Padma Subrahmanyam (born 4 February 1943, in Madras), is an Indian classical
Bharata Natyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
dancer. She is also a research scholar, choreographer, teacher, Indologist and author. She is famous in India as well as abroad; several films and documentaries have been made in her honor by countries such as Japan, Australia and Russia. She is well known as the developer and founder of the dance form Bharata Nrithyam.
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Biography
Padma Subrahmanyam was born to Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam
K. Subramaniyam (20 April 1904 – 7 April 1971), born Krishnasamy Subramaniyam, was an Indian film director of the 1930s and 1940s. Dancer Padma Subrahmanyam is his daughter.
Biography
Subramanyam was involved in the establishment of the T ...
, the Indian film director and Meenakshi Subrahmanyam on 4 February 1943 in Madras (now Chennai). Her father was a famous Indian filmmaker
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...
and her mother, Meenakshi was a music composer and a lyricist in Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. She was trained by Vazhuvoor B. Ramaiyah Pillai
Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai (1910–1991) was an Indian Bharatanatyam dance teacher and choreographer.
Early life
Vazhuvoor Bagyathammal Ramaiah Pillai was born in 1910 to Parthiban and Bagyathammal in Vazhuvoor. He learned the arts of Nattuva ...
. She started teaching dance at a very young age of 14 at her father's dance school. She felt that there was a gap between history, theory and dance and started doing her own research. She had her ''rangapravesha'' in 1956.
She has taught in Monfort Rukmani Devi, Maharaja Aagarsen and various other schools in the years 2009 to 2011 and imparted knowledge to the children. Padma holds a bachelor's degree in Music, a master's degree in Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...
, as well as a PhD in Dance under the guidance of Kuthur Ramakrishnan Srinivasan
Kuthur Ramakrishnan Srinivasan (1910 – 30 November 1992) was an Indian archeologist, historian and the author of a number of books on Indian history and culture. He was best known for his archeological work on the Cave Temples of Mahabalipu ...
, noted archaeologist and a Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
recipient. Her PhD was based on the 81 karanas idepicting Bharatanatyam movements. She has authored many articles, research papers and books and has served as a non-official member of the Indo-Sub-commission for education and culture. She has designed the sculptures of the 108 sculptures of Lord Nataraja and goddess Parvathi in black granite for the Nataraja temple at Satara, an undertaking she took on bidding by the Kanchi Paramacharya
Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal (born Swaminathan Sharma; 20 May 1894 – 8 January 1994) also known as the Sage of Kanchi or Mahaperiyavar (meaning, "The great elder") was the 68th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Kanch ...
. She has given lectures at various universities in southeast Asia, on the subject of cultural links between India and other countries.
Awards
Padma has received Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
in 1981 and Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 2003, which are among the highest civilian awards of India. During her dancing career, she has received more than 100 awards, including;
* Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
(1983)
* Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
(2003)
* Padma Shri (1981)
* Kalaimamani Award
The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...
from the government of Tamil Nadu
Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...
* Kalidas Samman
The Kalidas Samman ( hi, कालिदास सम्मान) is an arts award presented annually by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India. The ...
from the federal government of Madhya Pradesh
Government of Madhya Pradesh also known as the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its 52 districts. It consists of an executive, ...
,
* Nishagandhi Puraskaram
Nishagandhi Puraskaram or Nishagandhi award (Malayalam : നിശാഗന്ധി പുരസ്കാരം) is an annual award instituted by the Tourism Department of Kerala in India to honour personalities in the fields of music and da ...
by the Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
in 2015,
* Nada Brahmam from Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai,
* Bharata Sastra Rakshamani from the Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram .
* Nehru Award (1983) from the Soviet Union
* Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize
The is an award established by the city of Fukuoka and the Fukuoka City International Foundation (formerly The Yokatopia Foundation) to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating Asian culture. There are ...
from Japan, for "her contribution to development and harmony in Asia"
References
External links
*''India's 50 Most Illustrious Women'' () by Indra Gupta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Subrahmanyam, Padma
1943 births
Living people
Performers of Indian classical dance
Indian dance teachers
Indian classical choreographers
Bharatanatyam exponents
Artists from Chennai
Recipients of the Kalaimamani Award
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Ethnomusicologists
Indian female classical dancers
Indian women choreographers
Indian choreographers
Dancers from Tamil Nadu
20th-century Indian dancers
Women educators from Tamil Nadu
Teachers of Indian classical dance
20th-century Indian educators
20th-century Indian women artists
Women artists from Tamil Nadu
Educators from Tamil Nadu
Stella Maris College, Chennai alumni
Indian women anthropologists
20th-century women educators
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship