Tag Archives: kathak

Most of us know the feeling of being moved by a work of art, whether it is a song, a dance routine, a play, a poem, a novel, a painting or by any other art form. Art helps people not only to know and understand something with their minds but also to feel it emotionally and physically. Music and dance, are regarded as the most alluring forms of art that have tremendous potential in them. Empirical studies have shown that these art forms can eliminate negativity, improve one’s mental health and even cure physical health ailments. Meet Mumbai based Komal Shah, a kathak exponent, a healing artist and founder of Kundalini - The Dance Temple, who has been not only popularizing the classical dance form and widening its repertoire but is also developing innovative healing techniques for different diseases and ailments through her dance therapy.

Strong-willed children become adults who change the world as long as we can hang on for the ride and resist the temptation to "tame" the spirit out of them - Sarah Stogryn. Such is the indomitable spirit of Shweta Pardeshi who is on a mission to grow the legacy of her father Rajendra (Raju) Pardeshi in creating talents in dancing in Pune through their Universal Rhythm Dance Academy (URDA). We celebrate the success story of this father-daughter duo.

Pune was always well known for its activities in Marathi Theatre and Hindustani Classical Music. But over last few years, we can see nearly all art forms like dance, painting, fine arts, films and others growing and flourishing in Pune. One of the catalysts, small yet noteworthy, for this change has been a charitable organisation working for the propagation and expansion of performing and fine arts - Destiny Centre for Information, Documentation and Research (DCIDR). Over 60 budding artists have already showcased their talent on the platform of DCIDR and over 200 students from Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi have been benefited from its Workshop series.

Poorva Kulkarni - Thatte is an Interior and Landscape Designer, Artist, Dancer based in Pune. An expert in various Indian art forms like rangoli, henna tattoo making, Warli painting, tanjore painting, madhubani and Orissa painting she has been experimenting with the paintings on various mediums like clay pots, fabrics, hand made papers, canvas, glass, etc. She founded her art firm Creative Strokes in 2014. Her firm is into Interior and Landscape Design, Made-to-order artwork and Conducting workshops on various art forms.