A Kuchipudi dance drama was presented on Saturday at Delhi’s Habitat Centre. Arunima Kumar, who is a legendary Kuchipudi dancer and also runs her own dance academy under the name ‘AKDC’, also performed at this prestigious event.
The performance, which was titled ‘Samarpan’, was graced by Chief Guests Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla and BAG Films and Media Limited CMD Anuradha Prasad. Among them, several representatives from the British High Commission in Delhi and Rajya Sabha MP and popular author, Sudha Murty, were also present at the event as chief guests.
Arunima Kumar and her disciples mesmerised the audience with their impeccable performances, which included the dance dramas narrating the stories of Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva and Maa Durga.
For the unversed, Arunima Kumar has dance academies abroad as well, where foreign students learn Kuchipudi. Recently, she became the first Kuchipudi dancer to receive the honorary British Empire Medal (BEM) from King Charles III for her contribution to cultural exchange.
She is currently based in the UK and has founded the country’s largest Kuchipudi institution, ‘Arunima Kumar Dance Company (AKDC)’. The institute has trained hundreds of students in the UK, Poland and India, from the age group of four to 50. Her work helps in preserving our Indian traditions. Today, her foreign disciples also performed alongside her Indian students. Apart from Kuchipudi, there was also a wonderful violin performance on stage.
Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla had high praise for Guru Arunima Kumar’s work and said that he would like to recommend her name for the Padma Bhushan award. Sudha Murthy also highly appreciated her performances.
Meanwhile, Guru Arunima Kumar, while speaking to News24, said that she has been working hard for years to carry forward this tradition, and the government should also remain committed to promoting it.
(Inputs by Vinay Singh)
