of the country's cultural life.
'Veda' in Sanskrit means knowledge which it provides to lead a wholesome
life sans any conflict or confusion. Interestingly, the topics covered
by the Vedas are not bound by narrow parameters like time, region
or religion. They are eternal and their relevance transcends all
such barriers.
Bharatanatyam