 |
       |
|
|
 |
 |
By the time Varalakshmi and her sister Saranayaki danced
on December 28, 1933, once again behind the Ripon Buildings (Chennai),
the crowd was huge. Billed as the granddaughters of Kumbakonam Gowri,
they were part of a larger troupe of cousins, the others being
Bhanumati, Sulochana and Pattu. It was universally agreed that
Varalakshmi was the best of the lot. She later paired with Bhanumati and
was repeatedly featured at the Music Academy on December 31, 1934 and
in 1936 as evinced from the surviving brochure. ('The birth of Bharatanatyam' by V Sriram, The Hindu, Dec 15, 2016) |
|
By the time Varalakshmi and Bhanumati danced on December 27, 1936, it
was firmly termed a Programme of Bharata Natyam. Where did this happen?
Those were years when the Congress Party organised a Khadi and Swadeshi
Exhibition (in Chennai) and put up a music festival to attract crowds.
In 1936, the Music Academy was the official partner for entertainment
and held its programmes on General Patters Road, of all places, on the
site where the Congress Party headquarters Satyamurti Bhawan now stands.
Sadly, this was to be Varalakshmi's swansong. She died in November 1937
and the Music Academy mourned her passing with photograph in its Season
souvenir that year. ('The birth of Bharatanatyam' by V Sriram, The Hindu, Dec 15, 2016) |
