Swati Tirunal celebrated by Shantha Ratii, Rama Vaidyanathan and Gopika Varma in Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam
Gopika Varma, Rama Vaidyanathan and Shantha Ratii In March 2023 at the Stein Auditorium in IHC Delhi, Shantha Ratii Initiatives (SRI), Singapore, presented ‘Swati Sougandhikam: A King’s Poems’. As the name suggests, the performances were based on the kritis of Swati Tirunal. The performers were Guru Rama Vaidyanathan in Bharatanatyam, Guru Gopika Varma in Mohiniyattam and Guru Shantha Ratii in Kuchipudi. Swati Tirunal, the 19th century maharaja of Travancore, was a seminal composer whose compositions dominate the field of classical dance and music even today. Every newborn Malayali child listens to a lullaby that Swati Tirunal uncle had composed for him. Swati Tirunal was born in 1816 in the month of April, on the 16th day. He was sworn in as the king when he was barely 4 months old. He was a prodigy, excelling in academics and arts. He could speak various languages. By the age of 16, he was ruling his state. His foresight led to a change in the legal, educational and medical sys...
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