TATWA TANTU – THE SACRED THREAD OF REALITY

Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, the legendary Bharatnatyam dancer is a rare combination of a dancer, research scholar, choreographer, music composer & musician, teacher and author. Padma Subramanyam enchants spectators with perfect movements and hand gestures, timing, original ideas and emotes beautifully with her face. She imparts her immense knowledge to others by teaching dance, conducting workshops, giving lectures, doing research and writing articles This multi-faceted and talented artist is famous in India as well as abroad, and several films and documentaries have been made in her honour by countries like Japan, Australia and Russia. This versatile dancer Padma Subramanyam has received many awards and honours to her credit including 'The Padma Bhushan' in 1983, 'Padmashri' in 1981, The 'Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1983, 'The Kalaimamani Award' from Govt. of Tamilnadu, 'Kalidas Samman' from Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, 'Nada Brahmam' from Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai, 'Bharata Sastra Rakshamani' and Nehru Award in1983 of the Soviet Union so on. Padma Subramanyam has also received the prestigious 'Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize' from Japan for her contribution to development and harmony in Asia. She has served as a non-official member of the Indo-Sub Commission for Education and Culture.

Rukmini is the Artistic Director of her Classical Dance Company, Raadha Kalpa, the Director of her Art Space, LshVa, and the founder of The Raadha Kalpa Method, a pedagogical system for the practice of Bharatanatyam. One of the most sought-after Bharatanatyam soloists of her generation, Rukmini has performed all over the world. Her style, a unique reflection of her artistic practices. She stands apart with her innovative choreography, athleticism, arresting emotions, and attention to detail. Over 15 years of research, Rukmini developed The Raadha Kalpa Method, a pedagogical system for the practice of classical Indian dance forms and Bharatanatyam specifically. Based on the idea of ‘neutrality in both mind and body, the system attempts to create a dancer that is simultaneously efficient, precise, and imaginative. 3) Architect Meera Natampally has worked on huge projects in the areas of Public and private projects, Culture and heritage projects and Research. She is an Adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), IISC and worked on DST’s India Digital Heritage project. She has extensively worked on research related to heritage and published papers at top conferences in the world. She is working as a Domain expert in the area of Heritage for the National Institute of Design (NID). She has been appointed as Heritage Architect for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and Consultant for TATA Projects Ltd, India. She has taught in various institutions for more than two decades. She has been on various committees related to Heritage and Art.

Dr Rangan has taken upon himself the Bhagirathic task of taking Ramayana into all the people without in any way diminishing or diluting its values. With Dr Rangan, the deep scholarship of traditional texts along with a vast knowledge of modern narratives becomes an instrument of Bhakti that in no way compromises academic rigor. Scholar-saints soaked in Bhakti and traditional wisdom while being well aware of modern narratives are rare. Dr. Rangan is one such precious scholar of wisdom. Today with the Indian renaissance happening in many fields, the importance of such persons cannot be overstated

Dr Vishwanath M V currently serves as a Guest Lecturer in the department of Alankara Shastra, Government Maharaja Sanskrit College, Mysuru. He is also serving as an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Heritage Sciences at IIT-Hyderabad. His thesis titled Śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇe Saṃvādavimarśaḥ was awarded a PhD from BHU, Varanasi in the year 2018. He has three MA degrees in the subjects Sanskrit, Alaṅkāraśāstra and Phalita Jyautiṣam. His research areas include Sanskrit literature, Rāmāyaṇa, Sāmkhya Philosophy, Arthaśāstram, Nimitta, Śakuna and Phalita Jyautiṣam. He is currently giving a series of lectures on ten principal Upanishads. He has published four research papers in referred journals. He has also contributed four chapters in the Kannada translation of Mānasollāsa published by Karnataka Sanskrit University, Bangalore. He has presented research papers in many seminars and conferences. He has also delivered several talks on Sāṃkhya, Jyautiṣam and Bhagavadgītā. Series of talks on Kumārasambhavam and Śiśupālavadham in Sanskrit, Kuvalayānanda and Śrimadbhāgavatam in Kannada, Rasagaṅgādhara in Hindi are being made available on YouTube channel Guruguhalahari.

