Media Relase

Mangaluru, Sep 2: On September 6, aficionados of Bharathanatyam as well as Tulu language literature are in for a treat. Kiran Kamath an Aryabhatta awardee, a disciple of Guru Mithun Shyam of Vaishnavi Natyashala Bangalore, will be giving a Bharathanatyam performance with Tulu Language literature at 8 pm, at the Mangalore Ganesha Utsava, Nehru Maidan.

Generally, Bharathanatyam programmes have been based on the languages of Tamil and Telugu which are virtually unknown among the Tulu and Konkani speaking people of coastal Karnataka. To popularise Bharathanatyam among the people of the Tulu and Konkani communities, it had to be presented in these languages. In the words of Vidwan Dr Kabbinale Vasanth Bharadwaj, this is possibly the first ever production in history, of Tulu literature in Carnatic music.

This effort with Tulu as well as in Konkani, was not at all easy as there is no real classical literature in either Konkani or Tulu, as was suitable for Bharathanatyam purposes. Undertaking a long and tedious process, literary material had to be created by means of original writings, borrowing or adapting from various sources and performing with live music ensembles. In the Tulu effort Vidwan Dr Kabbinale Vasanth Bharadwaj has provided the literary support. Later these were custom recorded in Prabhath studios in Bangalore, with the help of senior music director Vidwan Praveen D Rao and other veterans. Today, Kiran has a good repertoire of items with Konkani, Tulu and Kodava languages and is possibly the first and only artiste to perform with these languages. In recognition of her efforts with these languages, Kiran was awarded the Aryabhatta International Award in May 2017.

Tulu today is at a very important juncture today. There is a demand for its recognition as an official language of India and to be included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. In this scenario, to garner support for this movement, and in an effort to bring about the awareness of the glorious history and culture of Tulu, a presentation of an anthem, through Bharathanatyam has been made by Kiran. It speaks about the history and origin of Tulunadu, the land, its temples, culture, language, literary works, warriors, festivals and much more. It is also an appeal for the recognition of the language. This Tulunada Nadageethe is an exclusive creation, penned by Dr Kabbinale Vasanth Bharadwaj and choreographed by Natyacharya Mithun Shyam.

Kiran has participated in important government programmes like the Chiguru, Hampi Utsava, Karavali Utsava, Mysore Dussera and various editions of the Makkala Habba in Bengaluru. She has performed twice in the very prestigious Bengaluru Ganesha Utsava in 2017 and 2018. She has also performed regularly at Alva's Nudisiri in Moodbidri. She has been on Doordarshan Chandana, with four exclusive Konkani and Tulu performances, in 2016 and 2017. She has thereafter performed at various venues of various temples in and around Mangalore, Bangalore, Coorg district and also in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Kiran has been a student of Bharathanatyam for the last ten years and has been performing onstage since June 2012. Apart from Bharathanatyam, Kiran is training in Carnatic vocals, Yoga and the keyboards. She is also a student of the languages of Sanskrit and French.