Sudharani Raghupati

A unique and eminent artiste, nationally and internationally honoured and respected, Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy has been in the field of Bharatanatyam for more than five-and-a-half decades. Lauded as a 'celestial apparition', she is known for her refreshing spontaneity, grace and ease of performance. A rare combination of a dancer, teacher, choreographer and philosopher, what marks her recital is exuberance with an artistic restraint. She is perhaps one of the rare Bharatanatyam dancers in India who has performed before the visiting dignitaries to India since 1956. To mention a few, Bulganin, Krushchev, Shah of Iran, Emperor of Ethiopia, King of Afganisthan, Chou en Lai, Ho Chi Minh and many others, including a command performance for Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Smt. Indira Gandhi. As an artiste of outstanding calibre, she had the privilege of performing at the United Nations Head Quarters in New York, on Human Rights Day in December 1981, on an invitation from the then Secretary-General, Kurt Waldheim. She has participated in several national and international seminars and has served on the board of several cultural committees. Shree Bharatalaya is a unique institution of fine arts founded in 1970 by Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy, for the dissemination of culture. Her institution is perhaps the only one of its kind in the nation that has produced valuable resource material, which is a unique contribution to the world of fine arts. At the instance of Padma Vibhushan Smt. Kamaladevi Chattopadyay, she documented the famous Arayar Sevai of Srivilliputhur. The Sangeet Natak Akademi has recorded her Navasandhi Nritta in 1981-1982. The CCRT, New Delhi has produced a video cassette of her Ramayana-Balakanda, which was released by the Sankaracharya of Kanchi, H.H.Jayendra Saraswathi Swamiji in 1993. A few of the prestigious awards conferred on her include Padma Shri (1988), Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award (1984), Kalaimamani (1981)-(Tamil Nadu state award), Sapthagiri Sangeetha Vidwanmani (1996)-(Andhra Pradesh), Kalashree (1999)-(Karnataka) Telugu Academy award among many others.