Hailing from a traditional south Indian family, Shirdinath is an Aerospace Engineer by profession having a master's degree(Electronics & Controls) from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He developed interest in astrology and did the Jyothish Visharad course from the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences(founded by late Dr BVRaman), Bangalore. He has been teaching Vedic Astrology over the past 30 years under initially ICAS, and later, Bharativa Jvothisha Sansthan(late Dr S Krishna Kumar) at Bharativa Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore. He is also involved in creating syllabus and 3-year program of study of Jyothish for BJS. He has participated in several seminars/conferences. Received several awards from ICAS and other organisations. He has delivered talks on 'modern science and astrology' on several occasions. Shirdinath has written several articles for the Astrological Magazine and other publications(Star Teller). He is part of the committee set up to create a uniform panchanga as there is confusion due to several Hindu calendars in different parts of the country.

Dr. Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam has 40 published papers in international and national indexed journals. She is part of 10 ongoing research projects, is a Guide for postgraduate research, PhD guide, Resource person/Guest speaker at several conferences and workshops in Otorhinolaryngology and Medical Education. She has presented over 55 research papers in international and national conferences in Otorhinlaryngology and Medical Education. Dr. Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam attended several short courses and workshops on music therapy, art and creative movement therapy conducted by prominent institutions/universities in India, the USA, Australia and the UK.

Rajeev hailing from a Musical family started his early initial training under Vidushi R. A. Chingamani and proceeded for further training under Ganakalabhushana Vidushi Dr. R. A. Ramamani. With additional guidance from his uncle Ganakalabhushana Vidwan. T. A.S. Mani, has taken part in state-level competitions and has been honoured with the Prathibha Karanji State Award and Veena Sheshanna Youth Artist Award. He has performed at various prestigious places such as Madras Music Academy, Bangalore Gayana Samaja, Mylapore Fine Arts, etc. Inquisitive to explore different genres of music such as Jazz, Fusion of Carnatic progressive Rock and delivering performances at Hard Rock Cafe, Fandom, Strawberry Fields etc. Completing experimental research in ‘Complex ragas in a Cozy way’ , He has inculcated the same into many Musical academies’ curricula.

Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy, being one of the members of the Founding Team of the Chanakya University, currently holds the position of the Director – Communications and as the Director -Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems at the University. He is also a Co-founder of Indica Yoga, a platform that offers authentic, immersive and transformative yoga experiences across the world. Recently, he has set up Ritambhara Retreat, an idyllic space for contemplation and learning close to Bengaluru city. His publications include a report on Standardization of Yoga Terminologies for WHO; a book co-edited with Dr. Anuradha Choudry titled ‘Perspectives on Indian Psychology’, published by Jain University Press. Another book co-authored titled ‘Happiness: Indic Perspectives’ was published by Development Foundation – besides a few­­­ articles, papers, booklets on Yoga, Indian Psychology, Culture and Spirituality.

Hemavati Bhat, an M.Sc in Chemistry has Been working in Vigirom Pvt Ltd a fragrance and aroma raw material company as Production Head for a decade.

Darshan N has a Master's Degree in Chemistry from BPGC from KSOU in the year 2013-2014. He is currently the Principal Perfumer & Evaluator at VIGIROM PVT LTD.

Simran is first and foremost someone on an exciting life journey to go deeper and discover the mysteries of the Self and the universe. She has a deep and abiding love for Indian aesthetics, craft and culture which has led her to create Paro, a concept brand that celebrates the Vedic cultural heritage of India. She co-founded Nicobar with her husband - a lifestyle brand that celebrates a relaxed and contemporary India. Simran who was the CEO of Good Earth - a 28-year-old artisanal brand founded by her mother, celebrating Indian heritage, aesthetics and fine craftsmanship, is now on the board of the company. Simran holds a BA in History from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in History of Art from the University of Bangalore. Her education in art history instilled in her a broader appreciation of the cultural legacies woven into Indian craft histories and inspired her master’s dissertation about the global economic, cultural, and design impact of Indian chintz. Simran continued her exploration of the world of aesthetics and design by studying Product Development and Merchandising at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.

Ms Vijayalakshmi Vijayakumar has curated and organised two iconic annual festivals since 2010- Gudiya Sambrahma - the Bengaluru Temple Festival conducted for 5 weekends across Heritage temples showcasing over 50 artists of renown from across the country and Srishti Sambhrama, the Earth Mother Festival for eco-sensitive young adults. She has organized Divya Varna for four years, a Traditional Indian art exhibition in temple venues, displayed by over 35 artists of renown. She is involved in philanthropic and social welfare-driven activities including the provision of a daily mid-day meal scheme for rural school. For five years she was involved with Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s ( Arsha Vidya Peetha) work of organizing workshops and interactions with intellectuals and writers. For two years, she was a Member of the Central Board of Film Censors under Anupam Kher. She has written and conceptualized short stories for children Katha Parampara, authored and published “Forever There” A historical fiction and presently writing yet another historical fiction